Discover opportunities to build your art career and make art work.
Building a business or career around an art practice isn’t like building any other small business. Artists face different challenges: how to manage goals, write about art, plan a budget, speak in public and build a personal brand.
Artist INC, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, addresses the challenges, helping artists and creatives take control of their art careers. Partnering with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, Artist INC and Mid-America Arts Alliance have brought the training to St. Louis to help artists learn business skills relevant to their work and turn their art practices into sustainable art careers.
Unlike other entrepreneur- and business-focused classes, Artist INC is tailored for the needs and challenges of working artists of any discipline. Artists learn and grow together in small groups led by peer facilitators.
“It was everything I expected and more. I really liked how Artist INC kind of broke down the necessity and the importance of monetizing your practice.” – Lyndsey, Artist INC attendee
“There is so little value put on being an artist, people don’t feel like they can fully embrace being a creative and this [program] allows people to feel more empowered.” – Zenique, Artist INC facilitator
“We worked through all of the hot topics that artists need to familiar with like the artist statement, biography, resume, everything leading to entrepreneurship.” – Kaonis, Artist INC attendee
Artist INC, eight-week, in-person sessions.
Who it’s for: Artist INC is open to artists and creatives of all disciplines. AIL has a competitive application process, a substantial time commitment and requires participants to be within a specific community. Artists should reside within a 60-mile commute from these program locations. All sessions are in person.
Gathering for one evening a week for eight weeks, participants learn strategic business skills specific to their art practice and how to apply those skills cooperatively with their peers. Using a groundbreaking class design, Artist INC Live guides artists as they learn and grow together through artist facilitator mentoring, small group application activities, as well as large group discussion and multimedia lecture.
Sessions take place over the course of eight Tuesday evenings, September 17-November 12, 2024, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. Applications are open from May 1, to June 18, 2024.
Location: CIC @ CET, 20 South Sarah Street, St. Louis, MO 63108
Cost: TBA
Facilitators: Zenique Gardner-Perry, Sarah Paulsen, Con Christeson, Tracey Stanton, Colin McLaughlin
Apply: Applications open May 1 and close June 18, 2024
https://artistinc.art/communities/st-louis/
Interested in learning more before applying for the full, eight-week course? Sign up for What Works, a short, one and a half hour-long introductory session.
Make art work. Learn what works.
What Works, a free, short workshop, immediately activates a network of artists in the community leading to additional peer-to-peer resource sharing and support, long after the workshop concludes.
What Works is open to artists and creatives of all disciplines and at all stages of their careers. In a non-competitive atmosphere, the goal of What Works is to provide an introduction to the Artist INC trainings and resources. The format includes a presentation as well as time for questions and discussions. Led by professional artist facilitators, the short workshop addresses the specific professional needs and challenges that artists of all disciplines face.
What Works, one and a half hour, virtual and in-person, free
What Works: Thursday, May 16, 2024 from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual
Presented by Artist INC Peer Facilitators, Con Christenson and Tracy Stanton
Register Now
What Works: Thursday, June 6, 2024 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Location: In-person, CIC @ CET, 20 South Sarah Street, St. Louis, MO 63108, in The Showroom
Presented by Artist INC Peer Facilitators, JerMarco Britton and Colin McLaughlin
Register Now
Cost: Free
To date, Artist INC has been completed by more than 1,500 artists. Artist INC is supported in part by grants from the Windgate Foundation, the Hallmark Corporate Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Learn more about Artist INC at www.artistinc.art.
About Mid-America Arts Alliance
Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) strengthens and supports artists, cultural organizations, and communities throughout our six-state region and beyond. Additional information can be found at www.maaa.org.
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