It's back! 
The Council premiered the "Breaking into Business" program earlier this year to wide acclaim. The two-day workshop offers business and marketing planning specifically tailored to the needs of artists. The program is open to Vermont artists of all disciplines (visual, performing, media, literary, crafts and traditional) and is facilitated by Maren Brown and Dee Boyle Clapp from the Arts Extension Service at UMass Amherst. This year's workshops are generously supported by Main Street Landing and Ernst & Young.
"The fact that this workshop was presented by artists for artists meant that none of us felt out of our element," said participant Caitin Christiana of Springfield. "This is exactly the sort of community-building experience that we artists are in need of."
The Arts Council is planning the following workshops in the coming months:
- October 19-20: Main Street Landing, Burlington
- February 12-13: Center for Cartoon Studies, White River Jct. (snow date: Feb 19-20). We will begin accepting applications for the February workshops in December 2010.
Agenda for each session:
- Day 1: Business Planning for Artists
- Day 2: Marketing for Artists
Applications are now being accepted for the Burlington workshops. Click here to apply.
Application deadline: Friday, September 17th.
Space is limited to 25 participants. Artists may apply to attend one or both days. Applications will be reviewed on a competitive basis. Preference will be given to artists that apply to attend both workshops at the same location. Upon completion of the program, artists will be eligible to apply for special Arts Council funding to implement some aspect of their business plan.
Cost: $75 for the two-day program; $50 to attend a single workshop.
BREAKING INTO BUSINESS
DAY 1: BUSINESS PLANNING FOR ARTISTS
9:00-4:30 Business Planning for Artists
If you want to turn your art into a profit-making enterprise, a business plan is an essential first step. Business plans help you to fully consider your business concept, define goals, serve as your blue print for action, and prepare you to secure bank loans for your artist business. This workshop will introduce you to a step-by-step process for developing a business plan, providing you with a template that you can use to begin the process of writing a business plan.
DAY 2: MARKETING FOR ARTISTS
This day-long workshop is designed to help you to develop the first stages of a marketing plan for your artist business and will conclude with step-by-step goals for you to implement when you return to your work.
9:00-12:30 Marketing Basics for Artists
Marketing is the most important tool to build awareness of your work as an artist and can help you to reach new audiences and cultivate loyalty in those you already serve. This workshop will introduce you to the fundamentals of marketing for artists. You will begin by learning basic marketing concepts, such as the "4 Ps" of marketing (product, place, promotion, and price), how to better understand and reach your customers, how to use free media sources to reach and build your customer base, and how to create effective "offline" promotions (printed materials, brochures, press releases, etc.). Discussion will also include how to measure the success of your efforts. Please bring examples of any printed materials you have that promote your performing, visual, literary or media art, including business cards, brochures, press releases, artist’s statements, your photo, etc.
1:30-4:30 What's All
The Buzz About E-Marketing?
If you are in the beginning stages of using the internet to promote yourself as an artist, this highly-interactive session is for you! Building on the introduction to basic marketing concepts presented in the morning session, you will learn what free and low-cost e-marketing options are available, and then examine affordable ways to implement your e-marketing strategies. If you are confused by all the social networking options that have recently cropped up (like Twitter and Facebook), this is your opportunity to unravel the mysteries of this topic and learn about the multitude of options that exist, and determine which ones are right for you. If you have a web site, but are unhappy with how it looks, the workshop will help you to create a more effective site. We will cover how to structure an effective web site, hire outside help, and -- through group discussions -- understand what on your site can be improved or expanded. You will apply your newly learned concepts to your own arts business in small group sessions with other participants. Please bring printed examples of attractive web sites or compelling e-marketing promotions that you have received, and bring your personal marketing challenges (such as a brochure your neighbor recently created for you, the business card you used to love, or a print out of your web site’s home page) to share with others.
Maren Brown, M.B.A. has over 25 years of experience in the field of arts management, primarily in museums (art, history and science museums) and higher education. She received both her graduate (MBA) and undergraduate degrees (BA, arts management and women's studies) from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is a practicing egg tempera painter, and currently serves as the Director of the Arts Extension Service at UMass Amherst. During her career, Maren has directed an arts council (funding organization) and a museum school, founded a regional creative economy initiative, originated a family program series, developed school tours, curated an exhibition series of regional artists, and served a variety of other functions in museums. She is the co-editor of Fundamentals of Arts Management, and leads workshops and training sessions on a variety of topics throughout the nation.
Dee Boyle Clapp, M.F.A. is a sculptor and installation artist and holds bachelor's degrees in art and art history from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, an MFA in sculpture from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and is completing an online Master's in nonprofit management from Regis University in Denver, Colorado. She has taught a variety of studio and art history courses at UMass Amherst, museum schools, and at community colleges. Dee co-owned the Artemis Gallery which featured the work of contemporary artists. She was a founding member and the first director of the Art Bank art school, gallery and performance center in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, where she was responsible for the programming of two galleries, ongoing studio courses, the Children’s Blue Snow Performance Series, the Adult Performance Series, festivals and community events. Dee also served as the program manager with the Fostering the Arts and Culture Partnership working to build the Franklin County (MA) Creative Economy by providing business and marketing training, exhibition and web opportunities, and networking for artists, writers, actors, musicians, tech artists and others. She currently serves as the Program Coordinator of the Arts Extension Service.
Artists who complete one or both workshops will receive a Certificate of Completion and will be eligible to apply for specific grant funding of up to $500 to implement part of their Marketing or Business Plan. Grant funding will be awarded competitively and on the following basis:
- Successful completion of a written Business and/or Marketing Plan
- Attendance at a follow-up meeting (dates to be determined)
- Submission of a viable proposal to the Council
If you have any questions about the workshops and how to apply please contact: Sonia Rae by calling 802 828 5425 or by email.