HFA - College of Humanities & Fine Arts view HFA submenu
Services

Trainings & Workshops

Our trainings and workshops are taught by a diverse group of professionals who are experts in their fields. Workshops are tailored to suit the needs of state and local arts agencies and their artist or arts management constituents.

Contact us for more information on fees, scheduling, and customizing our trainings to fit your needs.

Topics include:

Artist-In-Business Trainings 

Learn from individuals who have first-hand experience working as arts practitioners and arts managers. Our interactive training programs – designed for artists of all types - are continually revised and updated to help artists understand and stay ahead of the latest trends and resources in marketing, making a sale, creating and maintaining an effective online presence, budgeting, pricing one’s work, and much more.

Public Art Process for Artists

This workshop focuses on the nuts and bolts of the public art process for artists of all mediums interested in applying for public art project grants, exploring what constitutes public art, where to find current opportunities and funding resources, and best practices in community engagement. The steps involved in the proposal development and submission process (RFQ and RFP) are demystified, including how to read a proposal, determine which questions need clarification, create proposal materials (including a budget), and determine the 'fit’ or alignment of one’s own artwork with the needs and desires of the submission guidelines. In addition, the workshop also covers what you need to do when you ‘win’ the public art project! 

Arts Management Fundamentals

We offer full and part-day trainings for arts nonprofit organization staff and board members on topics including Cultural Equity, Fundraising, Board Development, Financial Management, Marketing, Grantwriting, Working with Sponsors, and more.

Creative Economy Program

This workshop offers a step-by-step framework for developing, implementing, and sustaining a successful creative economy program in your community. Based on original research conducted by AES, this workshop offers participants an overview of likely challenges as well as best practices in the field.  This program is easily enhanced with the Creative Economy Workbook.

Recent trainings include: Creative Economy and Advocacy for Artists, Creative Economy for Arts Organizations, Building the Creative Economy for City Planners.

Local Arts Agency Fundamentals

The National Endowment for the Arts supported a unique collaboration of the Arts Extension Service and Americans for the Arts to create and pilot two new Local Arts Agency trainings based on the stated needs of the field. 

Our trainings are available either as half-day, full-day, or two-day presentations and include interactive, participatory exercises.

Current trainings include:

  • Artist-in-Business: a combination intensive 2-day training of Artists Marketing and Business Planning for Artists
  • Business Planning for Artists - Making a business plan is an essential first step to running an artist business. This workshop will introduce you to the concepts that will enable you to run a successful business.  We start with a step-by-step process for developing a business plan by providing a clear and easy-to-use template that enables you to begin - and complete - the business-planning process. Following the workshop, we will provide additional resources to help you at every step along the way.
  • Artists Marketing - Marketing is the most important tool to build awareness of your work as an artist and can help you to reach new audiences and cultivate loyalty in those you already serve. This workshop will introduce you to the fundamentals of arts marketing. You will begin by learning basic marketing concepts, such as the “4 Ps” of marketing (product, place, promotion, and price), how to better understand audiences, and build participation in your programs and services. Includes an in-depth examination of new trends and best uses of social media. Discussion will also include how to measure the success of your efforts using analytics tools.

Additional Workshops include Funding, Financing, Fellowships; Legal Issues for Artists; Artist Finance Basics; Pricing; Crowdsourcing; Time Management and more.

We are happy to help! We can assist you in designing your training for your business or organization. Contact us at aes@acad.umass.edu or 413-545-2360.