IN-PERSON Workshops
PRE-RECORDED Workshops
Meet Our Trainers
Accessibility
Workshops FAQ
Community Agreements
Explore Additional A4A Artist Support for:
Massachusetts
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Typical business training often doesn’t meet the needs of creative entrepreneurs, so we built a roster of courses that are artist-tailored, artist-led, and FREE.
Available to artists of all disciplines in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island
Assets for Artists offers an ever-evolving selection of online and in-person workshops to address the most urgent needs, challenges, and opportunities facing artists in our region. Learn from our amazing artist-trainers and build connections with artist peers - you’re not alone!
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La formación empresarial típica no suele satisfacer las necesidades de les empresaries creatives, por lo que hemos creado una oferta de cursos gratuitos diseñados especialmente para artistas y dirigidos por artistas.
Disponible para artistas de todas las disciplinas en Massachusetts, Connecticut y Rhode Island.
Assets for Artists ofrece una selección de talleres en constante evolución para abordar las necesidades, retos y oportunidades más urgentes a los que se enfrentan les artistas de nuestra región. Aprende de nuestros increíbles instructores artistas y establece contactos con otros colegas: ¡no estás solo(a)!
A menos que se indique lo contrario en la descripción del taller, todos los talleres se ofrecerán en inglés. Para nuestros talleres en línea, puedes solicitar una traducción en vivo/tiempo real al español o a otro idioma, por favor, envía un correo electrónico a assetsforartists@massmoca.org con al menos dos semanas de anticipación, y contrataremos a un intérprete / traductor de audio en vivo para el taller.
TALLERES EN ESPAÑOL, PRIMAVERA 2024
Artistas del área de Boston
Assets for Artists (A4A), en nuestro interés por incluir cada vez más artistas de la comunidad latine, estaremos colaborando con la recién inaugurada iniciativa de eventos y consultoría en las artes Poetry Is Busy Studio, LLC (PIBS), liderada por una de nuestras becadas y artistas asesoras Yara Liceaga-Rojas, para ampliar nuestra oferta de desarrollo profesional para artistas latines con ofrecimientos en español.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
newly added!
“Project management 101” w/ Ana Tinajero
Tuesday, April 30 + Thursday, May 2, 2024 | 1:00 - 3:00 PM (in Zoom)
This is a 2-part workshop. Participants are expected to attend both sessions.
Presented in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture & Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.
Working on an artistic endeavor, event, or production and not sure where to start? Get an introduction into the basic building blocks of planning, executing, and monitoring a project, no matter the size. Ana Tinajero is an award-winning Afro-Latin dance artist, entrepreneur, and performing arts curator who loves engineering spaces for community connection through the arts. In this workshop, she will cover the fundamentals of crafting a blueprint for success:
PART 1: BUILDING THE PLAN
Define goals and scope with finite and clear deliverables. Draft a timeline and budget to help allocate resources and identify those needed. Choose a framework of guiding principles for executing a plan that resonates with your artistic practice and creative needs.
PHASE 2: EXECUTION & REFLECTION
Develop systems and processes to help manage and monitor budget and team workflow. Establish parameters of success, analyze results and evaluate impact. Identify practices for nourishment tailored to you and any collaborators.
This online workshop will involve lecture, small group and partner conversation, solo exercise prompts during and take-home assignments.
Suitable to artists of all disciplines. 30 participants max.
Open to artists in Rhode Island and rural Connecticut.
This workshop will be recorded! If you're unable to attend the live session, you can still register via Zoom and, if approved, we’ll send you a link to access the recording after the workshop.
Allison Cole is an award-winning illustrator, artist and surface designer who never stops creating. Over the past fifteen years, she has worked with a wide variety of clients that span many different industries, including stationery, wall art, giftware, apparel, home furnishings and bolt fabric. In this workshop participants will learn about the industry of surface design and art licensing, and discover how artists can get their designs on a wide variety of products by partnering with different companies. They will learn about marketing and branding their work, reaching clients and setting achievable goals.
Best suited for visual artists. 30 participants max.
Open to artists in Rhode Island and rural Connecticut.
This workshop will be recorded! If you're unable to attend the live session, you can still register via Zoom and, if approved, we’ll send you a link to access the recording after the workshop.
Presented in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture & Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.
