The Arts Council of Windham County (ACWC) is sponsoring "Business Training for Artists" on Thursday, April 24, 2014 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Works Café, 118 Main Street, Brattleboro. The session is intended to identify needs for additional business training and services for area artists so that they might achieve greater success in their current or dreamed of arts business.

Artists who have taken "Breaking into Business" will act as a panel and present key takeaways for the first segment of the discussion. A facilitated Q&A and discussion will follow. Many of these artists will share their experiences and talk about the ways their artwork and bank accounts have been affected by the training.

For more information about ACWC or “Business Training for Artists,” visit the Arts Council of Windham County website.

CreativeGround, an online directory developed by the New England Foundation for the Arts, will become the Vermont Arts Council's arts directory by mid-July, 2014. CreativeGround offers robust listings with the capacity for uploading high-quality images, videos, and references as well as the ability to reach a wider audience.

Search and explore the 30,000 profiles already in the directory, including artists of all disciplines, cultural nonprofits like libraries and theaters, and creative businesses like recording studios and design agencies, then get listed by adding or updating a profile for your creative enterprise.
 
Questions? Contact any of the Council’s program staff (Michele Bailey, Ben Doyle, or Sonia Rae).

Sam Boudreau from Bellows Free Academy is this year's Poetry Out Loud Vermont State Champion. Now, you can see the event unfold. The Poetry Out Loud finals will be broadcast by Vermont Public Television on Wednesday, April 16 and Saturday, April 19. 

For more information about the program, see the Vermont Poetry Out Loud page.

Applications for four FY2015 programs are open now. FY2015 grants support activities beginning no earlier than September 1, 2014 and ending no later than August 31, 2015.

The Operating Support and Arts Partnership programs have been combined into one this year (Arts Partnership Grants). The application deadline will be Friday, May 9, 2014. Project, Creation, and Cultural Facilities Grants are also available. The application deadline for Project Grants is Thursday, May 22; Creation Grants Tuesday, May 13; Cultural Facilities Grants Thursday, May 1.

Visit the Grants Deadlines and Information page to learn more.

Join the Vermont Public Radio project, "Art Hounds!"
Art Hounds creates the opportunity for you to rave about each others' work on the radio and shine a light on the arts scene in your community. All you have to do is click here and let VPR know about a concert, performance, exhibit or event that you want to rave about and recommend. No event is too small or too large to be considered. It can be happening this week, this month or all season - in Vermont, the Upper Valley, New York or Quebec.

The only stipulation is that it can't be your own work or work you're professionally, financially or personally associated with in any way. Use this form to tell VPR who you are and post your recommendation. It can be an art exhibit, a local theater production, a dance performance, CD release or a festival. And you can call the VPR Art Hounds hotline at (802) 778-9585 to record your suggestions, too! Each week, VPR will select nominations to be recorded for air.

Hear Art Hounds on Thursday afternoon at 4:50 as part of VPR's weekly arts segment and again on Friday mornings at 7:55, during "Morning Edition." You can also find the episode information each week at VPR.net.

Publicize your events by listing them in the Vermont Arts Calendar. The Vermont Arts Calendar is not only a FREE way of reaching thousands of people, but it also gets your events distributed to dozens of publications in the Northeast and throughout the country. To get the broadest exposure for your event you should list no later than six weeks before the event. Click here for more information about the Arts Calendar, or to enter your event.

Have you checked out our online classifieds recently?  We like to think of it as a sort of a "craigslist" for the arts in Vermont.  You can both search and list information on jobs, calls to artists and workshops.  There's a section for materials available or wanted, and another for studio space.  The listings are always changing so check it out today.