This campaign is part of a larger project that I'm using to build a strong foundation for me to work on within the philanthropic/public art space. I don't plan on making a profit from the piece that I'm going to make once I'm able to launch and it is going to be donated, but it will help add some meat to my portfolio.
There are a number different avenues available where my pieces can be used for charitable purposes. I have three different options I'm debating on for the upcoming mural that I'm raising money for, but I need to wait and see how the crowdfunding campaign plays out and then finalize agreements with the powers that be before I can disclose which application I'm going to use that has the largest and most beneficial impact. I won't give specifics but I will say that one option is a type of community project, another is fundraising for a local cause or organization, and another is to assist a small property/business owners by helping drive a healthy revenue for them or bring up property value. I'll post an update once I decide on the best option and I'm closer to my launch date.
The main reason I'm turning to crowdfunding for help right now is because of how fast it can be. I've been working on this project since early spring 2017, and finding the correct space to house the project has been a major setback which is why my project has been in limbo for so long. But a perfect and affordable space has become available in town and I'm trying to get the funds to at least secure the space as quickly as possible before someone beats me to it, because god knows how long I'd have to wait for an opening in another feasible space. I do work as a freelance transcriptionist, which always has lots of work available and is ideal because it provides me with the flexibility I need for this project. But with all the time I'm spending on marketing to find supporters, researching various methods of fundraising, and time spent working with sponsors, I've definitely been neglecting my transcription work and I still have other expenses to worry about which why I need some help. And I'm afraid to say this, but once I do get the funding and launch, the amount of time I have for transcription is only going to get worse because the assembly of a mosaic is incredibly time consuming, and I'm building an entire mural with tiles that are only 1 cm by 1 cm.
There's a couple other things I'd like to address that comes up from time to time while I'm marketing and makes some people paranoid about the legitimacy of my campaign. What people don't understand (which makes sense if they've never been here) is that I'm currently in Montana, and this fact alone actually has caused some complications and delays in getting my project off the ground. People don't know that they need to take into consideration the obstacles that comes from being in one of the largest states in the USA that also has one of the smallest populations, much of which is spread out in rural areas.
Why are you trying to raise funds outside of Montana? Why not focus on your local area?
The majority of Montana residents care about things that usually involve outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, camping, etc. It may seem like I'm stereotyping, but typically folks that value things like that don't often have much interest in the arts or supporting them. And if they do, it's usually work from artists like CM Russell and Monte Dolack, which revolves around themes such as nature in the Rocky Mountains and nearby prairies, cowboy and Indian western culture, hunting, fishing, etc. Folks that do have an interest and that support art that has no relation to the western Rocky Mountain genre are definitely the minority here. When I first began working on this campaign I actually did focus on the local community for support for many months, but it was a complete waste of time and I found no assistance, resources, or donors in my community (unless there was the possibility of a profit of course). It wasn't until I started marketing to the rest of the USA that I started receiving any donations or assistance.
Why don't you just apply for grants or some other form of assistance?
Firstly, art funding is always limited. Secondly, location plays into it again. There's little demand for the arts here, so the arts get a very small budget which is used up right away most of the time. True, there are all sorts of grants available that don't go through the state that I can apply for, but they take a ridiculously long time to write and apply for and even longer to receive if approved. The whole process can take well over a year to complete, but there's no guarantee I'd be approved and it's highly competitive and writing a perfect grant is no easy task, so it would more than likely end up wasting time that I don't really have. And lastly, crowdfunding seems far more appropriate for public art. We all feel it's impact (whether you notice it or not), it's made for everybody to share, we all essentially own it, so it makes since that we all contribute to it. And as I said before, grant funding is always limited and so I'd rather it be saved for folks that really need it (here's looking at you art students).
If Montana is that bad of an environment for artists and making your project so difficult, why don't you just move to an area where there's more demand for the arts?
That's exactly the plan after I finish building my mural here and work on my portfolio a bit more. To run off outside of my well-known territory to pursue a career in the arts without being prepared is just setting myself up for failure.
Why are you trying to rent a commercial space for your installation for a charitable art project? Why not ask the owners to donate it to you and maybe they can get a tax write-off?
Most commercial properties that are suitable for the project and that have the correct zoning that I'd be allowed to work with belong to small independent local owners, many of which rely on the income that they receive from renting out their space to businesses. On top of that I'm not a well established artist just yet. So to ask someone to knowingly give up a profit they need for an unknown artist is pretty bold. It's one thing to ask for small donations via crowdfunding, but it's definitely a different ballgame to ask someone to just basically give up thousands of dollars for an unknown artist they just met. Would you walk up to a stranger on the street and ask them to give you a couple thousand dollars?... Probably not. And as I said earlier, there's little interest in the arts here, so expecting someone to lose that much money for a cause they probably don't care about is a little ridiculous.
Now as far as a tax write-off I don't know a lot about tax law. But from what I've read, donating to an individual and not an actual registered 501c3 organization wouldn't make you eligible for a tax break. And I have read a few articles regarding this exact same topic, and many didn't think it was worth it and was just a pain in the end.
