Serena Anagbe / Photo Editor
The City of Brantford has created a new way for local artists of all kinds to share who they are and the work they do, called the Artist Database.
What was once just an idea from Adrienne Briggs, the city’s arts and culture coordinator, is now a reality, taking shape in mid-November.
“We are looking for people who are actively looking to share their craft with other people,” said Briggs. The potentials of the database will only be uncovered as more people join and time goes on.
The database is online, so it is easier for people to access, join and apply to be a part of the platform. Joining the database does not cost anything either, as it is city funded.
If an artist wants to be a part of this database, they can fill out a digital form on the City of Brantford website which requires their name, address, email and social media handles. There is a questionnaire that asks about the type of art the artist does, including options like craft, design, literary arts, media, performing and visual arts.
Artists are asked to select the type of specialization they are as well. Specialization options are actor, dancer, chef, choir, singer, writer, poet, ceramicist, comedian, conductor, glass artist, jeweller and woodworker, to name a few.
After selecting their style of art, an artist is also asked to rank their skill set in order from advanced to novice, along with provide a brief written answer to the questions, “Have you ever mentored an artist, programmer, or facilitator in the past?” and “Would you be interested in working with an artistic mentor on a local project?” A portfolio upload is another part of the database process and is entirely done online.
Briggs wanted to familiarise herself with who the artists of Brantford are and what they do. As well as make herself – as the arts and culture coordinator – more accessible to local artists.
Katie Coward was the first to join the database in mid-November.
“Trying to connect with other artists is very difficult, you don’t see it a lot here,” said Coward.
So much of Brantford’s artist community is unknown to each other. The goal of the database is to help with this, especially with artists coming from all different backgrounds and exploring different mediums.
“It is hard to network as an artist,” said Coward, who hopes the database will fix this and eventually be a space to connect with artists to arrange training, host workshops, collaborative work and so much more. “It has got such potential to make a really nice community.”
Artists can range from a cook to a tattoo artist or from a painter to a graphic designer. Anyone who actively calls themselves an artist from Brantford, Brant County or Six Nations can join.
