Project Spotlight: January Arts
January Arts is a support network for the art community. The Los Angeles nonprofit was founded by KRISTINE SCHOMAKER in 2024 and represents the latest effort by the artist to create space for community and career growth outside of the competitive commercial marketplace. Kristine believes that “When you realize you aren’t alone, or that you don’t have to be alone, opportunities open up.”
What is January Arts?
January Arts is my dream organization created as a hub for all artists to receive the resources, tools and confidence to find their path as a creative living in the world today. It is a support network for artists. It is a new non-profit that was founded as a space for all artists to come together and use the collective art community for collaboration, motivation, accountability, and empowerment.
You’ve shared with us in the past about the many ways you participate in the art world – as an artist, consultant, educator, just to name a few of the roles you play. How is January Arts different, and how did it come about?
January Arts came about out of a desire to get away from the profit world where everything is driven by money to the nonprofit service industry, where we can do good for the public. A place where the economy becomes about reciprocity and abundance rather than money. January Arts is a culmination of everything I do in the art world and the world in general. I bring my administrative experience, art history and teaching experience as well as my art practice together to this one place to help others. I believe that by helping each other, we all grow. It is the ripple or snowball effect.
January Arts has allowed me to bring my ideas to fruition, whether connecting artists through international peer mentorship; or a future idea of pairing underserved artists with established artists as mentors; or creating a “Sing for your Supper” salon where everyone invited has to perform in some way for the other dinner guests; or holding potluck picnics where we hang out and chat, laugh and relax (hard to come upon in today’s fast paced society); or connecting artists with resources they may not have known about in order to help not only the artists but also the companies.
January Arts founder Kristine Schomaker.
You and I both agree that one of the biggest challenges to being an artist is working in isolation. How does January Arts’ membership model help support more sustainable art careers?
All I can do is present the tools, offer the space for artists to come together. I completely understand that some artists WANT to work in isolation. Sometimes I do. But other artists need to talk to their peers, to get ideas out there, to complain about rejection or share their wins. When I come together with my artists, sometimes we cry, most of the time we laugh. Both are cathartic. Both are empowering and both help us make room for new work to happen.
When artists work together, ideas and knowledge freely flow, and confidence is built. When you realize you aren’t alone, or that you don’t have to be alone, opportunities open up. When you have artists with different experiences coming together you realize there are endless possibilities open to you.
How can projects like this help transform the art world for the better?
I am thinking even bigger than that. I am thinking about how we can transform the world one artist at a time. Art changes the world. Artists change the world. We need art. January Arts is able to guide artists to find their path, their voices so they can make the world a better place. Without art, we lose self-expression and individuality. The world is made up of art through stories, architecture, clothing, color, texture, music, culture, murals, heritage, literature and much more that add to the human experience. We need art to heal, survive, as comfort and for beauty. Art helps people think critically and open-mindedly. Art provides jobs, it creates economy. What would happen to the tourism industry if there were no art? We use art to appreciate and understand other cultures. It is a universal language. January Arts helps artists build self confidence and thrive so we will not be lost without art.
What's coming up next for January Arts, and how can folks get involved?
Currently we are working almost daily with our artists to give them the support they need to keep creating. Through group meetings, critique, outside speakers, opportunities, resources, social media marketing and more we provide artists steps to move forward.
We have two fundraising events coming up: a miniature art show October 19th and 20th where our artists created miniature drawings and paintings for sale, and in January we are holding The January Show, a surprise postcard show which will help raise money to support underserved artists in our community. (See The January Show artist call here.)
Next year, we are planning art exhibitions, salons, professional development workshops, collaborations with other organizations and meeting new artists.
We have memberships where artists can sign up to work with us through our website. They can also join our mailing list and follow us on social media to keep up to date on our upcoming events, activities and open calls for funded programming.
