Announcing a Brand New Crisis-Focused Line-Up
Spring 2020 Financial & Business Webinars
With the COVID-19 pandemic’s devastating effect on practicing artists, Assets for Artists has redesigned its business and financial education programming to provide artists with new, crisis-focused, distance-learning opportunities that largely retain the intimate cohort-focused style of our in-person workshops. Some workshops translate our usual offerings into a webinar format, while many cover new topics that focus specifically on current challenges, relief efforts, and opportunities. All workshops are held via Zoom, with pre-registration required to keep the webinar cohorts at a size that maximizes participation and peer support.
Due to the geographic focus of our current partners and sponsors, at this time all webinars are limited to artists who live in Connecticut, Massachusetts, or Rhode Island, and many will have very limited enrollment. We are working to expand the number of workshops we can provide, so those unable to be granted a slot initially will be considered a high priority for future opportunities as they become available. After you submit your information through the Zoom registration, our staff will contact those who make the enrollment cut-off with additional details on participating. Contact us at assetsforartists@massmoca.org with any questions.
This programming is made possible by the generous support of the Barr Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business Development Grant program, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation.
Workshops still open for registration:
Photo by Cat Laine, Painted Foot Studio
“Creative Practice Within Virtual Communities” w/ Shey Rivera Rios
May 6 | 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Participants will renew the tools and knowledge to which they already have access in order to answer the question, how can community-engaged artists extend their work into virtual spaces? Drawing inspiration from the successes of artists already using digital tools, this workshop will create space for participants to push their creative power, expand the horizon of their creative practice, embrace fear, and see the opportunities at their disposal. Shey Rivera Rios is an interdisciplinary artist, cultural strategist, and arts administrator whose artistic creations span a myriad of topics, from home to capitalism to queerness and magic. Best suited for community-engaged artists.
“Legal Q & A for Artists, Freelancers & Small Businesses” w/ Hannah Cole & Dr. Katherine de Vos Devine
May 7 | 3:30 - 5:30 PM
Join tax expert and artist Hannah Cole and Dr. Katherine de Vos Devine, a legal expert and art historian dedicated to empowering artists, for a discussion of what you need to know about legal and tax issues facing creatives as the country braces for the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ll discuss legal options with loans payments: loan forbearance vs. forgiveness, negotiating with creditors, payment plan options with the IRS, intellectual property rights in online course content, employment law for small nonprofits, and much more. Suitable for artists in all disciplines.
“Digitizing Your Artistic Presence” w/ Billy Dean Thomas
May 8 | 2:00 - 4:00 PM
During this time of social distancing, performing artists look to activate their own creative tools to design or strengthen their digital presence, expand their audience, and connect with collaborators and producers online. Artists will leave this workshop with new skills and strategies to digitally expand their creative footprint and to translate it into future physical audiences, all without compromising the artistic or social integrity of their work. Billy Dean Thomas is a hip-hop recording artist and composer whose polyrhythmic flows align with intersectional feminism and social justice. Best suited for performing artists.
Previous / Full Workshops
“Creative Resiliency in a Time of Crisis” w/ Ngoc-Tran Vu
April 17 | 2-4pm
This interactive workshop geared toward artists in crisis creates a shared space for collaboration and support while providing concrete resources for turning one’s creative practice toward management, adaptation, business resiliency, and self-advocacy. Ngoc-Tran Vu is a 1.5-generation Vietnamese American interdisciplinary and transnational artist whose socially engaged work draws from her experience as a community organizer, educator, and healer. Suitable for artists in all disciplines.
THIS WEBINAR IS FULL - REGISTRATION CLOSED. We hope to offer additional sessions in future, so please stay tuned!
“Making a Plan in a Time of Uncertainty” w/ Laura Baring-Gould
April 22 & 29, 6-8pm (this is a TWO-part webinar experience)
Over two webinar sessions, artists will develop the building blocks for a strategic plan for their creative career. This highly interactive course will help artists examine their goals and values, inventory their skills, and practice budgeting with an eye to maximizing opportunity and stability in the midst of crisis. Laura Baring-Gould's practice includes award-winning installations, public artworks and small bronzes sold in galleries, juried shows and through private commissions. Suitable for artists in all disciplines.
THIS WEBINAR IS FULL - REGISTRATION CLOSED. We hope to offer additional sessions in future, so please stay tuned!
“Financial Strategies for Freelance Artists” w/ Amy Smith
April 23 | 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Financial shame gets imposed on artists by our socioeconomic structures. Your financial situation is not shameful. In this workshop, Amy Smith covers the financial building blocks necessary for surviving a career as a freelancer, including personal finance topics such as debt management in a time of crisis, emergency funds, private and governmental safety nets, tax issues, and how to negotiate with lenders. Participants will leave empowered to combat the scarcity mentality and impostor syndrome ever present in the creative sector. Amy Smith is an educator and the Co-Director of Headlong Dance Theater, a Bessie-award winning Philadelphia-based dance theater company. Suitable for artists in all disciplines.
“Proposal Writing for Artists”
w/ Frances Cathryn
April 24 | 2:00 - 4:00 PM
With financial needs stronger than ever, many artists must seek grants, residencies, and other opportunities to make their work financially viable. This digital writing workshop will offer artists the nuts-and-bolts skills to tackle their next application, including how to refresh their artist statement, dos and don’ts when putting together a project proposal, and best practices for applying for funding. Artists and creatives will even brush up on the basics for how to write a cover letter and update their resumes. Frances Cathryn is an editor, arts educator, and community organizer who collaborates with others to shift how we define what it means to create valuable work in the world. Suitable for artists in all disciplines.
THIS WEBINAR IS FULL - REGISTRATION CLOSED. We hope to offer additional sessions in future, so please stay tuned!
“Taxes for Artists & Preparing for a Downturn” w/ Hannah Cole
April 30 | 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Hannah Cole’s ever-popular tax workshop moves online! The founder of Sunlight Tax and an Enrolled Agent with the IRS in addition to being a long-time working artist, Hannah has a unique vantage point for understanding the financial challenges of freelancers and small creative businesses during this particular time. In this webinar she will discuss the basic tax equation and tax issues specifically relevant to artists, followed by a Q&A period. Suitable for artists in all disciplines.
“Staying Creative & Being Resourceful”
w/ Jessica Burko
May 1 | 2:00 - 4:00 PM
This workshop helps artists move their creative momentum forward and maximize their home time while access to studio space, equipment, materials, and emotional energy might be limited. Split into three interactive parts, Jessica will cover current grant opportunities and other business-focused activities to focus on in this moment, and then move on to a series of short exercises intended to train the creative brain and build community connection. Jessica Burko is a Boston-based exhibiting artist, curator, and arts marketing professional. Best suited for visual artists.
THIS WEBINAR IS FULL - REGISTRATION CLOSED. We hope to offer additional sessions in future, so please stay tuned!
“Art in the Age of Coronavirus” w/ Kim Faler
May 4 | 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Sometimes the hardest part of a crisis is letting go of the former plan. In this interactive workshop, Kim Faler discusses the art of pivoting. Participants will explore new opportunities that the current reality might afford their creative practice, from the expansion of digital marketing, the strengthening of an online community, to pushing oneself outside of one’s comfort zone. Participants will leave with actionable steps for their own situation and a collaboratively developed list of resources. Kim Faler is a sculptor and installation artist who has shown at major museums throughout the US, including multiple times at MASS MoCA. Best suited for visual artists.
THIS WEBINAR IS FULL - REGISTRATION CLOSED. We hope to offer additional sessions in future, so please stay tuned!