Daniel Sipe and Karlë Woods didn’t plan to start an arts organization. They just wanted to interview artists during lockdown.
One video per week, every single week.
That scrappy commitment in 2021 became Lights Out, a Maine nonprofit that, as of this recording, has produced 95 artist documentaries and 18 popup exhibitions across the state.
On episode 255 of The Art Biz, they share the origin story that captures their philosophy perfectly: a power outage hit their first apartment art show in 2019. Instead of canceling, they brought in generators and contractor lights. When the lights go out, you figure it out and keep going.
Even when money was tight, they made strategic investments. Daniel spent $800 on track lighting and prioritized marketing dollars for postcards and Facebook ads. That commitment to quality and visibility set them apart immediately.
Their funding model is impressively diverse: monthly donors, state grants, foundation support, art sales, and unexpected contracts like a $170,000 vaccine equity project. That last one required fronting expenses on personal credit cards while waiting months for state reimbursement—scary, but necessary for growth.
Pay attention to how Lights Out works with galleries and institutions as collaborators, not competitors. As Daniel says, “It’s an ecosystem, and when we work together, it’s a lot more effective.”
For artists wanting to support—and find support from—organizations in their communities, the answer is simple: show up, engage, and if you can, donate.
Listen
Lights Out Suggested Action for You
Start by getting to know what’s available in your community—the arts organizations, galleries, and coalitions doing work you believe in. Then show up. Not just once, but consistently. Daniel and Karlë built something powerful by treating their local arts scene as an ecosystem rather than a competition.
What would shift for you if you approached your community the same way?
Lights Out Quotes
Daniel Sipe
“I don’t think we thought we should start an arts organization. That’s not how we got started. We started pretty much just kind of playing in a way.”
“The lights are gonna go out, then you have to figure out and pivot and make the thing happen regardless. The show goes on.”
“We knew how important it was to send postcards out, to do Facebook advertising, to reach audiences in different ways…. I think we did a really good job of figuring out where to spend the little bit of money that we had.”
“We really see this ability to work collaboratively with so many artists and so many institutions that already exist as kind of our power.”
“You can’t build something like what we’re doing without taking a large number of risks.”
Karlë Woods
“The power went out on the entire peninsula in Portland, so it was kind of the only thing going on. We got a generator, contractor lights, lit candles, invited everybody in. It was a splash. That was the first time the lights went out. That’s where the name comes from.”
“Our strength is that all of our disciplines, all of the things that we’re really good at, are very different. That’s a nice symbiotic relationship because we need each other. We’re also all very creative in terms of idea generating, and we’re all very excitable and passionate.”
“When people come to our shows, when people come to our volunteer days, or just engage with us in any way, we’re here to help. Being brave and showing up is a big thing.”
The most recent artist interview video from Lights Out Gallery.
About Karlë Woods and Daniel Sipe
Karlë Woods and Daniel Sipe co-founded Lights Out in 2019, along with Reed McLean.
Passionate about amplifying the voices of artists from all corners of Maine, both are recipients of the Maine Biz 40 Under 40 award for their leadership in the nonprofit sector and share a commitment to relationship building and grassroots community work.
Karlë Woods is a mixed-media artist and graphic designer with a degree in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic. She leads Creative Direction for Lights Out.
Daniel Sipe holds a degree in Marketing, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship from the University of Maine Business School. After falling in love with the art world while traveling and selling art with the Hidden Ladder Collective, he now leads fundraising, event planning, and promotion for Lights Out.