“CREANDO SISTEMAS” CON VERÓNICA RAMÍREZ MARTELL
MAYO 18, 2024 | 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM (EN PERSONA)
Biblioteca de Boston-Connolly | 433 Centre St, Jamaica Plain, MA
Aprenda a crear sistemas y administrar el flujo de trabajo de su negocio artístico utilizando Google Workspace, una herramienta virtual sin costo. Verónica les ayudará a delinear su práctica de la mejor manera posible para administrar su tiempo virtual y así maximizar su negocio creativo. Les participantes aprenderán o mejorarán sus conocimientos sobre Google Documents y Google Sheets.
Presented in partnership with the Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture
El taller se llevará a cabo junto a una tradicional Fiesta del Sorullo: Knowledge Potluck de Poetry is Busy Studio, donde compartiremos saberes, mejores prácticas para expandir tu vida artística y destrezas que han sido de beneficio para tu creatividad. Además de refrigerios y comida ligera, provista por A4A + PIBS, se invita a les artistas a traer un plato para compartir si desean.
¡Ven a pasarla bien y compartir con colegas, amistades y nuevas redes de afecto en el plano profesional! Únete a otres creatives latines mientras conversamos sobre el panorama del sector cultural y la mejor manera de recorrerlo.
Apto para artistas de todas las disciplinas. Máximo 25 participantes en persona.
Para artistas del área de Boston.
UPCOMING IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS
“CREANDO SISTEMAS” con VERÓNICA RAMíREZ MARTELL
MAYO 18, 2024 | 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM (EN PERSONA)
Biblioteca de Boston-Connolly | 433 Centre St, Jamaica Plain, MA
Presented in partnership with the Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture
Aprenda a crear sistemas y administrar el flujo de trabajo de su negocio artístico utilizando Google Workspace, una herramienta virtual sin costo. Verónica les ayudará a delinear su práctica de la mejor manera posible para administrar su tiempo virtual y así maximizar su negocio creativo. Les participantes aprenderán o mejorarán sus conocimientos sobre Google Documents y Google Sheets.
El taller se llevará a cabo junto a una tradicional Fiesta del Sorullo: Knowledge Potluck de Poetry is Busy Studio, donde compartiremos saberes, mejores prácticas para expandir tu vida artística y destrezas que han sido de beneficio para tu creatividad. Además de refrigerios y comida ligera, provista por A4A + PIBS, se invita a les artistas a traer un plato para compartir si desean.
¡Ven a pasarla bien y compartir con colegas, amistades y nuevas redes de afecto en el plano profesional! Únete a otres creatives latines mientras conversamos sobre el panorama del sector cultural y la mejor manera de recorrerlo.
Apto para artistas de todas las disciplinas. Máximo 25 participantes en persona.
Para artistas del área de Boston.
PRE-RECORDED WORKSHOPS
A4A now offers a small number of workshop recordings for anyone anywhere! We have worked with our trainers to compensate them for having their intellectual property (the workshop) available for one year on our website. That means more knowledge for more people! But pay attention to the expiration date, because the workshop won’t be on the website forever.
After clicking the link, you will be asked to register to view the workshop. This allows us to better understand what types of artists are making use of this resource and to let you know when more programming becomes available.
WORKSHOP COST FOR ARTISTS IN MA, CT & RI: FREE
WORKSHOP COST FOR ARTISTS OUTSIDE OF OUR REGION: PAY WHAT YOU CAN.
If you are viewing these workshops from outside of our three-state region of MA, CT & RI, please consider making a donation to the Assets for Artists program in the amount that feels appropriate to you. This will allow us to continue making workshops like these available beyond our three-state region.
Funding for this recording is provided by Mass Cultural Council.
WATCH NOW!
“Instagram Basics: Build a Following, Increase Engagement, and Analytics” w/ Francesca Olsen
*Best suited for artists of all disciplines who currently have 3,000 followers or fewer.
Instagram is a visual social media platform with over a billion monthly active users. How can artists best use this platform to grow their audience and make the most out of the time they invest in the platform? In this workshop, we’ll cover both the basics of Instagram growth—designing varied content; best use of hashtags, reels and stories; “Link in Bio” best practices; and the difference between personal, creative, and business accounts—before moving on to IG analytics, the platform’s changing algorithm, and “hacks” to make stories more graphically appealing. The workshop will begin with an informational presentation and then shift into a Q&A discussion to work through specific challenges participants are facing in their own engagement. Artists will leave with direct action steps and a copy of Francesca’s “IG Best Practices for Creatives.”
Francesca Olsen is a multidisciplinary artist, writer and consultant with more than 15 years of experience in marketing and communications, from branding to digital strategy.
Recording available until August 1, 2024
Funding for this recording is provided by Mass Cultural Council.
WATCH NOW!
