If you have a disability and need more information about the site and its accessibility or need to request accommodations, please contact the site coordinator.  Advance notice must be given in order to make appropriate accommodations.  Not all accommodations will be possible.  

 Business Strategies

Date:    Saturday, April 10, 2010
Time:   8:45am – 3:00pm
Fee:      $20 Registration fee includes morning coffee and lunch
Place:   Robert Kinsella Arts Magnet School, 65 Van Block Ave., Hartford, CT

Business Strategies and the Empowerment of the Artist Entrepreneur

Keynote speaker James Grace will speak about the importance of artists viewing themselves as entrepreneurs.  He will provide an overview of some of the essential tools artists need to be effective and thrive in their careers including elements of good financial management and legal issues such as contracts, copyright, and insurance. James Grace, co-Executive Director of the Arts & Business Council, had been the Executive Director of the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts, Inc. (VLA) since 1998. The VLA provides free and reduced fee legal services and educational programs to Massachusetts artists and cultural organizations. Jim has experience working with artists and arts organizations in the areas of publishing law, copyright, nonprofit incorporation, budget matters, conflict resolution, artist live/work and nonprofit board issues. Jim was an adjunct professor for Boston University's Masters in Arts Administration Program where he co-taught a course on Legal Issues in Arts Administration. In addition, Jim is a working author and book editor. He is the best selling co-author of The Worst Case Scenario Handbook: Golf. To date he has been involved in the publication of over eight books. Jim graduated with honors from Suffolk University Law School and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Morning Breakout Sessions

New York Foundation for the Arts – NYFA Source
NYFA Source is the most extensive national directory of awards, services, and publications for artists. Listings include over 4,200 arts organizations, 2,900 award programs, 4,200 service programs, and 900 publications for individual artists across the country. More programs are added every day. Learn first-hand how this powerful service can help you build your career.

Gallery Relationships and Pricing Your Work
Learn more about establishing and maintaining relationships with galleries. Janice La Motta has over thirty years of professional experience in the field of fine arts, in both the private and non-profit sector. She served as curator at the New Britain Museum of American Art for 5 1/5 years, owned and operated a contemporary fine arts gallery for 18 years and is currently Program Coordinator at Billings Forge Community Works in Hartford, where she oversees programming for The Studio @ Billings Forge – a multi-use facility presenting classes, music/theatrical/dance events, film and reading series and community events, and The Workshops @ Billings Forge - an urban artist residency program. NOTE: This session is full and can no longer accept registration.

Financial Management - You, Your Business and Your Money

Paul Ramunni will give expert advice about the basics of managing your finances and important information on taxes. Paul has over 38 years of work experience as an accountant and CPA in public practice. His firm provides audit services, tax preparation, financial reporting and consultation for clients in the tri-state area of Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts. Paul began teaching for UCONN as an adjunct in the Fall of 1998. He was hired as a full time Instructor in Residence in August 2007 teaching in the UCONN regional system. He was voted teacher of the year in 2003 at the Waterbury campus. He also introduced a new financial literacy course (Me, Myself, and My Money) in the Waterbury and Hartford campuses in 2007.

The “General Practitioner” – Having been in the art business since 1970, working internationally as gallery owner, curator, critic, artist agent, writer, and more, Ray Tubbs can offer experienced input on a large array of needs and concerns facing any artist. Ray will talk with you about virtually any aspect of your artistic business: artist portfolio, career focus, gallery contracts and working relationships, reciprocating and opposing expectations (who pays for what, e.g.), pricing and commissions, ethics, grant writing and more. NOTE: This session is full and can no longer accept registration.

Career Evolution  – Dr. Richard J. Scaldini is a management consultant who combines backgrounds in business, higher education and literary scholarship (modern interactions between literature and painting). He will conduct brief consultations to assist participants in dealing with the business dimension of their art. Participants are invited to bring the full range of questions (financial, marketing, and strategic) that affect the evolution of their work and their careers. NOTE: This session is full and can no longer accept registration.

Showing and Selling Your Art – There’s a big difference between entering juried shows to get art world attention and finding venues where you can expect lots of art sales.  If you want “signature status,” a national reputation or museum purchases, that suggests one direction.  If you want to make, show and sell work you enjoy, that suggests many other possibilities. Artist, marketing professional and teacher Beth Pite will teach you how to learn to tell the difference and sharpen your focus to achieve your goals. NOTE: This session is full and can no longer accept registration.

