SapienterA
Building Equity in the Arts in Brussels
About SapienterA:
SapienterA is a Brussels-based nonprofit arts consultancy that advocates
for equity in the arts. We help artists and artisans professionalize their
practice through a variety of services including communications strategy,
data analysis, grant writing, networking, and a showcase platform.
Alarmed by the impact that the health pandemic has had on the cultural sector
especially on marginalized and recently immigrated people, and with a
migration experience and arts practice of her own, Ann-Christine has committed
to being of service to artists who are struggling to integrate a new host region.
The Brussels cultural and arts sector is complex, with multiple governments
and corresponding funding structures based on language-defined regions. Add
to that the presence of the EU, which makes of Brussels a town whose influence
far exceeds its boundaries. It is a confusing ecosystem in which to practice
the arts, especially given the particular status of "indépendant" and
project-based employment. Recently immigrated artists often put their artistic
practice on the back burner, or never return to it. No recently immigrated
person should have to go it alone. Each voice is important and valuable,
adding to the depth and texture of Brussels' arts sector and to the richness
of every resident's experience. We work to bring those voices to the fore.
What People Say
My colleague and I felt seen.
With Sapienter's expert help,
we were successful in obtaining
funding for our cultural
organization and for the
artists we support both in Ukraine
and in exile.
Oksana, Director, Izolyatsia, Ukraine
Within days of telling her my
project idea, Ann-Christine had
written the introductory letters,
lined up several meetings on two
continents and researched two grants to
make my project a reality.
Ana Maria Gomez, Textile Designer
Ann-Christine Racette, migrant artist and artisan
A fairy-sister to artists, a painter, a seamstress, a lacemaker, a metalsmith, an empathetic ear, an arts manager, and a door buster, Ann-Christine is your concierge to finding your artistic place in Brussels.
Ann-Christine is an entrepreneur who has worked in concert management, in
publishing, in graphic design, in jewelry production, and as a life model. She has
lived in Montreal, Chicago, New York, and Brussels.
She has a bachelor's degree in design and metalsmithing from Loyola University
Chicago, a certificate in Marketing, Communications, and Nonprofit Management from
Northwestern University, Chicago, and a master's in International Arts Marketing
and Management from HEC Montreal. She was trained in ballet, Reevaluation
Counseling and in full-impact women's self-defense. She speaks French, English,
and Dutch.
About SapienterA:
SapienterA is a Brussels-based nonprofit arts consultancy that advocates
for equity in the arts. We help artists and artisans professionalize their
practice through a variety of services including communications strategy,
data analysis, grant writing, networking, and a showcase platform.
Alarmed by the impact that the health pandemic has had on the cultural sector
especially on marginalized and recently immigrated people, and with a
migration experience and arts practice of her own, Ann-Christine has committed
to being of service to artists who are struggling to integrate a new host region.
The Brussels cultural and arts sector is complex, with multiple governments
and corresponding funding structures based on language-defined regions. Add
to that the presence of the EU, which makes of Brussels a town whose influence
far exceeds its boundaries. It is a confusing ecosystem in which to practice
the arts, especially given the particular status of "indépendant" and
project-based employment. Recently immigrated artists often put their artistic
practice on the back burner, or never return to it. No recently immigrated
person should have to go it alone. Each voice is important and valuable,
adding to the depth and texture of Brussels' arts sector and to the richness
of every resident's experience. We work to bring those voices to the fore.
What People Say
My colleague and I felt seen.
With Sapienter's expert help,
we were successful in obtaining
funding for our cultural
organization and for the
artists we support both in Ukraine
and in exile.
Oksana, Director, Izolyatsia, Ukraine
Within days of telling her my
project idea, Ann-Christine had
written the introductory letters,
lined up several meetings on two
continents and researched two grants to
make my project a reality.
Ana Maria Gomez, Textile Designer