By Laura Zabel, Springboard for the Arts Community Supported Art (CSA) is coming to a city near you! In partnership with Knight Foundation, Saint Paul-based Springboard for the Arts is helping to plant the seeds and work with local partners to share the CSA model in all 8 Knight Foundation communities.

Based on the Community Supported Agriculture model, Community Supported Art is an exciting new model of art support and distribution that supports artists in the creation of new work and establishes relationships with local collectors and patrons. You can read more about CSA here.

The first four Knight cities to launch CSA will be Miami, Detroit, Macon and Philadelphia.

• In Miami, LegalArt has adapted and launched the program, the call for artists is already out and they anticipate shares on sale in early 2012. Kathleen Carignan, Executive Director or LegalArt, says this about bringing the CSA model to Miami, “I am excited to bring this successful model to Miami and partner with the amazing food community here in South Florida. I think this will be an exciting introduction for artists, foodies, and community members alike.”
• In Detroit, ArtServe Michigan will launch their CSA in December, with an ambitious plan to select 18 artists for 2 seasons of CSA right from the start!
• CSA: Macon will be a partnership between the Macon Arts Alliance and the 567 Gallery (with help from the most fabulous Y.O. Latimore), who are working on adapting the program for a January launch.
• In Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy has issued a request for letters of interest to identify the partner(s) for CSA: Philadelphia.

It is so exciting to see the CSA model adapted and changed to fit each new community. Watch for CSA in Akron, San Jose, and Charlotte next!