Visual and performing artists are the cultural backbone of the United States, helping us rethink our past and imagine a better future. With the addition of self-taught and outsider artists, college-educated artists who hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree are launching projects (on or off Kickstarter) every day.
Kickstarter has worked to elevate student work and partnered with programs like RISD and MICA, helping artists tackle all sorts of projects from their thesis exhibition to executing their first print run or product. Even seven artists featured in the 2019 Whitney Biennial launched Kickstarter campaigns to fund their work, many of which ran during or immediately following their Master in Fine Arts programs.
Naima Green, Zoe Black, and Tt the Artist (former students of art & Kickstarter alums)
But here on Kickstarter's Arts team, we're all too familiar with the challenges that come along with pursuing an art degree. The top 10 MFA programs in the U.S. on average cost $71,133 in total, and since 2010, nearly 17,500 students complete their Master's degree in fine arts annually, adding to 2019's $1.5 billion dollar student debt crisis. Exacerbating this financial burden is the reality that programs simply do not set students up for financial stability or give them the professional tools to help them navigate their career as an artist after graduation. The Creative Independent's recent survey found that a majority of artists believe their MFA or other art-related programs did not help them become financially stable.
From workshopping grant applications to calculating artist stipends to crafting public art proposals, there is so much territory to cover. This is why we want to take Kickstarter's 10 years of experience helping artists fund and realize projects and create a resource center for new and emerging artists and better guide them toward financial stability.
More from Kickstarter
25/02/2020
Naima Ramos-Chapman Piu Piu
This article is also available in English.
Kickstarter 2020 3 ...
18/02/2020
A statement from Aziz Hasan, Kickstarter's CEO, on the outcome of the staff vote on unionization:
Today we learned that in a 46 to 37 vote, our staff has d...
30/01/2020
Illustration by Iasmin Omar Ata
It's no secret I'm an advocate for queer and trans creators. Regardless of my identity as a queer Chinese American ci...
23/01/2020
We're proud to say we survived 2019, and we're even more proud that the Games category on Kickstarter flourished once again. Kickstarter backers funded ...
09/01/2020
Naima Ramos-Chapmans Piu Piu
Launch a short film project in March 2020 as part of a monthlong celebration of the form. No longer just a stepping stone to th...
17/12/2019
Scroll down for Spanish. Versi n en espa ol a continuaci n.
Since Kickstarter launched in Mexico in November 2016, we have been blown away by the creativity d...
29/11/2019
This Black Friday and beyond, back a project for no reward, just because it speaks to you.
Today is Black Friday in the United States, and next week, online st...
19/11/2019
Creators can now make and share a budget for their project directly from the Kickstarter project editor. Back in August we introduced a simple Funding Calculato...
07/11/2019
Pier Kids by Elegance Bratton
This year, DOC NYC-New York's documentary film festival-celebrates its 10th anniversary. The festival, which includes more ...
25/10/2019
When we made the decision to reincorporate Kickstarter as a Public Benefit Corporation in 2015, we made limiting our environmental impact a part of our charter....
21/10/2019
We've been listening to creator feedback on ways to make it easier to plan, build, and launch projects. Over the past few months, we've rolled out some ...
09/10/2019
I am very pleased to announce that the author and entrepreneur Casey Gerald has been appointed to Kickstarter PBC's board of directors.
Casey is the author...
27/09/2019
This FAQ provides information about the unionization effort at Kickstarter from the perspective of the companys leadership. It was originally published on Septe...
27/09/2019
To our community of creators and backers:
The many questions and concerns we've heard from you lately are a testament to how much you care about Kickstarte...
24/09/2019
Factory Berlin - Creators Lab
Starting this month, Kickstarter and Factory Be...
17/09/2019
On September 20, Kickstarter is inviting our staff to participate in the Climate Strike. Here in New York, staff are welcome to take the day off to attend the p...
12/09/2019
When the temperatures cool and the sky turns a bit grayer, it generally signals the beginning of my favorite time of year: the fall performance season. Each yea...
09/09/2019
Visual and performing artists are the cultural backbone of the United States, helping us rethink our past and imagine a better future. With the addition of self...
20/08/2019
This September, Kickstarter Film is partnering with The Eyeslicer, a secret TV show blending the boldest new American filmmaking into mind-expanding, mixtape-st...
20/08/2019
Setting a funding goal is a critical step in launching a project - but it can be a confusing one. We've released a new tool to help make at least part of th...
12/08/2019
The shesaid.so team
This October, Kickstarter is teaming up with shesaid.so, ...
06/08/2019
Here's a quick overview of some recent improvements to Kickstarter that we're excited to tell you about.
