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UPCOMING ARTIST WORKSHOPS
Business Training workshops for creative entrepreneurs that are artist-tailored, artist-led, and FREE.
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The Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) partners with
Assets
for Artists (A4A) to provide workshops for creative entrepreneurs.
Workshops are available to New England artists of all disciplines.
All workshops are recorded unless otherwise noted and approved workshop registrants will receive access to the recordings.
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Artist Residencies 101
with Yasmine Ameli
Thursday, October 30, 2025
2:00 - 4:00pm (Zoom)
Curious about artist residencies? In this workshop, we will go over different art residency models and what they have to offer, from artist communities to DIY and micro-residencies. We will discuss
how to assess whether you are in the right season of your life and practice to apply, what residency model makes the most sense for you, and navigating residencies as a full-time worker or caregiver. Participants will leave with resources on where to find
open calls, funding opportunities, and application dos and don’ts. This workshop will be discussion based and artists should come ready to journal. There will be time for Q&A.
Yasmine Ameli (she/her) is an Iranian American poet and essayist whose writing has appeared in POETRY, Ploughshares, The Sun, the Southern Review, and elsewhere. A fellow A4A grantee, she coaches
creative writers on the business of thriving as an artist.
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Show Biz: Independent Production & Collaboration between Performers and Producers
with Daniel Callahan & Mrs. Nerissa Williams Scott
Monday & Wednesday, November 3 & 5, 2025
6:00 - 8:00pm (Zoom)
This is a 2-part series. Artists are asked to attend both sessions.
Do you have an idea for a performance you would like to bring to life? In this workshop, performer Daniel Callahan and producer Mrs. Nerissa Williams Scott will discuss the financial, logistical,
and administrative aspects of producing a show with a focus on the creative collaboration between artist and producer.
Participants will leave with strategies for independently producing a live performance. Topics will include goal setting, audience engagement, fundraising, budgeting, marketing, communicating with
venues, and hiring a production team. This workshop will take the form of presentation + Q&A.
Daniel Callahan is an award-winning transmedia artist, designer and filmmaker. In addition to running his own multimedia production company and art practice, he has taught film and video at Emerson
College and The Institute of Contemporary Art.
Mrs. Nerissa Williams Scott is a seasoned professional in the world of live performance, film and media arts, currently serving as the CEO/Owner of TCGT Entertainment, is a faculty member at Emerson
College in the Business of Creative Economy Department, and serves as the Treasurer of the Secret Society of Black Creatives in Boston, MA. She is the producer of the hit show Come on In Live: Starring Daniel Callahan.
Best suited for producers and/or performers considering self-producing a performance. 30 participants max.
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Fostering Relationships with Galleries and Museums
with Kristen Becker
Wednesday, November 12 & 19, 2025
2:00 - 4:00pm (Zoom)
This is a 2-part series. Artists are asked to attend both sessions.
Gallery and museum relationships are in the midst of a big shift. Access to certain gallery and institutional opportunities seem at once more open and more siloed. In this workshop artists will learn
how to seek out and build relationships with gallerists and curators, as well as best practices for communications and the expectations and etiquette of moving through curatorial consideration.
Each session will be a lecture format with 30 minutes for Q&A at the end.
Part 1: Relationship Cultivation: Begins with a discussion of gallerists and curators, what these individuals are like and what opportunities exist through these connections. In this session, participants
will receive an overview on how these relationships tend to work, how to set realistic expectations, and how to prepare for studio visits.
Part 2: Communication Strategies: Discusses how to write to gallerists and curators. This session will include an in-depth discussion of email outreach, organizing your website with curators and
gallerists in mind, and digital marketing materials such as newsletter and social media.
Kristen Becker is the Founder of KB Art Strategies, a consultancy providing concrete support to a global network of artists, galleries, non-profits, and arts organizations looking to expand the visibility
of their projects and connect with their community.
Best suited for visual artists seeking representation or exhibitions.
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Resource Mapping for Individual Artists
with Ana Tinajero
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
6:00 - 8:00pm (Zoom)
Oftentimes the most difficult part of being an artist is finding the skills, tools, and connections needed to make your work and share it with the public. In this workshop, participants will begin
by surfacing the resources already at their disposal in their larger personal network and consequently outline the pathways to reach the resources not yet secured. Using a collaboratively-minded strategy to resource sharing and exchange, artists will learn
how to navigate their surroundings, leverage existing connections, and build a broader community of mutual assistance that nurtures win-win relationships and shared success. Artists at all stages of their careers welcome.
Ana ‘Masacote’ Tinajero is an award-winning Afro-Latin dance artist and performing arts curator who loves engineering spaces for community connection through the arts.
Best suited for artists of all disciplines interested in or already engaging with their larger creative community. 30 participants max.
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Intro to Taxes for Artists
with Amy Smith
Monday, December 8, 2025
6:00 - 8:00pm (Zoom)
For decades, Amy Smith has prepared taxes for artists, taught financial well-being workshops, and coached artists one on one. This workshop will cover the basics of taxes for artists, including separating
personal and artistic finances, Schedule C filing, self-employment versus employment, and tracking deductions. This workshop will have a particular eye toward artists’ current financial challenges and helping artists navigate updates to tax law. It will not
cover specifics of quarterly estimated taxes.
Amy Smith is an educator, professional tax-preparer and the former Co-Director of Headlong Dance Theater, a Bessie-award winning Philadelphia-based dance theater company.
Suitable for artists of all disciplines.
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Pre-Recorded
Workshops
A4A now offers a small number of workshop recordings for anyone anywhere! We have worked with our trainers to compensate them for having their intellectual property (the workshop) available for one
year on our website. That means more knowledge for more people! But pay attention to the expiration date, because the workshop won’t be on the website forever.
WORKSHOP COST FOR ARTISTS IN MA, CT, RI, ME, VT, & NH: FREE
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Photographing your Artwork
with Mercedes Jelinek
*This is an introductory level course best suited for visual artists.
In this workshop artists learn the basics of photographing and documenting their work, whether for
marketing, grant proposals, exhibitions, print media, or personal websites. The session will cover camera essentials (for users of both phone cameras and professional gear) and techniques for photographing various physical mediums, including 2D, 3D, and installation.
In addition, this interactive course will include an introduction to digital workflow and archiving one’s images.
Mercedes
Jelinek is an artist with 20+ years of professional photography experience. She is based in Brooklyn, NY, and is also on the board of Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, OR.
Recording available until November 7, 2025
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