Artmorpheus strengthens communities and fosters an inclusive innovation ecosystem by connecting artists and creative entrepreneurs with vital resources and knowledge. Through network and entrepreneurial skill building, business model development, and incubation, we help passionate innovators build capacity and sustainable enterprises.

OUR STORY

2009-2010

2009 - Planning begins to create a new nonprofit organization dedicated to providing services for Massachusetts artists working in all disciplines. Veronique Le Melle, the then CEO of the Boston Center for the Arts, offers to incubate the new organization and a diverse advisory board consisting of artists and arts leaders is formed. Artmorpheus is named and begins providing workshops, individual consulting and online resources.

2010 - The nonprofit Artists Foundation, which existed to support artists in Boston for over 35 years, ceases operating.

2011 - 2012

2011 - Artmorpheus is formally established as a non-profit, and its first board of directors is formed.

2012 - Artmorpheus partners with artist Kelly Sherman to develop New Art Love - an online platform designed to empower art lovers to discover and connect with local art and artists at Open Studio events. The project becomes a MassChallenge finalist in the social enterprise category, and over the course of two years, leverages new technologies and input from Greater Boston artists and cultural organizations to create five wayfinding apps for open studio events and an art festival as well as ArtAppBoston+, a pilot statewide mobile guide to galleries, museums, and artist run spaces.

2013 - 2015

2013 - The Boston Foundation invites Artmorpheus to join the Fairmount Cultural Corridor (FCC) placemaking initiative, which draws upon the local cultural assets and ethnic traditions along the Fairmount Indigo Commuter Line to support vibrant, livable neighborhoods along the Corridor strengthened by an active, sustainable local creative economy.

2015 - With the support of FCC funders, our partner Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, and the community, Artmorpheus transforms underutilized commercial space in Uphams Corner, Dorchester to establish the Fairmount Innovation Lab (FIL), a cross-disciplinary incubator and hub that supports underrepresented artists, creative and social entrepreneurs. FIL launches its 1st accelerator program for artists and entrepreneurs.

2016 - 2020

2016 - Artmorpheus partners with the Boston Center for the Arts to launch Artists Help Desk, a program that provides artists of all disciplines access to experts and art professionals including curators, gallerists, artists, outreach strategists, and other individuals with valuable experience to share through one-on-one consultations.

Artmorpheus relocates the Fairmount Innovation Lab (FIL) across the street with the support of new partner Dorchester Bay Economic Dev. Corp. Artmorpheus secures a seed grant from MassDevelopment and conducts a feasibility study for FIL. FIL is expanded to offer workshops, events and co-working space, and becomes a gathering space for a wide range of artists, entrepreneurs and social innovators.

2017 - By Artists For Artists - a statewide survey for artists of all disciplines, makers and creative entrepreneurs - is launched in partnership with the Massachusetts Artists Leadership Coalition

TEAM

Marea Parker

Marea Parker, Acting Executive Director. Marea has a passion for arts and culture, education and community development. Her professional experience began with big law as an associate with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Cahill Gordon & Reindel in New York. Prior to joining the Harvard Law School Transactional Law Clinics (“TLC”), Marea was assistant general counsel at a Wall-Street real estate investment company where she provided investment management support and legal counsel. Her clients included developers, financiers and investors in commercial and retail real estate projects throughout the urban corridors of the US. Marea’s background in corporate law, corporate finance, securities, banking and real estate finance is essential to the work she does for the clients of TLC. She works closely with entrepreneurs, small companies and non-profits to help them successfully launch, operate and maintain their businesses. While at TLC, Marea has also actively worked with local land trusts, workers’ cooperatives and the Fairmount Innovation Lab, a program of Artmorpheus that operates a creative artists’ incubator in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood.

Joelle Fontaine is the Program Coordinator of the Fairmount Innovation Lab (FIL). Joelle is principal designer for the fashion label, Kréyol, a company she founded with family in 2004, which gained her a spot in FIL’s first accelerator for creative entrepreneurs. The Kréyol collection incorporates Joelle’s love of costuming and ancient time periods. Kréyol’s ultimate goal is to leverage the fashion brand as a catalyst for change, beginning with job creation for economically disadvantaged women in the U.S. and eventually in Haiti, a country where Joelle has roots. Kréyol has been featured in the Conde Nast Traveler, AfroPunk, New York Fashion Week, and Caribbean Fashion Week in Jamaica. Joelle was named one of the top Haitian designers by Teen Vogue and was voted best designer by Boston Magazine in 2017. Kréyol is also a 2017 MassChallenge Finalist.

Anuradha ("Anu") Yadav is the Fairmount Innovation Lab Chief Strategy Officer and Launchpad Facilitator. She is an experienced adviser to social impact and apparel companies.  From 2014 to 2016, Anu was the Executive Director of TiE-Boston, a nonprofit supporting entrepreneurs by offering education, mentorship, networking, and funding opportunities. During her tenure at TiE-Boston, she led strategic planning, fundraising and co-created and oversaw two cohorts of TiE ScaleUp, a 5 month accelerator program to help companies between seed and Series A financing scale through access to investors, mentorship, workshops and peer-to-peer learning.

As a corporate attorney with ten years of experience practicing law at State Street Bank and Trust Company, Ropes & Gray, LLP, Brown Rudnick, LLP in Boston, MA and DLA Piper LLP in Atlanta, GA, Anu represented start-up companies from initial formation, through venture capital financings, and acquisitions.   Anu clerked for the Honorable William K. Sessions, III, Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Vermont.  Anu served as a trustee on the University of Vermont (“UVM”) Board of Trustees and is currently an Emeriti trustee as well as a member of the the Board of Directors of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Anu graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Vermont and received her J.D., with honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Casey Curry is Manager of Special Projects at Artmorpheus and serves on Artmorpheus' Board of Directors. She is a curator interested in community engaged creative practices. She has organized exhibitions, artist projects, and public programs at venues throughout the area including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the New Art Center; and Blanc Gallery. Currently, she manages the exhibition programs at Gallery 263 in Cambridge. She holds a BA in English from Northeastern University and will begin graduate studies in the History of Art and Architecture at the University of Oregon in January, where she has been awarded a Graduate Teaching Fellowship.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PARTNERS + FUNDERS

 

Artmorpheus Administrative Offices
at the Boston Center for the Arts
539 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116

Artmorpheus at
Fairmount Innovation Lab
572 Columbia Road
Boston, MA 02125

  Email: info@artmorpheus.org

Phone: 1.617.456.1131

 
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