EVENT RECAP: Foundation Center Day For Individual Artists on 10/11/12

On October 11, 2012, the Foundation Center of San Francisco hosted a full day of free workshops for artists and art organizations in the Bay Area. As apart of its October focus on funding for the arts, the Foundation Center teamed up with California Lawyer for the Arts, a nonprofit organization providing legal and business services to artists, and Art of Hustle, a career coaching firm for artists and entrepreneurs, to provide workshops that help artists with professional development. Of the activities that day, CREATE Legal attended the contracts workshop and the evening mixer/marketing workshop.

In the contracts workshop, Bill Pimm, Director of Legal Services for California Lawyer for the Arts, spoke about what artists need to know when drafting contracts and highlighted issues that can arise when drafting contracts. To help artists become more comfortable and confident when entering into contracts, Pimm provided an overview of common contract terminology and the various types of contracts specific to artists and creative organizations. He noted important parts of contracts that artists can use to avoid common problems such as breach of contract, payment disputes, and termination. At the end of the session, Pimm discussed copyright, particularly fair use factors, to help artists understand how creative works are protected under intellectual property laws, and what artists can do to claim their intellectual property rights.

After a short break, CREATE Legal enjoyed a mixer for fellow workshop attendees, connecting with artists and arts educators.

Following the mixer, the audience learned about marketing and branding fundamentals from Anthem Salgado, founder of Art of Hustle. Salgado provided his thoughts about the key qualities of successful artists and arts organization, namely, empathy, education, and action. He also discussed Internet marketing and the use of social media to engage with audiences. Salgado highlighted how changing norms have created challenges for artists. For example, a shift towards “permission marketing” discourages the hard sell and encourages the design of technological systems (e.g. email mailing lists) where users opt-in. Nevertheless, technology has also created a cultural shift that benefits creatives. Artists are better able to share works and make their works accessible with an online community.

Overall, Day for Individual Artists was a valuable event for the arts community in the San Francisco Bay Area. Special thanks to The Foundation Center of San Francisco for making these workshops possible. For more information on art programs and workshops at The Foundation Center, visit: www.grantspace.org/Classroom/Training-Calendar/San-Francisco

Did you attend the workshops at Day For Individual Artists? Let us know about your experiences in the comment section below or connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.