Challenge Question
How can we create a global marketplace that can economically benefit local small and medium self-employed artists and artisans?
Partner: Markham Arts Council
Project Summary
The current global art market is estimated at over $60 billion in sales; however, most small and medium self-employed artists struggle to make ends meet and sell their artwork. These difficulties often arise due to customer availability and accessibility, as these artists typically focus their sales efforts on pop-up shops and local events, reaching out repeatedly to the same small circle of clientele. The goal of this project is to create an online platform that will allow small and medium artists and artisans to gain access to a larger portion of global art sales, thus granting them more economic freedom, a better quality of life, and a presence in markets that are outside of their immediate neighbourhood. Students interested in this project might have some knowledge of web/app development, design, digital communication, and business/marketing, and will likely have interest in the arts, entrepreneurship, and community engagement/support.
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Partner Video
Organizational Profile
The Markham Arts Council was established in 2004 with the mission to serve and enhance our community’s well-being through the arts. We provide arts and cultural education and awareness to the public with a wide offering of programs and events, and we support the work and development of emerging and established artists in the visual, literary, and performing arts through collaborative projects and initiatives. Our goal is to build a stronger arts community that is both diverse and unified and that encompasses literary arts, experimental art, visual arts, new media, music, dance, performance, and dramatic arts. The services of the Markham Arts Council cater to the general population, particularly those who have limited accessibility to the arts and arts-based programming and are therefore unable to reap the benefits the discipline has to offer.
Partner Website
Learn more about the kind of work the project partner does by browsing their website.
Additional Resources
Key Words
- Social Enterprise
- Independent Artists
- Digital Sales Platform