Jill Fishon-Kovachick is Sculpting Success

at Saratoga Clay Arts

I discovered Saratoga Clay Arts through my good friend Ping Xu who is a member there (Also a board member at Saratoga Arts). She kept telling me that I had to see the amazing facilities and community that she was a part of. Well, I have to say...she was right on all counts. What Founder and Executive Director Jill Fishon Kovachick has been able to cultivate is not just an oasis of creativity and an incredibly well equipped makers space but a connected and growing community that many have come to call home.


"I had been working at Skidmore College for Special Programs for 17 years. They decided to delete the night classes for ceramics so the people taking classes needed a place to work (2011). This required me to move quickly....We all needed a place to work - immediately. I bought our current building in foreclosure. I know I made the right decisions as the center has been busier then I ever dreamed could happen." Jill Fishon-Kavachick : Founder / Executive Director at Saratoga Clay Arts



Corey Aldrich : Senior ACE Contributor


Image: Provided
SCULPTING SUCCESS

Arielle Steele : Finance by Day Film by Night Building a Creative Career One Gig at a Time

I met Arielle Steele recently at a backyard picnic at John Yost's house (Film Maker and Founder at Fifth Column Features). After about 30 minutes of engaging conversation I knew I wanted to highlight her story. So many of our freelance creatives are working day gigs with big aspirations of moving full time into their creative practice. Arielle brings a solid business background to hers and as if she is not busy enough, was recently named Vice President of the Board at the newly rejuvenated 518 Film Network - a group ACE! has produced some very successful networking events with in the past.


"As for transferable skills, there unexpectedly is a lot of overlap...I check in constantly with other teams / heads of departments and produce deliverables for my supervisor / directors. In the pre-production stage I create pitch decks to secure funding for films, and in the office I’ve created pitch decks for developmental programming. Though finance and film seem to be worlds apart, in terms of production they actually work in tandem with one another." Arielle Steele : Financial Advisor at Goldman Sachs AYCO and Independent Film Maker / Producer



Corey Aldrich : Senior ACE Contributor


Image: Jayana LaFotos
INVESTING IN CREATIVITY

FREE TICKETS at the EGG :

Corinne Bailey Rae

This month we are partnering with the THE EGG (again!) to make available a block of tickets to a Corinne Bailey Rae as part of the Array series. Availability is first come first serve and limited so jump on this ASAP if your interested. There is a two tickets per person limit.


What: Corinne Bailey Rae : Red Lipstick Tour

When: Saturday, June 15 at 8:00 PM

Location: The EGG | Empire State Plaza | Albany, NY


Order the FREE tickets by using offer code: ACERAE at checkout. Click on box below.


English singer / songwriter / musician Corinne Bailey Rae shot to stardom with her self- titled #1 U.K. debut album in 2006, featuring the global hits “Put Your Records On” and “Like A Star.” Over the course of her career she has released four critically acclaimed studio albums—Corinne Bailey Rae, The Sea, The Heart Speaks in Whispers, and Black Rainbows—and earned two Grammy Awards, two MOBOS, and has been nominated for multiple awards including the BRIT Awards, Mercury Music Prize and BET Awards. Her work for film and television includes the theme to Stan Lee’s Lucky Man (SKY1), “The Scientist” for Universal Pictures’ Fifty Shades Darker opening title and soundtrack which charted globally, and in 2020 her song “New to Me” was performed in the film The High Note by Tracee Ellis Ross.

RED LIPSTICK LIPS
INSIDE ACE! | CREATING A NEW PATH

Boy oh boy is it getting warm out fast! Just in time for all the outdoor summer events and series that are starting with a fury in the Capital Region! Between my ACE! duties and client work I have been incredibly busy with among other things kicking off a 5 event public series for the Arts Center of the Capital Region called Alley Action! and a big top circus week in August I am spearheading for the Contemporary Circus and Immersive Arts Center. So it's in the spirit of that juggling act that my interview with Arielle Steele was so prescient to me. A finance professional by day and Film Maker / Producer by night, she knows all to well not just the balancing act creative entrepreneurs undertake but the value of cross pollinating our day job / career expertise and turning that into a value add for our creative businesses.


In addition, I am excited to have had a chance to meet up with Jill Fishon-Kovachick to talk about her expanding for profit pottery studio and educational space Saratoga Clay Arts. The vibe there is so amazing, so community oriented and the facilities so well appointed all on a nature laden campus in Saratoga County.


Finally, big thanks (AGAIN!) to Diane's team at the EGG for the amazing giveaway this month! And congrats to the Albany Institute of History and Art on the new Executive Director appointment, Kayla Carlsen.


Have any cool creative job listings, open calls, industry news or grant funding opportunities? Drop me a line and get them included in our next issue.


Corey Aldrich

ACE! : Executive Director


E: hello@upstateace.org | W: upstatecreative.org | SOCIALS: @upstatecreative

ACE! was invited to jump on a video conference workshop with over 30 additional statewide arts / cultural organizations this month hosted by CREATIVES BUILD NY. Keep a sharp eye out for some new collaborative approaches as we collectively raise awareness of the importance of a vibrant ecosystem of creativity and economic sustainability.
REGIONAL & BEYOND : NEWS / OPPORTUNITY

The Albany Times Union

Employees of No Fun Start Campaign to Buy Music Venue

The Guardian

Project Recycles Polyester Into Yarn for New Clothes

Troy Savings Bank Foundation

Mini-Grant for AED Purchases Albany & Rensselaer County

FUTURIST

ADVON AI-Powered Content Infecting the Media Industry

The Guardian

The Psychotherapist Delving Into our Deep Anxiety About Finances

NYS Council on the Arts

2025 Grant Season Applications Being Accepted

Albany Institute of History & Art

Kayla Carlsen Named New Exec Director at Albany Institute

Hyperallergic

10 Exhibitions to See in Upstate for the Month of June 2024

Tech Crunch

CARA : Social App for Artists that are Fed up With Meta’s AI
Capital Region Job Opportunities



  • Phinney Design Group : Project Architect III (Troy and Saratoga)
  • WMHT : Various Including Vice President - Chief Technology Officer, Multimedia Account Executive, Multimedia Journalist and Host


HIRING CREATIVES? Drop Us a Note!
ACE : Upstate Alliance for the Creative Economy
For inquiries, hot tips or requests: hello@upstateace.org

web: upstatecreative.org
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