Preparation for Disaster | Cornelia Carey | Episode 420

Cornelia Carey | Episode 420

Cornelia Carey has served as the executive director of CERF+ since 1995. She is the co-Chair and founding member of the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response, an initiative to improve emergency preparedness and response in the arts sector. Before her tenure at CERF+, Cornelia ran programs supporting artists and cultural institutions at the Vermont Arts Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. She has served on boards and review panels for foundations, state arts councils, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She lives with her husband and daughter on their farm in Calais, VT.

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My first three questions are about how to get ready. How does one properly prepare for a career in clay so they are getting things in order for having a business as an artist?

Have a really good mentor who seems very prepared and have them walk you through their studio and see what they are doing and not doing. We have a new studio safety poster that hopefully a lot of people picked up at NCECA that gets into it in great detail. So those two things.

So once we have decided that we want to have a career what are the main things one ought to do to protect their career?

Look around your studio and think about what you absolutely couldn’t make your work without and if those things are expensive or hard to recreate think about getting insurance for them. What can’t you afford to do without.

What kind of basic steps should someone look at when they are talking about making their finances work for them? What kind of financial plans should one put in place?

Boy that’s a good question. I think be realistic. I think a lot of people aspire to having a full-time studio based career and very few are able to do that successfully. So be realistic and draw up a business plan and look at what kind of income you will need to be able to pay for health insurance and rent or whatever and then build from there.

How important is it for an artist to go to business workshops?

It can be very helpful if they are available where you live and if they are not there are a lot of good resources on the internet. There is a lot more professional practice opportunities these days, whether they are offered by somebodies local art agency or craft organization and also that is what puts you in touch with fellow artists as they are grappling with the same issues. So that can be a really great way to connect as well.

If disaster strikes after you have had a chance to take a breath what are the first main steps a person ought to do if disaster strikes?

Call your insurance company. Seriously and also try to find a peer or someone who has been through a similar emergency because we learn from each other and don’t throw anything out until your insurance company says it’s okay. Don’t assume something is ruined but just leave it until you get a really good inspection.

How does CERF+ respond to disasters?

Well we see so many types of disasters that I would say that we have been writing about each variety. How to get ready for tornadoes. How to get ready for hurricanes. Right now a lot of jewelers are a target for theft. Jewelry stores have gotten a lot better about security so we have seen a number of artists lose up to a half million dollars of jewelry after a show. So we are writing about that a reaching out to artists who have been through that experience. We have been getting some best practices together. For almost everything we write about or do thought leader pieces about, tips of the month, and our monthly e-news. Just to keep people thinking about those things.

Why is the artists community so important to you that you want to dedicate your career to helping them?

Again I hearken back to this recent trip to Puerto Rico where I just saw so many incredible…, so many ways that art transforms a community. From giving people a sense of well-being, going to a big art show in the plaza with one hundred or so mostly craftsman, to artists workshops for people who have been temporarily homeless. I understand artists are vulnerable to disasters and too often a temporary setback turns into permanent silence. But they also contribute so much to recovery in their communities. You see it over and over again and it is so compelling.