First up is a feature we're calling quote...
02/08/2019
Way back in 2009 when Kickstarter was first launched, one of our first projects was a piece from Cynthia Hopkins trying to get to the Edinburgh Fringe. A decade...
20/06/2019
The program will mentor 10 social practice artists in the UK as they prepare to launch projects this fall.
Filmmaker Ian Nesbitts Taking The Michael
Kick...
04/06/2019
Your work takes risks. Your project can, too.
Over the past 10 years the Kickstarter community has learned a thing or two about how to develop and run a Kicks...
17/05/2019
Today we are excited to announce that Kickstarter is available in two new languages: Traditional Chinese and Italian. We'd like to extend a warm welcome to ...
09/05/2019
Photos by Adrianne McKenzie
Kickstarter and gal-dem teamed up to host a workshop for women and nonbinary people of color where artists shared inspiring stori...
30/04/2019
Ten years ago this week, Kickstarter landed on the World Wide Web, and our whole office erupted in cheers. Except there was no office, just some folks working o...
17/04/2019
Today, we're excited to announce a partnership with Kodansha, one of Japan's leading publishers, to support creators in Japan across all categories.
Co...
17/04/2019
Meredith Graves, our director of music, and Luke Crane, our head of games, wielded frightful powers at the Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands last week. Our f...
21/03/2019
On May 11, join a daylong conversation about fostering a more inclusive, fair, a...
19/03/2019
To the Kickstarter team, creators, backers, and friends:
I've decided to step away from the CEO position at Kickstarter to focus on high-level and long-te...
14/03/2019
Your favorite weirdos, Meredith & Russell
Like everybody else who loves music and [squints at list]...huge untamed crowds and walking through piles of unsort...
23/01/2019
Camilla Zhang, Comics Outreach Lead at Kickstarter.
The Kickstarter Comics category had a massive year in 2018, with backers from around the world pledging a...
23/01/2019
2018 Creator-in-Residence Ma lle Doliveux with her dog Leeloo.
We're excited to announce the open call for Kickstarter's Spring/Summer 2019 Creators-...
15/01/2019
Just when you thought Games on Kickstarter couldn't get any bigger, they did. 2018 was the category's best year yet, featuring over 3,300 funded project...
08/01/2019
For the eighth year, Kickstarter creators will bring their documentaries, narrative features, shorts, and series to Park City. This year, we're thrilled to ...
20/11/2018
Last week, the Kickstarter campaign for Street Masters: Aftershock received a pledge of $209. For the creator, the independent game studio Blacklist Games, that...
15/11/2018
You're invited to launch a limited-edition project in January as part of Make 100.
In January 2017, over 470 creators launched projects as part of Kickstar...
01/11/2018
This winter, let us summon the ancient forms and blazon our sigils on portentous parchments!
Emerging in the early 1970s, RPG zines were hugely influential in ...
25/10/2018
Andy McMillan and Andy Baio of XOXO. Photo by Searle Video.
A year ago we launched Drip, a tool for people to fund their creative work on an ongoing basis. W...
01/10/2018
(Scroll down for the English translation.)
Atenci n a todos los apasionados de la risograf a en M xico y el mundo: del 22 de octubre al 15 de diciembre, Kickst...
11/09/2018
Kickstarter is a well-established home for 3D printing. Over 200 campaigns focused on bringing new 3D printers to life have been funded here. Innovative industr...
31/08/2018
Today, I'm thrilled to share an exciting milestone: over 2 million people have pledged more than $100 million to creative projects within Kickstarters Art c...
29/08/2018
NFTS students on set
Today, we're excited to team up with one of the worl...
22/08/2018
Versi n en espa ol a continuaci n. Scroll down for Spanish.
Kickstarter has been open to creators in Mexico for nearly two years, and in that time, we've s...
22/08/2018
At the end of July, Michelle Vance backed her first Kickstarter project. When she did, she became the 15 millionth member of a community thats brought nearly 15...
31/07/2018
Performers at the Fringe. Photo: David Monteith Hodge
Edinburgh Fringe is nearly upon us. The 2018 installment of one of the world's most well-known and ...
18/06/2018
Oscar Lhermittes Quickstarter #1: Tape Stickers
Quickstarter: its OK to think smallToday were announcing Quickstarter. Its an invitation to create small p...
12/06/2018
Announcing a new study on the financial stability of visual artists by The Creative Independent.
Back in 2016, Kickstarter launched The Creative Independent as...
Visual and performing artists are the cultural backbone of the United States, helping us rethink our past and imagine a better future. With the addition of self-taught and outsider artists, college-educated artists who hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree are launching projects (on or off Kickstarter) every day.
