The Artist Files

Works in Progress Project

edition 1

Join SMDC Artistic Director, Erica Santiago in a deep dive into meaning-making and craft/construction with this community based experiment designed to foster on-going conversations between the artists and those who make up the community of supporters who receive their art work as a practice to become change makers within the community. 


“My Call to organize this year long experiential growth journey is a way to reboot and deepen my own capacity for creation. It fills a need for conversation and change making. My goal is to bring a small group of like minded creatives with me! There is potential for so many partnerships after going on this ride together. I am holding the intention that within the group, new collaborative relationships are formed as well as the potential to premiere collaborative concerts. Let’s see what we grow”
— Erica

Calling all Art Makers

Calling all Change Makers

〰️

Calling all Art Makers Calling all Change Makers 〰️

About The Artist Files

  • Artist Files: Works in Progress is a project designed by Shakti Moves Dance Company’s artistic director, Erica Santiago, in collaboration with the SMDC Board of Directors , and in conversation with Austin Artists. 


    • To bring together a working community of makers who are like-minded artists and change makers (socio-politically, and in spirit)

    • To create a process for art-making in which seasoned art makers  are invited to experiment with their work as a practice to become change makers within the community.

    • To Raise Awareness/Educate/increase the value of the exchange between artist and audience. By sharing the process of dance/art making, Makers meet their audience take  a deep dive into meaning-making and craft/construction together.

  • Each individual maker becomes a driving force behind the community contribution by using this central idea as a way to enter defining the core idea for their work. Similarly, the community has the opportunity to support the makers in the construction of the work by sharing feedback and participating in the CRP. *see note below*

    • Each Maker will be in conversation with

    • A mentor and the community by being in conversation with

    • the “makers’ circle” so that the core group of makers is in conversation with each other

    • in conversation with audiences via the Works in Progress events through a guided, critical response process.

      * note* Choreographers will use the Critical Response Process (CRP) developed by the renowned choreographer and arts leader, Liz Lerman. This process is framed by a specific format and guided by a facilitator. It is fueled by curiosity for the maker’s process and intentions rather than judgment. The facilitator’s role is to support the maker’s trajectories for their work

  • Consider this “theme” to be the Hypothesis to an experiment: Trust – the most needed currency. In this way, we create a common thread for the multiple conversations on meaning, and meaning-making. Each Maker will use the projects foundational idea to:

    • define Value. Transaction. Currency. Need. Trust. What from the cave of your heart wants to rise up and make waves? What is craving clarity? 

    • Determine what aspect of your “signature style” could benefit from a reboot? How can we as artists use our work to support the community? In this moment in time in this location on the planet, what most needs attention?

    • Construct a new work over an extended period of time that is in on-going conversation with both a mentor and the community so as to highlight the process of construction. Makers have such a unique way of seeing the world. How is this socio-political time inspiring/evolving what/how you construct for your community? 



The Makers Framework.

Each maker must first invest in their own work by providing:

  • arrangements, financial and/or otherwise, with performing artists for rehearsal and for securing any materials, props or sets, music rights and transportation necessary to complete the project.

  • Maker works within in the timeline individually to conceptualize, research, document etc by April 1

  • Each maker organizes any cast members/props/music/text to layer in to the construction of the work by May 1.

Project Timeline

Note: Dates subject to change. A minimum of 30 days will be given if changes occur to the timeline. Makers will need a minimum of 4 hours in the studio/creation time each week to meet this timeline. In order to receive Stipend from SMDC, Maker must submit a log of time spent both in creation and with mentor at each WIP event. Stipends dependent on funding awarded. 

December 2025

Makers complete and submit application to assess commitment to project timeline HERE

March 2026

Attend First Maker’s Circle March 21

September 2026

Attend second Maker’s Circle September 26

January 2026

Makers announced Jan 6

Connect with and secure a Mentor ( If needed, SMDC will provide suggestions and meeting point with possible mentors) by Jan 20

Complete initial Consult with SMDC by Jan 31

April 2026

First Work in Progress Event April 21

( if @ GFT or 28th if @ Cafe Dance)

October 2026

Second Work in Progress Event October 20th

(if @ GFT, or Oct 24th if @ Cafe Dance)

Maker/Mentor Roles

  • Makers

    You are a maker if you have been creating in your field for the community for a consistent time frame over 5 years.

    You may want to be a part of a community of other makers who are hungry and ready for a reboot.

    You may want to educate community members and equip them with opportunities to view art, speak about art, support art making and walk away trusting they received what was intended.

     DO you ever want to draw attention to the importance of art as a unifying tool, or to the artmaking process as a valuable currency between artist and community? Do you live in the  greater community of Austin?


    You would be interested in this project if you live and practice art making in Austin.

    If you value building bridges among Women of ALL colors and AND ALL BODIES who identify as Feminine/female.

    If you want to participate in building an intentional community of makers who are hungry and ready for a creative reboot, who wish to educate our patrons as we grow by inviting them to participate in feedback sessions at Work In Progress events in 2026. This project provides mutual benefit to the community of Makers as well as The community we serve by providing access to view art, speak about art, support art making and walk away trusting they received the message intended by the artist. We the Makers, put ourselves in the communities shoes and create with their feedback.

  • Mentors

    You are a mentor if you are an artist in the same discipline of the maker who has resonant experience to guide the maker through the process of refining. You are a mentor if you are approached by a maker as an trusted ally to follow along in the process.

    Mentors must commit to follow the Maker through the final Work in Progress event in October 2026.

    The Mentor will support the cultivation of art making by challenging the maker to open up to new ways to craft and discover through the creative process.

    Mentors are expected to meet a minimum of 2 hours bi monthly or a maximum of 1 hour weekly each month.

    The way time is utilized between maker and mentor will be determined by:

    -The Maker’s desire for growth

    -The availability between the partnership

     Following the initial consultation with SMDC artistic director to determine the starting point for each maker, the mentor will offer prompts that mentor and artist agree on for construction of meaning and construction of the architecture of the dance/art work.

    The mentor is invited to provide up to 3 questions before each WIP event for the facilitator to use to start the CRP.  

    This aspect of the process is integral to the Makers growth. Limitation produces Creativity. The conversation between the mentor and the maker will serve to bring the clarity needed to the work that allows the maker to convey a particular message, idea, quality to inspire change.  



  • SMDC artist statement

    Erica Santiago, Artistic Director of SMDC and conceptualizer of the Artist Files will be walking parallel journeys with each maker, following the exact framework and attending/participating in the timeline.

    Erica Santiago: Artist Statement

    As an artist, I am most interested in using movement to capture ideas central to Being Human.

    I am interested in creating work that invites the audience to feel their own humanity, which requires vulnerability, honesty and trust to be woven through the entire process of creation. Up to this point in my work, I have created intuitively, with deep listening and a willingness to allow happenstance design. As a human, I am interested in community, growth, and service work. I believe that artists have a responsibility to some degree to uphold and communicate the collective need.

    As a choreographer, I am heavily influenced by ongoing communion and observation of nature, philosophical studies, developmental and psychological science, astrology, and other disciplines of art/art makers. Since I was old enough to choose dance as a professional focus, I have been influenced by those who have been close to my growth as a dance maker: Greg Easley, Kathy Dunn Hamrick, Susan Douglas Roberts, Elizabeth Gillaspy, and Kate Warren. I am also inspired by Alonzo King, Doug Varone and Mark Morris. I find there is no way to erase the influence these teachers and artists have had on my creative process. At present, I am at a stage in life in which I want to both acknowledge my foundations and peel away the layers so that I may grow in ways I cannot yet imagine.