Fredericton

A Fredericton technology firm is giving artists a platform with a new project.

Data analysis company Lumeia recently launched Independent Artist, an initiative that will provide 20 selected artists in Canada and abroad with free professional digital portfolios.

Founder Nitya Chintakindi said that instead of using their marketing budget to buy ads, they wanted to invest that money into their community.

“I said, ‘We should definitely do something for the art community and give them that digital portfolio that they need because there are such amazing artists and there is so much of their time now taken away from being those artists and trying to figure out hosting, SSL,’” she said.

Chintakindi explained that after connecting with the Fredericton artist community over the past couple of months, she noticed how artists often struggled with the technical aspects of establishing an online presence.

Chintakindi said it made sense for Lumeia to start this initiative because of their technology expertise.

“We also get something to put our name behind,” she added. “It becomes like a collective. We have a collection of artists, and it’s really like building incredible work that we could stand behind and say, ‘Hey, we are the ones that built these great artists, this great presence.’”

The company is currently selecting artists, and Chintakindi said Lumeia will prioritize a varied cohort, including actors, muralists, and painters.

The portfolios will consolidate all the artists’ work, videos, photos, press coverage, and social media links into a single, easily shareable URL code.

The websites will also include ways to book the artists and will be designed to cater to the artists’ craft and needs, said Chintakindi.

The initiative has been live for a week, but Chintakindi said the public reception has been very positive so far, with local arts organizations like the Fredericton Playhouse offering their help to spread the word.

She added that the company has received three applications from artists from three different countries.

Chintakindi said there is still no deadline to launch the portfolios but said Lumeia hopes to select the artists in the next two weeks and release the platforms by the end of the year.

Local artist skeptical about the project’s viability

Riverview-based mural artist Ji Hyang Ryu said that while any kind of exposure is great for artists, she raised concerns about the initiative’s long-term viability.

She said most artists prefer to manage their own web pages, as platforms like social media or business collaborations can change or disappear without notice.

“The problem is when artists put all their portfolio, their artwork, everything, and then the company goes bankrupt. . .they just lose everything,” she said.

Ryu noted copyright and ownership were another concern in those scenarios, as artists risk their work by having someone else host their website.

She added that there was no assurance companies or social media platforms would continue hosting portfolios for free in the future.

“That happened a lot, like a lot of companies tried that and then I haven’t seen [that] actually working for artists, like you know companies want profit. It’s not going to be free forever,” she said.

She explained that while social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are important tools for artists, a professional website is often even more essential, as it is frequently required when applying for grants, exhibitions, and opportunities with museums and galleries.

Ryu said a professional portfolio could make a significant difference for artists just starting out, particularly those who lack the time, technical expertise, or financial means to create their own website.

But said she was still skeptical, as similar projects like the Canadian Artists’ Representation Imprimio — a digital portfolio and artwork tracking initiative that helped visual artists create professional profiles — shut down in 2024 after failing to be financially sustainable.

Company plans to host the portfolios long term

Chintakindi said Lumeia is committed to providing free ongoing hosting and routine technical maintenance for the selected artists, for as long as they wish to remain part of the platform.

“There is no planned expiry date or subscription fee,” she said. “We’ll also support reasonable updates to portfolio content as artists’ work evolves.”

Chintakindi added that artists will retain full copyright and ownership of their original creative work, including artwork, photographs, music and other content, and said Lumeia will simply provide the digital platform to showcase it, with the artist’s permission.

Artists will also maintain control over their own content and how their work is represented.

However, she said the company will retain the ownership of the underlying platform technology.

In case Lumeia is no longer able to host the portfolios, Chintakindi said the company intends to provide advance notice, make artists’ portfolio content available for export and “offer reasonable assistance in moving their digital presence elsewhere.”

“Our intention is that artists should never lose access to their creative work because of a change in Lumeia’s operations,” she said.

Chintakindi added that if this first cohort is successful, she would like to offer to more artists.