Will spend next four months taking part in small group coaching, taking workshops, and developing a business plan to strengthen their creative practice
January 21, 2026 (Cape Cod, MA) – The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod has selected the next 15 artists to participate in its Capacity-Building Program which aims to give local creatives access to the support, guidance, resources, and network to achieve financial sustainability for their creative practice.
“Since we launched this program in 2023, our goal has been to identify Cape artists who are doing great work, but who could benefit from the coaching needed to take their business and craft to the next level,” said Arts Foundation Executive Director Julie Wake. “Beyond strengthening their business acumen, this program gives participants an opportunity to establish a network of creatives that empowers the whole sector. It reminds each artist about the important role that community has in their personal and professional journeys.”
Four years ago, the Arts Foundation reimagined its Creative Exchange program thanks to a $400,000 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant from the state of Massachusetts. That funding helped the nonprofit focus on bringing professional development initiatives, like the Capacity-Building Program, to the Creative Exchange to help artists address the challenges they face — lack of affordable housing, inflation, the seasonal economy, and more — here on the Cape.
When this cohort completes its work, 57 artists will have gone through the program, which offers participants access to small group coaching in the development of a business plan which identifies goals for their practice and steps to achieve them; educational workshops that bridge creativity with business; a network of peers to support one another on their creative journeys; and a $1,000 stipend upon the conclusion of their work.
For the first time since its inception, the Capacity-Building Program is welcoming an artist on Martha’s Vineyard — ceramic sculptor Jennifer Langhammer of Vineyard Haven.
“I am interested in the support this program offers and would love to have help with developing a business plan and coaching,” said Langhammer, who is also the young adult librarian at Vineyard Haven Public Library. “I am also looking to benefit from the community this program offers. …I am excited to collaborate with some of the other Cape artists in the cohort and maybe have them lead some library programs.”
The Capacity-Building Program is taking place at a busy time for Langhammer, who is exhibiting her series, “Significant Objects,” which features 3-D pieces of life-sized sculptures she made of items that are significant to people she knows and strangers alike. Two are on view at The Workshop in Vineyard Haven, and another at Featherstone Center for the Arts in Oak Bluffs.
Joining Langhammer in the cohort is New York Times bestselling author, poet, and visual artist Lauren Wolk of Centerville, who released her fifth novel, Candle Island, last April. She is currently working on her first-ever picture book, The Outermost Mouse, which will be published this May.
While she has achieved success over her career, Wolk said, she hopes the program will allow her to create an actionable plan for her work, particularly her new InkLines project, a series of short animation films she has created with Jackie Reeves since December 2024. “I can say for myself, working in film is a whole new ballgame for me. Besides the production work, we need help with forming a plan and learning how to take steps to enact our goals,” said Wolk. “We have to have a business plan and an action plan, and being in the cohort will really help us design one that works for us.”
Joining Langhammer and Wolk in the cohort are:
- Naya Bricher of Provincetown, painter (https://nayabricher.com/)
- Alexis Charles of South Dennis, visual artist and digital brand storyteller (https://www.instagram.com/accreatives.cc)
- Naomi Czupryna of Centerville, mixed media visual artist and storyteller (https://www.instagram.com/naomicz/)
- Joy George of Harwich, visual artist and painter (https://www.joygeorgefineart.com/)
- Deyan Gerginov of Provincetown, musician and performing artist (https://www.instagram.com/devibermusic/)
- Sarah Manion of Brewster, fiber artist (www.theinterwoveninstitute.org)
- James (Jay) McDermott of Provincetown, painter, (https://www.instagram.com/jaymcdermott38/)
- Heather Pillar of Brewster, photographer and educator (https://www.heatherpillar.com/)
- Jackie Reeves of Sandwich, visual artist and filmmaker (https://www.jackiereeves.com/)
- Carly Smith of Mashpee, painter, ceramicist, and mixed media artist (https://www.instagram.com/ms.smith.art/)
- Jennifer Stratton of Hyannis, painter and arts educator (https://www.jenniferstrattonart.com/)
- James (Jim) Vincent of Truro, painter (https://www.instagram.com/jamesrobertvincent/)
- Nick Zaremba of East Sandwich, multimedia artist (www.nickzaremba.com )
Through May, the cohort will receive coaching and individualized support in the creation of a business plan from Arts Foundation Special Projects Coordinator Raydene (Ray) Salinas Hansen of Falmouth and psychotherapist, author, and speaker Rick Miller of Boston
They will also participate in a series of workshops that include Grant Writing taught by Arts Foundation Executive Director Julie Wake and Director of Grants and Communications Chris Kazarian; Crafting an Artist Statement taught by arts administrator, educator, and artist Dana Sikkila of Minnesota; Taxes for Creatives taught by Hannah Cole of Sunlight Tax in Asheville, North Carolina; Social Media for Creatives taught by Elisa Chiniara, founder and owner of Office Hours; Advocacy 101 taught by MASSCreative Executive Director Emily Ruddock; and Writing a Press Release 101 taught by Chris Kazarian.
The workshops, which are a mix of in-person and virtual, are open to any creative on Cape Cod and the Islands who is interested in taking the next steps in their professional development. To register for any of the workshops, visit https://www.artsfoundation.org/.
The Arts Foundation will hold a graduation for the 15 artists selected for this round of the Capacity-Building Program at the beginning of May at the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum.
The Arts Foundation’s Capacity-Building Program is made possible through support from William Raveis Real Estate, Donald C. McGraw Foundation, TD Charitable Foundation, The Cape Cod Foundation, the Barnstable County License Plate Grant Program, Kelley Foundation, South Shore Playhouse Associates, Cape and Coast Bank, John K. & Thirza F. Davenport Foundation, Eastern Bank, and the Arts Foundation’s Patron Program.
About the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod
Founded in 1987, the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod’s mission is to support and strengthen a vibrant arts and cultural sector for everyone in the region. It fulfills its mission by funding grants; by increasing access to arts and culture in the region for all on Cape Cod; by advocating for more awareness on the impact the Cape’s creative economy has on our region and beyond; and by building a strong arts community network through membership as well as professional development opportunities that fall under its Creative Exchange program.