Order out of Chaos – discuss specific strategies to organize your artwork and your business activities with Shirley M. Hall, president of Left Brain/Right Hand, LLC. The company was formed in 2009 in response to artists needs for a business facilitator. Artists are freed to create and leave the business details in someone else’s hands. She is also an emerging artist in digital photography and is drawn to photograph vintage cars and architecture, as well as natural subjects.

Online Portfolio Development  - Lisa Mikulski, owner of Dragonfly Blu Design provides Graphic Design & Marketing for the Arts. She also serves as Public Relations Chair of AIGA CT - The Professional Association for Design. Lisa will confer with artists about methods of developing an online portfolio of work. NOTE: This session is full and can no longer accept registration.

Copywriting Your Artwork – Copywriting…why should I do it and how do I do it? Todd Pickens will talk with artists about the process and benefits of copywriting. With an extensive background in the arts, law and nonprofit management, Mr. Pickens brings a well-rounded perspective on public use of your artistic images and can discuss general management issues frequently faced by the artist/business professional.

Cross-discipline Collaboration – The visual arts can have a powerful impact in any sector of the community, but exactly how can artwork reach beyond the exhibition? Jacques Lamarre, a long-time creative force in Connecticut, has enriched the cultural landscape by connecting various partners and creating vital links between individual artists, organizations and the public. He can inspire and instruct you on how to do the same with your artwork.

Making the Right Statement - Deb Wadsworth is a successful artist and art coach who wants to help you make a statement. Bring your bio, artist statement, resume or CV and she will review it with you and make suggestions on ways to refine it.  NOTE: this session is full and can no longer accept registration.

Business Networking in a Nutshell – When you’re done with your 20-minute “check up” visit the cafeteria for an informal lesson on business networking. How is networking different from a social event? Can you use the same skills to engage the audience at your next opening? Join in a brief  overview and then take some time to practice with expert networker Chip Janiszewski of the Capital Region Business Exchange.

Afternoon Breakout Sessions

New York Foundation for the Arts – NYFA Source
NYFA Source is the most extensive national directory of awards, services, and publications for artists. Listings include over 4,200 arts organizations, 2,900 award programs, 4,200 service programs, and 900 publications for individual artists across the country. More programs are added every day. Learn first-hand how this powerful service can help you build your career.

Gallery Relationships and Pricing Your Work

Learn more about establishing and maintaining relationships with galleries. Janice La Motta has over thirty years of professional experience in the field of fine arts, in both the private and non-profit sector. She served as curator at the New Britain Museum of American Art for 5 1/5 years, owned and operated a contemporary fine arts gallery for 18 years and is currently Program Coordinator at Billings Forge Community Works in Hartford, where she oversees programming for The Studio @ Billings Forge – a multi-use facility presenting classes, music/theatrical/dance events, film and reading series and community events, and The Workshops @ Billings Forge - an urban artist residency program. 

Financial Management - You, Your Business and Your Money

Paul Ramunni will give expert advice about the basics of managing your finances and important information on taxes. Paul has over 38 years of work experience as an accountant and CPA in public practice. His firm provides audit services, tax preparation, financial reporting and consultation for clients in the tri-state area of Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts. Paul began teaching for UCONN as an adjunct in the Fall of 1998. He was hired as a full time Instructor in Residence in August 2007 teaching in the UCONN regional system. He was voted teacher of the year in 2003 at the Waterbury campus. He also introduced a new financial literacy course (Me, Myself, and My Money) in the Waterbury and Hartford campuses in 2007.

Contracts
Before You Sign on the Dotted Line: A Crash Course in Contract Negotiation - Jim Grace will cover a range of contract questions and best practices that have been culled from the four corners of the world. It will also cover the general elements of common contracts with specific attention paid to a standard gallery and agent contract.  The seminar will teach methods for one-on-one negotiation, empowering artists with the knowledge and confidence to engage in successful and healthy negotiations.

The Doctor is IN

Artists can register to meet for a 20-minute one-on-one “check up” with an expert on the following topics. (You will be asked to pick your topic in a separate email.)

