The Problem We're Solving

Creative practice develops through conversation—with mentors, peers, the work itself, and the broader cultural discourse. But most platforms treat creative work like social media content: scroll, like, move on.

Students submit work through disorganized email threads and clunky LMS systems. Feedback is generic or nonexistent. Research happens through endless Google rabbit holes. Portfolio platforms prioritize aesthetics over context. Exhibition opportunities are scattered across dozens of incompatible sites.

There's no single place built for the actual work of developing a creative practice—researching, receiving substantive feedback, building context, finding opportunities, and connecting with community.

We're building that place.

Imagine a platform where:

• Your portfolio automatically surfaces relevant exhibition opportunities based on your practice, not just keywords

• Threaded conversations preserve the context of feedback over time

• You discover practitioners wrestling with similar questions across disciplines and geographies

• Institutions find artists whose work genuinely fits their mission

• Research happens through connections, not just algorithms

Not social media for creatives. Not another portfolio site.

An ecosystem designed for the actual work of sustaining creative practice.

Why Lantern?

Lantern was founded by Ryan Rasmussen, a professor and multimedia artist and designer who spent years watching talented students struggle to contextualize their work and talk themselves out of opportunities they deserved.

After countless critique sessions, vague feedback, and students who couldn't articulate practices they were actively developing, he realized the problem wasn't talent or ambition—it was infrastructure.

Creative practitioners need more than generic feedback. They need research-quality references, theoretical grounding, and questions that help them discover what their work is actually exploring. They need tools built by people who understand pedagogy, not just algorithms.

Lantern is built on years of critique experience, deep knowledge of contemporary art and theory, and genuine belief that creative practitioners deserve better than what currently exists.

Where We're Going

The feedback system is just the foundation. Lantern is evolving into a comprehensive creative ecosystem that serves multiple constituencies:

For Individual Practitioners

• Research-quality feedback when you need it

• Portfolio hosting that prioritizes context alongside aesthetics

• Curated exhibition and opportunity discovery

• Connection with practitioners working in related creative territory

• Tools for articulating your practice (statements, proposals, grant applications)

For Educators

• Streamlined critique workflows and assignment management

• Student progress tracking across projects

• Curated resource libraries for specific courses

• Integration with existing LMS systems

• Private feedback options that don't replace human critique but augment it

For Institutions

• Exhibition venue discovery and artist matching

• Residency and grant application management

• Community building across alumni networks

• Professional development pathways for emerging artists

Our Philosophy

We believe creative practice deserves tools built on these principles:

→ Substance over aesthetics - Depth more than polish
→ Conversation, not replacement - AI augments human critique
→ Research quality - Specific references you can actually use
→ Community building - Collaboration, not competition
→ Access at every stage - From exploration to establishment

Ready to try Lantern?