Teaching the Business of Art

May 1 - 22, 2024

Teaching the Business of Art: A Community Knowledge Exchange for Facilitators

For over 20 years, CCI has led the field in adapting core small business topics to artists’ lives. Our signature Business of Art program is designed to enhance the business skills of artists and entrepreneurs working across the creative disciplines. The Business of Art curriculum is rooted in the idea that your art business is driven by two elements: your core values and the people who value what you do. Our Business of Art: An Artist’s Guide to Profitable Self-Employment workbook has been used by artists and educators internationally to teach goal-setting, business models, marketing and self-promotion, money management, legal issues, strategic planning, and project financing.

Become an expert in the Business of Art curriculum so you can facilitate cohort-based learning in your community or institution. 

In this 4-week workshop with former CCI Artists Knowledge Manager Allison Wyper, you will learn how to lead a group through the Business of Art experience. You will learn best practices and gain insight into what has made this program a model for the field. As a cohort, participants in this one-time program will test drive and contribute to CCI’s forthcoming Business of Art Facilitation Guide (working title), a publication for professional development organizers, coaches, and educators, and join our list of certified Business of Art experts.

You should apply for this workshop if…

• You are an artist with facilitation experience;
• You identify as a teaching artist or educator;
• You are a Business of Art alum;
• You are a member or leader of a community who would benefit from the Business of Art;
• You work in creative economic development and want to spark learning among your constituents;
• You would be likely to put this curriculum into practice as a group learning facilitator, coach, book club organizer, etc.;
• You live in a community where opportunities for developing entrepreneurial capacity in the arts and culture sector are not readily available; and/or
• You are invested in the Business of Art and want to weigh in on how it lives in the world!

DATES: Wednesdays, May 1, 8, 15, and 22

TIME: 2:00-4:00 pm Pacific / 5:00-7:00 pm Eastern

VENUE: Zoom

COST: $100.00 (tuition scholarships available)

APPLICATION DETAILS

Teaching the Business of Art: A Community Knowledge Exchange for Facilitators is limited to 20 participants. The cohort for this one-time workshop will represent the diverse communities that CCI serves in terms of artistic/cultural discipline, career stage, identity, and geography, to name a few. As a secondary consideration, CCI will prioritize Business of Art alums.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications will be accepted online ONLY through CCI’s Submittable platform, and applicants MUST create an account in Submittable before they can access the workshop application.

 Application Preview (.docx)   Application Preview (.pdf)

Applications will be accepted from March 5 to April 5, 2024, at 11:59 am (morning) PT -- applicants will be notified about their status on April 12, 2024, by 5 p.m. PT. 

Apply Here

SUPPORT

For Teaching the Business of Art-related questions (e.g., eligibility, timeline), contact CCI at workshops@cciarts.org or call us at 213.479.5355 during our office hours Monday through Friday from 9:00 am - 5:30 pm PT. For Deaf applicants and those with hearing loss, contact CCI using the California Relay Service—our staff are trained in making and receiving these calls. 

INSTRUCTOR BIO

Allison Wyper is an artist, consultant, web designer, and arts entrepreneur with 20 years of experience providing administrative, marketing, and production support for individuals and organizations. She founded Rhizomatic Arts in 2014 to help creative people work independently, not alone. As Artists Knowledge Manager at the Center for Cultural Innovation from 2017-2023, Allison managed professional development training and communications, including the Business of Art program and CCI's newsletters, websites, and social media. Each year she curated and produced 20-40 workshops for artists in all disciplines and career stages. In total, she facilitated 16 Business of Art workshops, and oversaw publication of the 3rd Edition of the Business of Art workbook. She is currently writing the Business of Art facilitation guide, which will be published in 2024. Learn more about Allison’s current projects at www.rhizomaticarts.com.