“STAYING AUTHENTIC WHILE MARKETING YOUR WORK”
w/ Daniel Callahan
*Introductory level marketing course best suited for visual and media artists.
They say 80% of life is showing up. How one shows up determines the rest. Whether it’s an interview, Google search, Pinterest post, TED talk or a conversation over tea, making sure the impression one leaves leads to interest, opportunity, and growth for both you and your audience is crucial. In this workshop, participants will learn some of the strategies and apply practical knowhow to promote themselves and their services with excellence and authenticity in both in-person and online spaces. Participants will leave the workshop with a fuller understanding of themselves and some tried-and-true methods for presenting and pitching their art and their practice.
Daniel Callahan is an award-winning transmedia artist, designer and filmmaker. In addition to running his own multimedia production company and art practice, he teaches film and video at Emerson College and The Institute of Contemporary Art.
Recording available until August 1, 2024
Funding for this recording is provided by Mass Cultural Council.
WATCH NOW!
“PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR ARTWORK” w/ Mercedes Jelinek
*This is an introductory level course best suited for visual artists.
In this workshop artists learn the basics of photographing and documenting their work, whether for marketing, grant proposals, exhibitions, print media, or personal websites. The session will cover camera essentials (for users of both phone cameras and professional gear) and techniques for photographing various physical mediums, including 2D, 3D, and installation. In addition, this interactive course will include an introduction to digital workflow and archiving one’s images.
Mercedes Jelinek is an artist with 20+ years of professional photography experience. She is based in Brooklyn, NY, and is also on the board of Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, OR.
Recording available until August 1, 2024
Accessibility Services for A4A Workshops
Assets for Artists is committed to making all of our professional development workshops as accessible as possible to artists with a broad range of needs. We offer the following accommodations to our participants. If you find these do not meet your needs, please contact us at assetsforartists@massmoca.org and we can discuss additional arrangements.
Available at all workshops:
ADA access into in-person workshop locations.
Gluten-free and dairy-free snacks at in-person workshops.
Computer-generated (voice recognition) Closed Captioning within the Zoom platform.
Available with advanced notice for workshops:
ASL Video Remote Interpretation (2 weeks advanced notice)
CART Live Captioning (1 week advanced notice)
Live language translation channels for online workshops (2 weeks advanced notice)
In-person ASL interpretation (2 weeks advanced notice; in-person workshops only)
Advanced, digital forms of all handouts or presentation slides (when available)
Workshops FAQs
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Yes! All our workshops are free to the artists who attend them.
But rest assured that our trainers are compensated. Workshop costs are covered by generous partners and donors.
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Assets for Artists works in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, and our workshops are open to creatives of all disciplines in that three-state region; and to artists who have attended the Studios at MASS MoCA residency within the past year.
We understand that this geographic limitation can be frustrating for artists who live outside of our region (especially now that much of our programming is online), but we must stick to it in order to focus our staff and trainers’ limited capacity on the artists whom it is our mission to support.
If you are from outside of our region, you are welcome to watch our small collection of recorded workshops available on our website.
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The vast majority of our workshops remain online, however we also hold a limited number of workshops in person. Our current workshops are divided based on whether they are happening in person or online.
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STEP 1: Register through the Zoom link provided below the workshop. Note: Your registration is not automatically approved. Our staff goes through the registration requests once a week to review and approve all who meet the registration priorities for the workshop. After your registration is approved, you will receive a confirmation link at the email you provided. If you don’t receive a registration approval email, it may be because we’re not yet sure if we can admit you. (If you’re not in the workshop’s target geography or artistic discipline, we will first prioritize registrants who are, and then admit you closer to the event date if space allows.)
STEP 2: Add the workshop to your calendar so you don’t forget! We will re-send the confirmation link a few days before the workshop, so you have it at the top of your inbox.
STEP 3: Make sure you have the Zoom client downloaded. If you need live captioning, ASL, translation, or other accommodations, email us at assetsforartists@massmoca.org at least 1 week prior to the workshop so that we can secure a captioner or translator for you at no cost. Automated captioning is turned on for all workshops.
STEP 4: At the time of the workshop, click the link in the confirmation email and Zoom will connect you to the meeting. Make sure you’re in a comfortable space and have all that you need to best support during your time in the workshop. It’s totally ok if you need to stand up, lie down, go off camera, etc. Sitting in one spot for a long time is hard!
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In order to better accommodate artists unable to attend the live workshop, we now record the majority of our online workshops!
