OC Art Syndicate: Connect With Local Creatives!

We are a collaborative network built to connect artists across all mediums. Through our Discord, Facebook group, newsletter, and resources page, we help creatives find collaborators, stay informed about grants and open calls, and access helpful local resources to grow their art practice.

No. While we (Rafi and Klee) funded and founded the project, the Art Syndicate is made for artists by artists. Our role is simply to provide the space and send out the newsletter.

The Syndicate is designed as a safe space for you to connect, build relationships, and collaborate with fellow creatives, how much you get out of it is entirely up to you!

Anyone with a creative pulse. This includes painters, musicians, writers, illustrators, jewelers, hobbyists, professional creators, digital wizards, woodworkers, poets, photographers, and performers. If you make things, or support people who make things, you’re in.

Right now, our focus is simply on building the community and gathering our collective energy. There are no membership fees to be part of the Syndicate. We want to remove barriers, not create new ones.

While there are no mandatory or fixed meetings, we do host occasional informal hangouts, online video calls, and local meetups whenever there’s interest. Most day-to-day conversations, collaborations, and updates happen asynchronously inside our Discord and Facebook group, so you can participate whenever it fits your schedule.

Absolutely not. The Syndicate is built on radical inclusion. We believe that the hobbyist finding their voice is just as vital to the community as the veteran professional. We all have something to learn and something to share.

We try to help in three main ways:

1. Curated Newsletter: Whenever Klee and I find open calls, creative grants, or paid opportunities that we think are genuine and beneficial to local artists, we send them straight to your inbox.
2. Community Sourcing: Inside our Discord and Facebook group, members and local organizations regularly post opportunities, collaborate on client work, and share tips on funding sources they’ve personally used.
3. Resources Page: You can explore our Resources Page anytime to find places where you can search for your own grants, connect with supportive artist organizations, and access helpful guides Klee and I have gathered.

While we don’t hire artists directly or distribute grants ourselves, we give you a central hub to stay informed and find leads you might otherwise miss.

Yes! Community promotion is a big part of what we do. You can share your upcoming art shows, workshops, market pop-ups, or community projects in both our Discord and Facebook group.

Additionally, if you share an event or open call that is relevant to artists in our area or fits our community, Klee and I often feature member events in our newsletter or share them across our community channels to help spread the word.

Only if you make the space unsafe for others. The Syndicate is built on mutual respect and collaboration. We have zero tolerance for spam, hate speech, harassment, or malicious behavior. As long as you are engaging constructively, respecting fellow creators, and helping keep the community safe, you’ll always have a place here.

Although we would never bar you from joining, most of the resources, open calls, and community updates we share are specifically geared toward our local artist community.

Absolutely, that’s one of the main reasons we built this! You can post project ideas, call for collaborators, or ask for feedback on your work anytime in our Discord or Facebook group.

We know, it sounds a bit like we’re plotting something in a dimly lit back room (and in a way, we are!). Traditionally, a syndicate is just a group of people teaming up to pull off a shared goal. We chose the name because it sounds much more active than a “club” or a “committee.” It implies a conspiracy of creators working together to make things happen. We aren’t here to be exclusive or scary; we’re here to have a unified, powerful voice so we can stop asking for permission and start making our own rules. Plus, “The Art Syndicate” just sounds cooler than “The Monthly Meeting of People Who Make Stuff.”