Passing the law will be just the start

The Colorado Artist Company Act keeps moving forward. Last week the bill passed its full Senate vote 31-3. Next week it goes to the Colorado House of Representatives for hearings, where we'll be there to testify in person. As the bill continues to move through the legislative process, the text itself continues to be refined.

But getting a law passed is only the start. Maybe even the easy part. The real work begins when the law goes into effect. Turning it into something that's useful and used is a separate effort, equally important, that takes time to do right.

Today we want to talk about that longer arc.

Where we are now#

Right now, A-Corp work has real momentum on multiple fronts. Colorado seems likely to pass a law next month. The first Colorado A-Corps could exist around this time next year.

Other states are picking it up. At a conference in Sacramento last week, California for the Arts announced they'll be collaborating with us on bringing A-Corps to California next year. A major step.

Video we made for the California for the Arts event

We're also in touch with political leaders in at least seven other states planning to introduce A-Corp laws in 2027. Other countries, too. There's more interest than we have time to respond to. A natural pull to this work that keeps growing.

A five-year plan#

The way we think about it: passage of an A-Corp law begins a five-year process to make A-Corps real on the ground. There are two big jobs running on different timelines, with a third weaving through both.

Year 01: Health insurance#

Our initial focus after passage is establishing group health care plans for Artist Corporations. In the US, health care is privatized and governed at the state level, which means each state will require this step.

The benefits of a new group plan for artists are multifold:

• It pools artists into larger bodies of collective benefit
• It can make health care for artists both easier and more affordable
• For insurers, it's a chance to reach an influential customer base — with strong PR upside

If the Colorado bill passes, this is where our focus goes next. Improving health care access for creative people is job number one.

Years 02 — 05: Investors#

For A-Corps to reshape the economic reality of creative life, the form has to be one that investors are comfortable putting money into and that produces somewhat predictable returns.

We're already in touch with people who put money into culture for a living — film, music, theater, art — sharing the A-Corp structure and learning what they need to see to participate. Some of this is education (the form is new), some is structural (what protections, what return profile, what governance), and some is matchmaking (connecting artists who could use capital with investors looking for them).

The goal is balance. Artists need protection and economic upside from their work. Investors need confidence in their rights and returns. Getting that balance right is what builds an ecosystem that runs on collective benefit rather than charity.

The through-line: education#

Running alongside both of the above — and continuing well past year five — is the work of education. A new tool is only useful if people know how to use it. There's a long road ahead of bringing artists, creators, and their teams into the ins and outs of Artist Corporations:

• Equity, shares, and investment. A-Corps make it easier for creative people to create fractional ownership of their practices and their work. How to do this well is its own area of study.
• Business structures and upkeep. What does it take to keep affairs in order, and to take advantage of the opportunities and benefits available?
• Collaborators, employees, and compensation. What norms should we observe in the creative workforce about how we work together and share the benefits of our work?

These are areas that need spaces where artists and creators can ask questions, and where a collective body of knowledge can form.

This work belongs to all of us#

Each of these jobs is big. To do them well, we'll need many partners and collaborators. No one entity can or should take on all of it.

The good news is that the creative ecosystem already has experts, seasoned voices, and enthusiastic new ones ready to do the work and spread the word. This is a baton that will be passed many times. This work belongs to no one person. It belongs to all of us.

The outcome can be significant. Life-changing, even — not just for us, but for generations to come. It won't come quickly and it won't come easily. Nothing does. But the destination will be worth the effort.

Want to be a part of it? Follow along in our A-Corp space on DFOS.

New Creative Era#

In a new episode of New Creative Era, Josh Citarella and I talk through where the bill is, the road ahead, and catch up after too much time apart. We get into Josh Kline's essay about art and New York, Josh's participation in the Whitney Biennial and Venice Biennale, and the latest on DFOS. Listen in your favorite podcast player.