Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlin Siebert
Hi Kaitlin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Apprentice Creative Space started as a desire for a third space where we could build community with writers and creative artists in Dallas. This desire developed into a tangible idea when we stumbled upon the Oak Cliff Assembly (OCA) in 2021. Having recently graduated with my undergraduate degree (not in art), I was focused on painting and applied to exhibit at the Oak Cliff Assembly’s first-ever Art Walk. There, Apprentice co-founder Steven Monacelli and I met property owner AJ Ramler and property manager Haley Leavitt and fell in love with the history of the building. By the second OCA Art Walk, Steven and I had put together a concrete plan and assembled a founding team (Thank you Chelsea Lane Wells and Bryan Lindsey!). We finalized plans and signed a lease to open the space in 2023, officially opening our doors in April 2024. Since then, we have held over 50 events in collaboration with local organizations. From art and book clubs to networking events and festivals, more than 4,400 people have stepped into our space. Some of our collaborations included the Summer Oak Cliff Book Fair, which we hosted in partnership with Black Cart Record n’ Comics, Haewon Park, and Claudia Vega of Whose Books and Silent Book Club of DFW. Apprentice has hosted arts festivals including the Kufiya Comedy Festival, the Oak Cliff Film Festival, the Oak Cliff Assembly Art Walk, the Dallas Is Lit Festival, and the Hay Forum Literary Festival. In addition to festivals, we host monthly gatherings for local groups- Did you Read Yet?, Dallas Art Club, Say it with Your Chest! and Dallas Weekly. Since coworking is one of the many amenities we offer at Apprentice, we are excited to have developed a community of creatives and nonprofits who cowork out of the space, including Urban Arts Center, Four Palaces Publishing, and the Teen Writers Project. We just recently launched a new monthly mixer for creatives, First Fridays, and have a lot of great programming in the coming months.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Launching a nonprofit is no simple task. It has been a long and winding road with a number of twists and turns. Plenty of late nights picking up furniture in a U-Haul, difficult conversations, and plans that needed to be changed because of factors outside of our control. That all being said, we have gotten this far thanks to our supports and the community that has converged around Apprentice Creative Space. It must also be said that the owners of the Oak Cliff Assembly, Proxy Properties, have been fantastic partners. They took a bet on a brand new organization and have been incredibly supportive.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I work full-time as the Patron Resource Coordinator for the Fondren Library of Southern Methodist University. I assist patrons in accessing the varied resources offered by Fondren Library, the SMU library system, and the University as a whole. I like to tell people I do ‘wayfinding’, both informational and geographic. I am in the final semester of my Master of Science in Library Science focusing on Archival Studies at UNT. I am passionate about archival work/special collections, reference, and information literacy. In 2024, I published two finding aids on Texas Archival Resources Online. This upcoming March I will speak at an online library conference about increasing student engagement with special collections materials.
As a creative, I practice painting, film photography, and printmaking. My artwork can be viewed on my website www.kaitlinsiebert.com
Lastly, I serve as the president of the board of Apprentice Creative Space. What sets Apprentice Creative Space apart from other arts organizations in Dallas is its unique combination of resources and programs that attracts a multidisciplinary community of writers, artists, musicians, and other sorts of creatives. As 501c3 nonprofit, our mission is to empower aspiring writers and artists in Dallas, Texas, by bridging the gap between emerging talent and established creatives. We provide affordable coworking memberships for creatives, free education programs to the public, and inclusive community events. As a hub for the literary and creative community in Dallas, we provide mentorship opportunities and resources to nurture creativity, foster growth, and cultivate a thriving literary and creative arts scene.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
As a soon-to-be Librarian, I feel obligated to mention Libraries. Having a public library card opens up a world of resources. If you live, work or go to school in Dallas, you qualify for Dallas Public Library (DPL) card. The DPL card is like a golden ticket that gives you access to ebooks, audiobooks, music, the Dallas Culture Pass, and a multitude of onsite resources such as the Heritage Lab or Story Center. You can even get a Texshare card from your local public library and access libraries across the state of Texas.
In terms of podcasts, I have found Hidden Brain to be an excellent tool for understanding how the human mind works. To satiate random curiosities, I really enjoy listening to Ologies with Alie Ward. For blogs, I appreciate the Marginalian. And for apps, LunaTask helps me stay organized.
Lastly I’d say I am so grateful for local art spaces like Cedars Union or the Shamrock Studios. I could not create art in the same way without those spaces.
Pricing:
- 10 Day Passes Membership: $25
- 10 Anytime Passes Membership: $45
- Unlimited Daytime Membership: $50
- Unlimited Anytime Membership: $90
- 20% off special for anyone who signs up using the code on our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/apprentice.oakcliff
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.apprenticeoakcliff.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apprentice.oakcliff
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559258600304
- Twitter: https://x.com/ApprenticeDTX
- Other: https://linktr.ee/apprentice.oakcliff
