Caryn Kunkle

“Be confident in what you know and what you can do. Do not let adjectives be thrown at you and sidetrack you or sway your spirit. Take time to be well informed and well-balanced. Make time to meditate and settle your thoughts before a big meeting so that you are feeling settled and confident! Being a leader and a decision maker can get lonely at times or hard when you are surrounded by criticism. During these times surround yourself with two true things: facts and friends.”

Caryn Kunkle is an artist with a mission to cross-connect resources for everyone. She has spent the last fifteen years connecting with almost every arts organization in Philadelphia to help them find the funding and resources they need to accomplish their projects – sometimes on projects over $100,000. As a woman in a leadership role, Caryn has had to navigate misogynistic treatment in the workplace despite having directed over five million dollars of local art installations and public projects in the Tri-State area. 

What does leadership mean to you? What big ideas have propelled your career?

“I was quite shocked at age 26 to start doing large scale (over $100,000) art projects and receive misogynistic treatment. As a girl I had always been encouraged to “think and act” and had never been told “you can’t do that” or asked if I was there to make the coffee. Abruptly as a young woman: my youth, appearance, and sex all seemed like hurdles. No matter how many accurate facts I presented I was dismayed to see that my outfit or age or femininity was discussed first. I still sometimes am asked to be “less aggressive” when leading a project with my own funding and my own strategies, often while going over a contract which I wrote myself. 

Only you know who you are and what you are capable of! Ask forgiveness not permission. Be confident in what you know and what you can do. Do not let adjectives be thrown at you and sidetrack you or sway your spirit. Take time to be well informed and well-balanced. Make time to meditate and settle your thoughts before a big meeting so that you are feeling settled and confident! Being a leader and a decision maker can get lonely at times or hard when you are surrounded by criticism. During these times surround yourself with two true things: facts and friends.”

Biography:

Two of my heroes are Gertrude Stein and Eleanor Roosevelt. I think connectivity and inclusion are vital for making sure the future of American arts is vibrant. I work to provide a conjunction of tradition and innovation for living artists, and my friends call me the Nancy Drew of art. I help local individuals and entities find the funding and resources they need, locally, to accomplish large or small projects both public and private. I have an eidetic memory and am able to recall precise details of a project in order to connect remote dots for it. It brings me joy to see new art coming into existence, and greater joy to see it uplift the community. Most folks don’t even know I am behind the scenes helping art happen.