The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists announced that it will host a conference with events aimed at assisting visual artists in their entrepreneurial goals. The conference will be held Thursday, November 7 to Saturday, November 9, at the University of Mary Washington.
The first event will be the Thriving Art Exchange, featuring working artists and others in the industry, “including municipal, college, and nonprofit arts administrators, collectors, gallerists, retailers, and others” This event will take place from 12:00 – 5:30 pm, at the Belmont estate.
According to The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists, “The purpose of the Thriving Art Exchange is to examine the art industry’s current reality, dynamics, and trends, and foment discussion and ideas to shape a flourishing local arts economy that serves all of its members. This interactive process will involve spirited inquiry and dialogue, as the group works towards the discovery of shared goals, values, and strategies.”
Shem Cohen, the president of Change Events, Inc.,will facilitate the event. Cohen notes, “We are especially looking forward to delivering this program and being part of building a sustainable ecosystem of artist-entrepreneurs. The arts contribute almost $17 billion to Virginia’s economy, over 3% of the state’s GDP, and employ over 76,000 people in almost 17,000 business. We are excited to bring the stakeholders of this vibrant economic engine together to plan for the future growth of visual art in Virginia.”
The following two days of the conference will be held at the University of Mary Washington’s Stafford Campus, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, featuring presentations and interactive sessions “designed to educate and support artists in becoming self-sustaining entrepreneurs.” Topics will include setting a viable business objective and action plan, honing a brand story, understanding sales channels, and effective pricing, developing sales strategies, and building a dynamic peer network. The program will be led by Elizabeth Hulings, CHF director and co-founder; Carolyn Edlund, CHF sales director and events manager; and Daniel DiGriz, CHF education director.
CHF asserts that “Art is a business and artists should run it.” CFH understands the art market’s rapid and significant change through technology and how art is promoted, sold and purchased. The Art-Business Conference aims to help visual artists in taking charge of their careers.
The Art-Business Conference is presented by The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists, the Stafford County Virginia Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the University of Mary Washington, and the Fredericksburg Department of Economic Development and Tourism.
The event fee is $795, and tickets may be purchased here. The early bird rate of $395 has been extended to October 30, so purchase your tickets soon! In addition to conference admission, registrants will gain automatic access to CHF’s Digital Campus and Learning Portal, a comprehensive online learning and community resource for working artists.