To have access to the recording, you will need to register and be approved to attend the workshop as if you were attending live—this will allow us to send you the recording link plus any follow-up materials that the instructor wants participants to have. Registration will still be limited based on each workshop’s specific geographic area served (with A4A grantees and recent alumni of the Studios at MASS MoCA also receiving priority), and we will still have capacity limits on the number of artists able to register for workshops, so don’t delay your registration request! All registered participants will have 60 days after the live workshop date to view the recording on Zoom.
Unfortunately, we are not able to provide recordings of past workshops to those who have not pre-registered.
Some workshops are not recorded because of the highly individualized nature of the material, or because the workshop deals with sensitive topics and we want everyone present in the live Zoom room to feel comfortable participating in discussion.
Each individual workshop description will specify whether that workshop will be recorded.
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If you pre-registered and your registration was accepted for a workshop, you will have 60 days to view the recording (if the workshop was recorded).
Otherwise, we are not able to provide you with a recording of a workshop that already occurred. This is because of the intellectual property agreement we made with our artist trainers.
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Assets for Artists works with a variety of partners around southern New England who are interested in bringing A4A to their local community. Because these partners are focused on serving their specific geographic region, we must prioritize our offerings to those artists, even when we’re working digitally. If a workshop doesn’t fill up with artists from the specific region we’re working in, we will open registration to our larger community in the final two weeks before the workshop date.
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LIVE WORKSHOP ATTENDANCE: Whether online or in person, all A4A workshops have limited space available in order to create the best learning experience and artist-to-trainer ratio (this varies based on the content and format of the workshop). For this reason we must carefully consider each registration request in order to prioritize those artists who will be best served by the workshop, and who meet our partner commitments.
Often a partner funds a workshop with the request that it serve artists in a specific geographic region, discipline, or demographic. If space allows, we are sometimes able to admit additional artists outside of these priority groups, but that is by no means guaranteed. We know these limitations can be frustrating for those who don’t live in the region where A4A works, and we thank you for your understanding.
WATCHING RECORDINGS: We also limit the number of artists who have access to our workshop recordings. This is partially for the same reasons outlined above and partially a commitment to the intellectual property of the trainer. We believe that artists should be paid fairly, and our artist trainers are paid proportionally to the number of artists each workshop anticipates serving. For this reason, we limit the number of artists approved to watch the recordings and receive the follow up material to no more than twice the maximum number of artists who can attend in person.
SOME REASONS YOUR WORKSHOP REQUEST MIGHT BE DENIED THIS TIME
—You do not live in our three-state region of MA/CT/RI or are not a recent alum of the Studios at MASS MoCA
—You do not live in the more limited geographic area to which the workshop is limited (e.g. Essex County)
—Your creative practice is not one toward which the workshop is geared
—The workshop has reached capacity
—Space is very limited and we are prioritizing serving our Capacity-Building grantees or artists of color for this particular workshop
—RI/CT: You do not live in a rural region as defined by the USDA (this is the primary region in CT/RI where we are funded to work , but we try to let non-rural artists in when we have capacity!)
If we had to deny your workshop request this time, but you still live in our three-state region of MA/CT/RI, don’t despair! We offer about 50 workshops a year, and you can expect us to offer the one you want again!
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You can connect with us at assetsforartists@massmoca.org
Assets for Artists Community Agreements
In joining an A4A workshop or other gathering, you agree to conduct yourself in a respectful manner that follows these guiding principles.
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Al participar en un taller u otro tipo de reunión de A4A, te estarás comprometiendo a actuar de una manera respetuosa que cumpla con los siguientes principios rectores.
Estar presente
Trae lo que necesites para estar cómodo y comprometido y dejar atrás lo que pueda distraerte. Nos comprometemos a dedicar nuestra atención al espacio y a interactuar con los oradores.
Honrar/respetar los nombres y pronombres
Honramos/respetamos la identidad de todos en este espacio e invitamos activamente a las personas a compartir cómo desean ser dirigidas en línea y en persona. Si accidentalmente utilizas los pronombres incorrectos para referirte a alguien, discúlpate, corrige y continúa.
Dar gracia a los demás y a nosotros mismos
Todos estamos aprendiendo juntos y navegando por un mundo económico diseñado para mercantilizar nuestro trabajo. El trabajo es engorroso y todos llegamos a él desde diferentes lugares de privilegio, experiencia y conocimiento. Nos comprometemos a apoyarnos mutuamente a través de esa complejidad, incluso cuando no estemos de acuerdo (o no lo entendamos del todo).
Reconocer que nadie lo sabe todo, pero que juntos sabemos mucho
Dejemos espacio para la diversidad de perspectivas, sabiendo que cada artista tiene preguntas y puntos de vista poderosos que contribuyen al trabajo crítico de aprender y crecer.
