Commission projects can often feel daunting. Join curators Mallory Ruymann and Leah Triplett Harrington for a helpful overview of the commission process. Drawing from Leah’s experience in mounting commissions in the non-profit, public sphere and Mallory’s background in the private space of individual and corporate collection building, this workshop is aimed to empower artists to successfully approach commissions in the conceptual, budgeting, and production phases. Incorporating real-life case studies pulled from their respective practices, Mallory and Leah will share best practices and learnings related to the creative process, project management, legal, and financial aspects of a commission project.

Artadia partnered with PNC Bank to present a workshop to help artists better understand themselves as business entities. PNC covered the various organizational types and what to consider when determining which type may be best suited for you. As ‘owners’, it’s important to know how to protect you and your business and create future success when planning your business structure.

Janean Germany, Business Relationship Manager and a SBA Loan Specialist for PNC lead us through this conversation.

The archive is critical to an artist’s career on many levels, not only as a way to organize the studio, but more importantly as a way to understand historical information so that artists can make informed choices about their future. Depending on the project, business, or organization, artists have different needs when it comes to an archive or inventory database. In this third installment, we discussed in depth what is needed to build and maintain an archive of one’s work.

Artists have more freedom and flexibility to generate income but more complex decisions to make. Whether selling work independently or with the help of a representative or gallery, the following components are crucial to consider: Money, Context, and Exposure.

For those who are pursuing gallery representation, we addressed factors such as reputation, experience, connections, programming and curatorial perspective, funding, location, team, communication, and relationship with the owner.

We also delved into alternatives which include online sales, branding, independent projects and collaborations with other industries.

The first of three in the Artsmart x Artadia Artist Business Plan Series covered budgets—which are necessary tools for an artist’s practice: project planning, grantwriting, cash flow management and business plan development. Smart budgeting can help strike a balance between dreams and reality. We dove into why budgets are necessary, how to create them, and how to stick to them.

This virtual conversation between poet and art critic John Yau and sculptor Jillian Conrad (2012 Houston Artadia Awardee) took its cue from acts of cross-disciplinary collaboration often engaged by artists as a generative process and practice.

Best known in the art world for his reviews in Hyperallergic and the Brooklyn Rail (2007-2011), John is also a poet, fiction writer and publisher. Jillian will talk with him about his latest collection of poems, Genghis Chan on Drums (2021), his work as the founder of Black Square Editions and how these overlapping practices run mostly but not necessarily parallel in his life as a writer.

Jillian is a sculptor who is currently traveling in west Texas and southern France, developing a book-length essay on how caves and the art found in them are portals that connect to contemporary art practices.

Artists often struggle with access to resources and support needed to help them create, organize and grow a financially thriving practice. Too few resources exist that are specifically designed for artists to help them navigate through every aspect of starting and successfully operating a small business.

The workshop moved methodically and intelligently through a planning lifecycle navigating from creation to collection, from conception to consumption, and through every business aspect along the way.

This virtual event centered around the theme of artist-led initiatives and featured the artists Alejandro Cesarco, Taylor Le Melle, and Marcel Pardo Ariza. While each of these artists maintains an active artistic practice of their own, they also manage other art initiatives that serve to create space, resources, and discourse outside of institutional channels.

A.rt R.esources T.ransfer (A.R.T.), run by Cesarco, is a nonprofit organization based in New York committed to documenting and disseminating artists’ voices and work through the publication and distribution of books, education, and spaces of reading. Not/Nowhere, run by La Melle, is a cooperative in London that programmes workshops, screenings, exhibitions, and offers training for Black and POC artists to use film and media equipment. The Art Handlxrs* is a San Francisco-based platform co-founded by Pardo Ariza dedicated to supporting BIPOC, queer, non-binary, trans people, and women in the professional arts industry as preparators, art handlxrs, technicians, and fabricators. The conversation is co-organized and moderated by curator Juana Berrío.

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This workshop with Shama Rahman helps artists explore how to clearly communicate who they are as creative individuals, and the kind of work they produce, to a broad range of audiences. Artists will learn the components of creating effective personal narratives, tangible tips for keeping their statements updated on a regular basis, modifying statements for different platforms and more. Learnings from this workshop can apply to improving applications for grants, fellowships, and residencies; websites; press releases; marketing materials and more.

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In this Artadia Public Network Workshop, Courtney Childress and Peter Gynd unpack one of the more opaque tasks an artist must face. Whether it’s creating a budget for your studio practice or an estimated budget that’s required for a grant application, having a solid understanding of your expenses, spending and income is crucial to your success. Courtney Childress and Peter Gynd — who are both artists with active studio practices as well as curators and gallerists — share practical advice on how to create budgets that support your artistic practice and help open doors to new opportunities.

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Audra Lambert and Heather Zises from Ninth Street Collective hold a candid conversation about preparing for the a studio visit (both virtually and in-person), hosting the visit and following up post-visit. As curators and art critics, they have visited 100s of artist studios and will share the dos and don’ts of navigating in-person and virtual visits.

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Panel discussion with industry experts and artists on NFTs to share key insights and understandings geared to artists and like-minded creatives. Panelists include Christiana Ine-Kimba Boyle, Global Director of Online Sales and Head of Pace Verso, Amir H. Fallah, Artist and 2020 Los Angeles Artadia Awardee, Sarah Friend, Artist and Software Developer, Christopher Y. Lew, Chief Artistic Director of Horizon Art Foundation and Outland Art, and Nato Thompson, Co-Founder Artwrld, Founder and Director The Alternative Art School.

This workshop was led by Cultural Counsel’s Vice President Marcella Zimmermann on social media strategies for artists. This private workshop allowed participants to cultivate effective ‘best practices’ around communications, social media and online presence — focusing specifically on Instagram.

This private Network workshop convened three renowned art dealers—Kibum Kim of Commonwealth and Council, Friedrich Petzel of Petzel Gallery, and Nicole Russo of Chapter NY Gallery–to hold a roundtable-style conversation around navigating gallery relationships, what it means to be represented, and the role that galleries can play in the sustainability of an artist’s career.

This is a Private Workshop for Artadia Awardees. For RSVP information please email info@artadia.org

Financial Wellness Seminar for Artists will be an overview of best practices for optimizing your financial life including budgeting, savings strategies, estate planning, investment planning, and risk management. This event will be live closed captioned,  if any accessibility accommodations are needed please email info@artadia.org.

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Kristen Becker and Corrina Peipon are both independent arts strategists with over 20 years of experience in artists’ studios, museums, and commercial galleries. They met virtually on April 8 to share their insider knowledge on how artists can best approach relationships with curators and gallery owners.

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Artist and 2020 Houston Artadia Awardee Bria Lauren and Rebecca Matalon, Curator, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, discussed Lauren’s work in photography and film, the ongoing importance of Houston’s Third Ward on her practice, and the value and urgency of honoring her local community of Black women, artists, and collaborators.