Artists U now offers in-person and online workshops
Building a Sustainable Life as an Artist
Online + in person
This is the full introduction to the Artists U approach and toolkit. Topics and discussions include: Strategic Planning, Finances for Artists, Time Design, and Artist Mission Statements. Download the workshop information sheet here.
+ Working Groups
Online + in person
Building a Sustainable Life as an Artist participants receive our Workbook and Working Group structure with the option to continue meeting monthly in small groups. Community + Accountability = Change
more workshops
Finances for Artists: Basics and Beyond
Online + in person
An overview of financial issues for artists, including: rates, valuing your time, taxes, debt, savings, and home ownership. We present tools and principles, and leave time for questions and conversation.
Grant Writing for Artists
Online + in person
Based on 20 years of grant writing and art making, Andrew Simonet introduces principles for writing simple, clear grants. We will read a set of short proposals as a pretend panel, scoring and discussing them. No bull, no fancy powerpoints, just real-world tools for artists who write (or want to write) grants.
Generating Opportunities
Online + in person
Gigs don’t “just happen.” Most come from building partnerships, finding good partners—good “fits”—for your work and staying in touch. In this workshop, we share simple, doable tools for cultivating partnerships and gigs, rounded in each artist’s practice and intentions
Communications
Online + in person
We cut through the digital overwhelm to look at how and why we communicate with audiences, publics, stakeholders, and partners. Rotted in each artist’s work and goals, we share methods for simplifying and deepening our communications tools: “With every act of communication, we should feel more like ourselves.”
Artists Raising Kids
Online + in person
Based on a national survey and in-depth interviews with artist parents, this workshop/conversation looks at the specific challenges facing artists who raise children, with a particular focus on time and money (but mostly time) and momentum/identity (how artists parents maintain their practice and stay connected).
Me and My We: Artists with Companies, Ensembles, and Collaborations
Online + in person
This workshop is for artists who work in collaboration or formal company structures. How do you balance the demands of your company and your own artistic practice? How do you distinguish your individual artistic identity and your collective identity? And what about those endless meetings? Real world examples and exercises excavate the magic and struggle of working together.
Testimonials from artists
“It is far too easy for individual artists to feel alone and ineffective. The thoughtfulness, compassion and support that the workshops condense and facilitate is quite amazing. I am deeply impressed with the integrity and earnestness of the content and presentation.”
Visual artist
“I have been able to decide how to handle health insurance and tax issues that were weighing me down. I have been able to rewrite my artist statement (which was already pretty good) and to begin writing a book prospectus about artistic practice. While all of these had been on my mind for a while, it was the workshop that unleashed my determination.”
Literary artist
"I cannot begin to tell you all how fortunate I feel to have participated in the intensive today. I have been working full-time as a self-supporting artist for ten years, yet there was not a single idea or observation that arose today that did not make an impact on me. I have also sat through many, many strategic planning meetings, charrettes, and professional development seminars in different fields, and this by far was the most fruitful, efficient, and enjoyable. This weekend will not only make a difference in my artistic and professional life, but also in the creative life of my beloved city."
Dance artist
“Being able to clearly identify myself and my purpose has made it much easier for me to create, to reach out to others confidently to build a support system for my creations, and to find an audience for my creations.”
Poet and performer
"This intensive was exactly what I needed - concrete reminders that I use both sides of my brain; the guided direction to jump start my career goals that lay dormant; and defining motivation to move forward to accomplish those goals."
Visual artist
"Artists U helped me refocus my goals while encouraging me to take them seriously amongst a community of other artists. It also helped me recognize that my schedule needed some restructuring so that I could achieve those goals with some balance and less stress."
Filmmaker
"Artists U provides real concrete information for artists to take away with us to think, to create and structure our lives. It's affirming and validating. It's like the holy trinity of strong PD, useful information that can be applied in real time and validation based in facts.. Artists U shifted the way I saw my life as an artist significantly 3 years ago and I want more!"
Choreographer
Artists U has led workshops in partnership with
▴ Fringearts (Philadelphia)
▴ Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
▴ Arts and Science Council (Charlotte)
▴ Springboard for the Arts (St. Paul)
▴ Repertory Dance Development Initiative/New England Foundation for the Arts
▴ Chicago Dancemakers Forum
▴ Cowles Center (Minneapolis)
▴ Baltimore American Indian Center
▴ Leeway Foundation
▴ Davinci Art Alliance
▴ Penn Center (St. Helena Island, SC)
▴ Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance
▴ South Carolina Arts Commission
▴ Gibney Dance Center (NYC)
▴ Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (Los Angeles)
▴ Delaware Division of the Arts
▴ Robeson County Arts Council (Pembroke, NC)
▴ Germantown United CDC
▴ Cultural Alliance of York County (York, PA)
▴ University of Maryland
▴ Theatre Communications Group
▴ University of the Arts
▴ Moore College of Art
▴ University of Texas at Austin