FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE+LEISURE
RAW TALENT
PUTTING ARTISTIC PASSION ON DISPLAY
By Epiphany Ciers | Photography by Jenn Duncan
Okay, creatives, gather in. You’ll want to hear this one.
RAW is exactly what Houston has been craving. Launched in Los Angeles in 2009, RAW is the world’s largest independent arts orga-
nization, and it’s a real game changer. They plan, promote and produce showcases exclusively for emerging indie artists. They find
talented artists, provide them with a platform, and the exposure and tools to help them thrive. A true safe haven for hungry artists.
They’re in over 60 cities internationally, so of course Houston had to be on the list. “A part of our mission is to support local commu-
nities of artists. Houston is a city that is rich in art and culture, and it is a very important city for RAW to be in,” production coordinator
Ashley Aminah explains.
IMAGINE THIS: a room full of independent artists laying their passion out for you to see. If you’re an artist yourself, you know this
is not an easy task. RAW places each participant in front of a crowd of people and lets them do what they do best (nail-biting, yet
exciting). A slew of industry professionals are invited to take a glimpse at these talented artists. Amazing, yet RAW does not stop
there. They provide each artist with exposure on their organization’s social media pages and include a directory of each artist’s profile
on RAW’s website along with exclusive access to a “job board” called RAWk wall.
RAW isn’t sitting around waiting for artists to come
to them (although you can submit a portfolio on
RAWartists.org). There is a team of curation specialists
who spend their days scouting and reaching out to
artists. Each artist will represent one of the nine crafts
the organization focuses on: visual art, fashion, music,
film, hair, makeup, photography, performance art and
accessories.
Along with the curation specialists who search for
talent, there is a team of people whose primary focus
is to help these artists from the beginning to the end
of this amazing rollercoaster. There are booking agents
who convey RAW’s mission to interested artists and
artist experience directors who then take thos e inter-
ested artists under their wings to fully prepare them
for the showcase.
The directors involved are actually artists themselves. They share the passion and know the struggle all
too well, fueling their need to help these artists shine. From pricing their artwork to sharing their ideas,
the directors are there side by side with the artist during this journey. That’s a different twist on the
business savvy executives that normally manage artists.
“We don’t just have them show up for the show. We are constantly communicating with them and are
very involved in their process and preparation,” Aminah says.
Don’t worry – just because you don’t have much experience does not mean you’ll be overlooked, just
the opposite in fact. They truly support the artist at each stage in their career. Again, Aminah: “Since we
focus on highlighting artists in the first 10 years of their career, most haven’t shown their work often,
or at all!”
Listen, here are the deets. There are four showcases each year to support. Each has a different theme to
honor the current season and reflect any hot trends, creating an ambiance to set the tone. Excited yet?
The next showcase is coming up May 17 at Stereo Live.
“RAW is much more than an arts organization. We are a big family,” Aminah applauds. “There is a
beauty in having a community connect for a night and work as a team across nine art forms.”
may 17 |
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