Artist INC St. Louis Applications Open Now
By Elizabeth Snell
DEADLINE EXTENDED to July 6, 2023.
Now, in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission (RAC) of St. Louis, Artist INC comes to St. Louis this fall to help St. Louis artists turn their art practices into enduring art careers.
Building a business or career around an art practice isn’t like building any other small business. Artists face different challenges: how to manage goals, write about art, plan a budget, apply for grants, speak in public, and build a personal and professional brand.
That’s where Artist INC comes in. For eight weeks, St. Louis artists have the opportunity to meet, in person, with other artists from various disciplines as they learn how to overcome those challenges and build enduring art careers.
So worth it. I feel so empowered, seen, supported, hopeful and ready to launch what I learned. The difference in me from before to after is palpable.
– Artist INC program participant
How is Artist INC different?
Unlike other entrepreneur- and business-focused classes, Artist INC is tailored for the needs and challenges of working artists of any discipline. Throughout the eight sessions, artists form connections with other artists and with St. Louis’s arts community that will greatly impact their careers and their lives as artists.
Moveover, artists learn and grow together in small groups led by peer facilitators—all of whom are artists themselves.
This year’s peer facilitators include St. Louis artists whose names you may already know. They represent many genres with notable careers across the region and beyond: JerMarco Britton, con christeson, Luisa Otero-Prada, Zenique Gardner Perry, Sarah Paulsen, and Mariah Richardson.
Who should apply to Artist INC?
Artist INC is open to artists and creatives of all disciplines. AIL has a competitive application process, a substantial time commitment, and requires participants to be within a specific community. Artists should reside within a 60-minute commute from these program locations. All sessions are in person. Gathering for one evening a week for eight weeks, participants learn strategic business skills specific to their art practice and how to apply those skills cooperatively with their peers. Using a groundbreaking class design, Artist INC guides artists as they learn and grow together through artist facilitator mentoring, small group application activities, as well as large group discussion and multimedia lecture.
How to apply
Applications open May 1 and close June 20, 2023. It is free to apply.
Ready to learn more?
Artists interested in learning more about Artist INC may sign up for What Works, a free, one and a half hour-long introductory session held virtually on May 17 and in-person at RAC on June 13. What Works is open to artists and creatives of all disciplines and at all stages of their careers. Led by professional artist facilitators, the short workshop addresses the specific professional needs and challenges that artists of all disciplines face. In a non-competitive atmosphere, the goal of What Works is to provide an introduction to the Artist INC training and resources. The format includes a presentation as well as time for questions and discussions.
What Works: Tuesday, May 17, 2023 – 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual
Presented by Artist INC Peer Facilitators, JerMarco Britton, and Chris Dahlquist
Register Now
Cost: Free
What Works: Wednesday, June 13, 2023 – Noon-1:30 p.m.
Location: In-person, The Showroom at CIC @ CET, 20 South Sarah Street, St. Louis, MO 63108
Presented by Artist INC Peer Facilitators TBA
Register Now
Cost: Free
Ready to apply?
Sessions take place over the course of eight Tuesday evenings, September 12-November 24, 2023, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. Applications are open from May 1, to June 20, 2023.
Location: The Showroom & the Lancia (4-5 Breakout Spaces) at CIC @ CET, 20 South Sarah Street, St. Louis, MO 63108
Cost: $150.
Facilitators: JerMarco Britton, con christeson, Luisa Otero-Prada, Zenique Gardner Perry, Sarah Paulsen, Mariah Richardson Apply: Applications open May 1 and close June 20, 2023.
https://artistinc.art/communities/st-louis/
About Artist INC
Artist INC, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, is now in its fourteenth year, and has been completed by more than 1,500 artists. Artist INC is supported in part by grants from the Windgate Foundation, the Hallmark Corporate Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Learn more about Artist INC at www.artistinc.art.
Click here for Artist INC Kansas City, also offered this fall.
Photography: Artist Heinrich Toh in his Kansas City studio. Photography by Design Ranch and courtesy of Artist INC.