ALCA presents NYFA Artist as Entrepreneur Program

BLUE MOUNTAIN LAKE | Some people are born artists, others take years to harness their innate creativity and develop the skills necessary to creating art that speaks to viewers, listeners and audience members beyond the artist's inner muse. However, developing the skills to create art and be an artist is one thing; learning how to make a living from one's art and building a viable business to promote and sell that art is something completely different. The Artist as Entrepreneur Program is designed to address that difference—to help artists turn the fruits of their creativity into the offerings of a business, to go from making art to making a living as an artist. Now that program—developed by the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and funded by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)—is coming to the Adirondack North Country. The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts (ALCA), the longest-running nonprofit arts organization in the region, is pleased to present the Artist as Entrepreneur Program at its inviting new facility in transcendentally beautiful Blue Mountain Lake from Thursday, June 4, to Sunday, June 7. Artists of all disciplines based in the Adirondack North Country region of New York State are encouraged to apply to participate in this FREE entrepreneurial program. The deadline to apply is Thursday, April 16, at 5 p.m. Details, including a link to the online application form in Submittable, can be found on ALCA's website at: adirondackarts.org/general-4. "If creativity and making art can accurately be described as 'right-brain' activity, creating a business for your art and making a living from it would definitely be considered more of a 'left-brain' thing," said Fred Balzac, ALCA's Statewide Community Regrants (SCR) coordinator and point person for the June entrepreneurial program. "We know from research as recent as findings released by the Center for an Urban Future on March 26 that 'the arts are a catalyst for economic vitality in the North Country, adding thousands of jobs, attracting visitors and tourists, and drawing more resident artists to the area over the past decade' even as other industries have declined. "By helping artists take their creativity to the next level in terms of essentially monetizing their work, the 'Artist as Entrepreneur' Program will only boost the economic vitality of our region." ABOUT THE PROGRAM The NYSCA/NYFA Artist as Entrepreneur Program is an intensive professional-development opportunity that serves artists and creatives of all disciplines, including but not limited to visual, literary, and performing arts. This free three-and-a-half-day program delves into the fundamental principles of sustainability in the arts, empowering artists with the tools to imagine and pursue success as they define it. Whether you're looking for a shift in thinking, strategies for your arts/creative business, or peer networks to connect with, this program provides dynamic planning tools for building a blueprint for your creative practice or arts project. PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS Dive into content: Explore such topics as strategic planning, marketing, fundraising, financial literacy, writing about your work, and/or art law, with additional material adapted from NYFA's popular textbook "The Profitable Artist" (Allworth Press, 2018). Join a peer cohort: Gain access to a community of like-minded peers working across disciplines, with opportunities to stay in touch to support each other's creative practice beyond the program. Develop an action plan: Work through flexible and dynamic tools that will provide a blueprint for your practice or specific arts project. You'll have the opportunity to share and discuss this "Artist Action Plan" among your peers. Participate in work-sample reviews: Receive work-sample reviews from professionals in their discipline such as curators and artistic directors. Designed to give artists insight into the jury selection process, this individualized feedback is modeled after NYFA's Fellowship Program. Access arts-industry experts: Led by NYFA's expert staff and arts-industry experts in your community such as local funders, curators, presenters, publishers, artistic directors, etc. Engage with your creative community: Customized to fit the needs of participants and partners hosting the program, each program's structure includes a blend of presentations, panels, interactive workshops, and breakout groups. To learn more about the program and how to apply, prospective applicants can also visit the Artist as Entrepreneur page on NYFA's website, nyfa.org/professional-development/artist-as-entrepreneur-program (where they can find a prerecorded video info session), and/or contact ALCA's grant coordinator, Fred Balzac, at fred@adirondackarts.org and 518-588-7275 (cell). This program is made possible through New York State Council on the Arts State & Local Partnerships with the support of the Governor's Office and the New York State Legislature.

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ALCA presents NYFA Artist as Entrepreneur Program

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