Habla a título personal (como individuo, no como comunidad)
Cada uno de nosotros habla a partir de su propia experiencia; utiliza afirmaciones en primera persona en lugar de hacer generalizaciones. Del mismo modo, pedimos a los demás que no hablen en nombre de toda una comunidad.
Toma espacio / crea espacio
Si sueles estar callado, desafíate a tomar más espacio para expresar tus ideas. Si sueles hablar mucho, procura dejar espacio para las voces más calladas.
Ser consciente de la intención versus el impacto
Ante todo, buscamos entender y asumir las mejores intenciones, sin dejar de reconocer el impacto. Negar el impacto centrándose en la intención suele ser más perjudicial que la interacción inicial. Nos hacemos responsables del impacto de nuestras acciones y palabras y nos comprometemos a reparar el daño.
Permanecer curiosos, receptivos y respetuosos
¡Este es un espacio de descubrimiento y todos estamos aquí para aprender! Sigue haciendo preguntas, practica el uso de afirmaciones del tipo "ambos / y" y recuerda que podemos estar en desacuerdo con las ideas, no con las personas.
Aporta sabiduría, deja nombres
Recuerda que lo que se dice aquí se queda aquí y lo que se aprende en este lugar sale de aquí. Nos comprometemos a mantener la confianza y el respeto mutuo honrando la confidencialidad y el anonimato.
Be present
Bring what you need to be comfortable and engaged and leave behind that which distracts. We agree to commit our attention to the space and to engage with those speaking.
Honor names and pronouns
We honor everyone’s identity in this space and actively invite folks to share how they wish to be addressed online and in person. If you accidentally use the wrong pronouns for someone, apologize, correct, and continue.
Give grace to ourselves and grace to others
We are all learning together and navigating an economic world designed to commodify our labor. The work is sticky and we are all coming to it from different places of privilege, experience, and understanding. We commit to supporting each other through that stickiness, even when we might strongly disagree (or not yet fully understand).
Recognize that no one knows everything, but together we know a lot
Make space for a diversity of perspectives, knowing that every artist has powerful questions and insights that contribute to the critical work of learning and growing.
Speak personally (for yourself as an individual, rather than for a community)
We each speak from our own experiences; use “I” statements rather than making generalizations. Similarly, we do not ask others to speak for any whole community.
Take space / make space
If you are usually quiet, challenge yourself to take more space. If you usually talk a lot, be mindful to leave room for quieter voices.
Be conscious of intent vs. impact
We seek first to understand and assume best intentions while also acknowledging impact. Denying impact by focusing on intent is often more damaging than the initial interaction. We will hold ourselves accountable for the impact of our actions and words and commit to repairing harm.
Stay curious, open, and respectful
This is a space of discovery and we’re all here to learn! Keep asking questions, practice using “both / and” statements and remember to disagree with ideas not people.
Bring wisdom, leave names
Remember, what’s said here stays here, and what’s learned here leaves here. We commit to mutual trust and respect by honoring confidentiality and anonymity.
A4A thanks Yara Liceaga-Rojas, Resource Media and the Northeast
Sustainable Agricultural Working Group for inspiration for our agreements.
“I just wanted to thank you…the thought in constructing workshops that address how art can continue to survive (and thrive) during this really bleak period are all more valuable to me than you know. It is not easy living this artist life, but being a part of a program that offered tangible ideas for sustainability from a variety of crowdsourced perspectives, in addition to being a part of a program that valued connecting artists of all disciplines to one another, has given me a renewed sense of resilience and confidence.”
—Kristin Wagner
Dancer & Choreographer
Boston, MA
Discussions during the 2019 Nuts & Bolts for Performing Artists workshop
MANY THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!
Programming throughout Southern New England is made possible thanks to the Open For Business Fund at the Wells Fargo Foundation. Our Massachusetts programming is made possible in partnership with the Barr Foundation, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts’ ValleyCreates Initiative, Essex County Community Foundation’s Creative County Initiative, Greater Worcester Community Foundation’s Creative Worcester Initiative, the City of Boston’s Office of Arts & Culture, the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, the Edwin S. Webster Foundation and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation and Mass Cultural Council. Our Rhode Island programming is made possible in partnership with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts thanks to funding from a US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business Development Grant. Our Connecticut programming is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in partnership with the Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA), Northwest Connecticut Arts Council, and the Cultural Coalition.
Banner Photo Credit: Erin Long Photography