Springboard for The Arts

ANNOUNCEMENT: (4/19/12)
Summer Dates added for the Work of Art series. See details below.

Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists
This ten-session core curriculum is a regularly occurring part of our workshop schedule. It has been developed to be useful to artists practicing in all disciplines - visual, performing and literary arts. The workshops are designed to work together or stand alone. You can take the whole course or only those workshops that best suit you. All the workshops are being offered for free --- two complete ten-session series at two different locations --- and are presented by the Hennepin County Libraries (registration is through the HCL library system at www.hclib.org/events).

Dates: Saturdays, March 3 - May 12, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Location: East Lake Library, 2301 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN


Dates: Mondays, March 5 - May 14, 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Location: Ridgedale Library, 12601 Ridgedale Drive, Minnetonka, MN

Dates: Tuesdays, June 12 - Aug 21, 5:30 – 8:00 pm
Location: Hosmer Library, 347 E. 36th Street, Minneapolis, MN

Presenters: Kathleen Richert and Noah Keesecker, Springboard for the Arts
Tuition: Free. Advance registraion recommended. Register at www.hclib.org/events
NOTE: Unlike when the series has been offered in the past, to make as many sessions available to as many people as possible, you can only register for one workshop at a time. You can take as many as you'd like, but registration is on a first-come-first-serve basis for each individual workshop. Workshops are open for registration at 10:00 a.m., thirty days before the date of the workshop. They won't be listed on the HCL's website before that time. If you have questions about these workshops, please call Andy at 651-292-4381 or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Accessibility Accomodations at HCL: http://www.hclib.org/pub/info/accessibility.cfm

Career Planning for Artists (Mar 3 - at East Lake, Mar 5 - at Ridgedale, or Jun 12 - at Hosmer)
Where do you want to be both artistically and professionally? This session concentrates on examining your career and developing a well-thought-out career plan. Learn how to define your goals, identify strategies for achieving your objectives, and developing your career path.

Time Management for Creative People (Mar 10 - at East Lake, Mar 12 - at Ridgedale, or Jun 19 - at Hosmer)
Are you a right-brained person living in a left-brained world? We will recommend approaches for getting control of your day, creating work time, and reaching your artistic goals.

Your Promotional Toolkit (Mar 17 - at East Lake, Mar 19 - at Ridgedale, or Jun 26 - at Hosmer)
What should be in your portfolio and who do you want to see it? This session focuses on promotional materials: your business card, artist statement, artistic résumé, and your portfolio. We will talk about targeting your resume, choosing a work sample, and composing the catalog page that accompanies it. Artists are encouraged to bring promotional materials along for review.

Marketing for Artists (Mar 24 - at East Lake, Mar 26 - at Ridgedale, or Jul 10 - at Hosmer)
This session is devoted to identifying the right audience for your artistic output, positioning yourself, and developing marketing strategies and a marketing plan geared for that audience.

Legal Considerations for Artists (Mar 31 - at East Lake, Apr 2 - at Ridgedale, or Jul 17 - at Hosmer)
From protecting your intellectual property to choosing a legal form for your artistic business, an understanding of underlying legal principles will help you make smarter choices. This session centers on information about copyrights and contract basics regarding selling and licensing your work, as well as getting into business.

Recordkeeping and Financial Management for Artists (Apr 14 - at East Lake, Apr 16 - at Ridgedale, or Jul 24 - at Hosmer)
How does your actual income compare with your desired income? If working with numbers drives you crazy, we have clear, simple methods for setting up your financial books. Learn how Budgets and Cash Flow Statements help you plan for profit (it isn’t just whatever is left at the end.) Making accurate projections about what to expect allows you to plan for it and to prosper.

Simple Business Plans for Artists (Apr 21 - at East Lake, Apr 23 - at Ridgedale, or Jul 31 - at Hosmer)
A business plan will help you grow your artistic business, a.k.a. your career. This session explains how to prepare a simple business plan, in arts friendly language. People primarily think about writing a business plan when they are seeking money, but a business plan is an essential planning tool for any small business (even if you’re “just a painter!”)

Pricing Your Work: Getting Paid for What You Do (Apr 28 - at East Lake, Apr 30 - at Ridgedale, or Aug 7 - at Hosmer)
While many artists excel at the design and production of their work, they feel far less confident when it comes to deciding what the price ought to be. Most want to be compensated fairly, but what does that mean? Too often, a number is plucked out of the air because it feels about right.  In this workshop we discuss what to consider as you 'do the math' both for people who are producing products and for those providing services.

Funding Your Work (May 5 - at East Lake, May 7 - at Ridgedale, or Aug 14 - at Hosmer)
This session’s topic is generating income. We’ll discuss the value of multiple income streams. We’ll cover research and application preparation techniques for grants, fellowships, scholarships, and residency programs available to individual artists, We’ll also talk about finding and maintaining partners in the community as a strategy for expanding your audience and appealing to potential funders.

Social Media for Artists (May 12 - at East Lake, May 14 - at Ridgedale, or Aug 21 - at Hosmer)
Social Media is everywhere these days but how do you know what is worth your precious time and energy? This crash course in social media will equip you with a better understanding of the what, how and why of online tools for marketing your work, staying abreast of your field and connecting to your clients and colleagues. This session will introduce you to a variety of social media tools with a focus on Twitter and Facebook so you can make informed decisions about what works best for you and your artistic practice.