Meet Chelsea Pohl of CauseART

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Pohl.

Chelsea, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I had always dabbled in artistic expression as a kid and as a teen, but my real interest in the arts started when I met my husband. He was/is an artist so I was intrigued by his world. I started making art then and also minored in visual arts in college. When he and I got married, he had just started tattooing and we eventually opened our own shop together. I had business management experience so it was a natural fit to transition into entrepreneurship. I have always loved business and management because it feels natural to me.

In 2013 I heard about a project called the Lexington Tattoo Project, which inspired me to work with the artists who created it to bring a similar project to Boulder. We launched the Boulder Tattoo Project and that was the real catalyst for me expanding my wheelhouse of managerial skills. The project lasted over a year and gave me a ton of experience with grant writing, event planning, communications, organization and it helped me understand more about Boulder’s arts community. I worked with photographers, musicians, tattoo artists, 219 participants, and local arts organizations for funding and fiscal sponsorship.

After the tattoo project, I was really jazzed to continue working with the city to bolster the local arts scene. I got hired as the Community Input Consultant for Boulder’s Arts and Culture Master Plan. That was a great experience for me and it deepened my commitment to making a difference in the arts scene in Boulder. Among other things, I was responsible for inputting hundreds of surveys into a data bank that were responses from Boulder artists, arts organizations, and spectators about what the city could do to support them. It was from hearing all of these responses that I had the idea that businesses needed to be more involved in our arts community. I thought, “In an area with so much abundance, why can’t we redistribute some of the resources to create a community that is rich with culture and arts? There has to be away.” So it became my mission to figure out how to get businesses in Boulder to invest in the arts. CauseART was born and my two partners and I have been working on this mission ever since. One of our goals is to make sure artists are paid for the work they do and encourage businesses to find the value of art within their companies.

I was also hired about five years ago by the independent and world-renowned artist, Android Jones, as administrative support, eventually promoted to assistant manager, and now manager. I continue to work for him and his team, while also managing our tattoo shop and family of four.

Has it been a smooth road?
There are always struggles. When you work with people, there will always be struggles. We are imperfect. I have found that the worst incidences I’ve had to deal with have to do with communication and boundaries, in business and in interpersonal relationships, it’s so important to communicate effectively and clearly and to establish good boundaries upfront. Over-talking is a good thing, especially in the beginning, when your working to establish rapport and relationship. It is good to think through all the possible scenarios and try to address them before they happen.

Additionally, when life is full, it can be easy to let one’s personal needs go. Trying to find a balance between work and fun and rest is always a challenge.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am a co-founder and co-owner of CauseART, a curatorial consulting firm based in Boulder, Colorado. Our motto is to Put Your Walls to Work. We firmly believe in artwork as a key component of intentional design. The right art can entertain, build a brand, create community, spark conversation, provide solace. The possibilities are endless. CauseART provides opportunities for institutions, businesses, and individuals to connect with art and artists in meaningful ways through a variety of practice areas. We see artists as valuable cultural service providers who reflect our life and times back to us through their work.

What sets us apart from other firms is that our team has worked across the arts industry in capacities that serve artists, clients, and cultural storytelling in equal measure. We understand all sides of the connections we are making and the value of each roll in that process. We understand the needs of artists, the needs of business and brand, the needs of the community, and the importance of building trust in all areas because we have lived them in other parts of our lives.

We are probably most known for our rotating exhibition program. It allows clients to continually activate their spaces with new art every three to six months, to keep things fresh and engaging rather than having art fade into the background of people’s everyday thoughts.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, absolutely. The arts are very much supported by the municipalities in the Denver metro area. There could always be more funding for the arts, in my opinion, but we’re on a good path.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.causeart.co
• Email: info@causeart.co
• Instagram: @causeart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/causeart.co/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/causeart/

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