The “General Practitioner” – Having been in the art business since 1970, working internationally as gallery owner, curator, critic, artist agent, writer, and more, Ray Tubbs can offer experienced input on a large array of needs and concerns facing any artist. Ray will talk with you about virtually any aspect of your artistic business: artist portfolio, career focus, gallery contracts and working relationships, reciprocating and opposing expectations (who pays for what, e.g.), pricing and commissions, ethics, grant writing and more. NOTE: This session is full and can no longer accept registration.

Career Evolution  – Dr. Richard J. Scaldini is a management consultant who combines backgrounds in business, higher education and literary scholarship (modern interactions between literature and painting). He will conduct brief consultations to assist participants in dealing with the business dimension of their art. Participants are invited to bring the full range of questions (financial, marketing, and strategic) that affect the evolution of their work and their careers.

Showing and Selling Your Art – There’s a big difference between entering juried shows to get art world attention and finding venues where you can expect lots of art sales.  If you want “signature status,” a national reputation or museum purchases, that suggests one direction.  If you want to make, show and sell work you enjoy, that suggests many other possibilities. Artist, marketing professional and teacher Beth Pite will teach you how to learn to tell the difference and sharpen your focus to achieve your goals. NOTE: This session is full and can no longer accept registration.

Order out of Chaos – discuss specific strategies to organize your artwork and your business activities with Shirley M. Hall, president of Left Brain/Right Hand, LLC. The company was formed in 2009 in response to artists needs for a business facilitator. Artists are freed to create and leave the business details in someone else’s hands. She is also an emerging artist in digital photography and is drawn to photograph vintage cars and architecture, as well as natural subjects.

Online Portfolio Development  - Lisa Mikulski, owner of Dragonfly Blu Design provides Graphic Design & Marketing for the Arts. She also serves as Public Relations Chair of AIGA CT - The Professional Association for Design. Lisa will confer with artists about methods of developing an online portfolio of work. NOTE: This session is full and can no longer accept registration.

Copywriting Your Artwork – Copywriting…why should I do it and how do I do it? Todd Pickens will talk with artists about the process and benefits of copywriting. With an extensive background in the arts, law and nonprofit management, Mr. Pickens brings a well-rounded perspective on public use of your artistic images and can discuss general management issues frequently faced by the artist/business professional. NOTE: This session is full and can no longer accept registration.

Cross-discipline Collaboration – The visual arts can have a powerful impact in any sector of the community, but exactly how can artwork reach beyond the exhibition? Jacques Lamarre, a long-time creative force in Connecticut, has enriched the cultural landscape by connecting various partners and creating vital links between individual artists, organizations and the public. He can inspire and instruct you on how to do the same with your artwork. NOTE: This session is full and can no longer accept registration.

Making the Right Statement - Deb Wadsworth is a successful artist and art coach who wants to help you make a statement. Bring your bio, artist statement, resume or CV and she will review it with you and make suggestions on ways to refine it. NOTE: This session is full and can no longer accept registration.

Business Networking in a Nutshell – When you’re done with your 20-minute “check up” visit the cafeteria for an informal lesson on business networking. How is networking different from a social event? Can you use the same skills to engage the audience at your next opening? Join in a brief  overview and then take some time to practice with expert networker Chip Janiszewski of the Capital Region Business Exchange.

Participate in JPEG Jam: 30 Artists!
30 Minutes! 
This event takes place during all 3 workshops.

Modeled after the Pecha Kucha slideshow format, JPEG Jam provides an opportunity for artists registered in the “Taking Care of Business” workshop series to show their work in an informal setting.  Artists who register to participate in JPEG Jam will be invited, via e-mail, to contribute 5 images of their work to a Picasa photo gallery.  JPEG Jam is limited to 30 artists, so register early.  

On the day of the workshop the Picasa gallery will be projected as a slideshow and registered artists will have an opportunity to mingle and discuss their studio practice.

To participate in JPEG Jam please send an email to John Bent at John.Bent@ct.gov.

An e-mail invitation containing the link to the JPEG Jam gallery will be sent to the e-mail address you provide.  Thanks for participating in this networking event!  If you have technical questions please contact John at 860-256-2736.