Artists and creative professionals will share secrets to success in the arts at the Southern Entrepreneurship in the Arts Conference (SEA) on Feb. 21. Through presentations and workshops, the event invites artists, art organizations, creative producers and students to connect and collaborate around opportunities and strategies for making a living from their passion.
“Artists are some of the best examples of entrepreneurs,” said Justin Streuli, director or the UNCG North Carolina Entrepreneurship Center (NCEC). “Creating something from nothing and building the way they see the world is what entrepreneurship is about. With a conference like SEA, artists can learn more about the skills needed to be successful and turn their passion into a profitable business,”
The 2015 conference theme is “Value Your Vision,” and will feature experts across the visual, performing, and literary arts. The opening speaker will be Stephen Levitin, aka Apple Juice Kid, a music producer, DJ and drummer who co-founded the Beat Making Lab, an award-winning PBS web series which teaches electronic and hip-hop music production for the purpose of social change.
The lunch keynote will be given by Heather Allen, the author of “Let Your Creativity Work For You,” and an art business consultant who helps artists earn more for their craft. Other speakers include the founders of Scuppernong Books, Brian Lampkin and Steve Mitchell; The Dream Share Project filmmakers and entrepreneurs; Anna Luisa Daigenault, musician and community organizer; Daniel Johnston, potter and professor; Rebecca Rush, glassblower, teacher, administrator, and founder of The Olio in Winston-Salem; and Dianne Welsh, founder of the Southern Entrepreneurship in the Arts Conference and co-chair and founding director, Entrepreneurship Cross-Disciplinary Program at UNCG.
Topics include “Dreaming Outside the Container,” “Legal Issues for Artists,” “You Know What You Should Do…And Other Things You Will Hear as a Start-up,” “Turning Your Artistry into a Career,” “Building Your Community: How Co-Ops and professional partnerships can maximize creative efforts and create new opportunities for visual artists,” and “How to Sell your Art.”
The conference, now in its sixth year, will be held in the Elliott University Center at UNCG and is hosted by the UNCG NCEC and Entrepreneurship Cross-Disciplinary Program. The cost of the conference, which includes all sessions, meals and a reception, is $60 for the general public and $40 for students. A limited number of scholarships for students are available. To learn more, contact the NCEC at ncec@uncg.edu or 336-256-8649.
A pre-conference Iron Pour will be hosted by sculptor Jim Gallucci at his studio at 499 Industrial Ave., Greensboro, on Friday, Feb. 20, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Information and sign up is available on the website; pre-registration is required.
Sponsors for the event include the National Endowment for the Arts, Self Employment in the Arts, The Coleman Foundation, PostcardMania, Elon University Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, William Mangum Fine Art, Drury Hotels, Natty Greene’s Pub & Brewing Co., and Cheap Joes Art Stuff.
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The North Carolina Entrepreneurship Center (NCEC) at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro provides co-curricular and outreach programs to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses, and to serve as a catalyst for the creation of sustainable and globally competitive enterprises in the Piedmont Triad, North Carolina, and beyond. For more information, visit the NCEC’s website at ncec.uncg.edu or call 336-256-8649.
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a high-research activity university as classified by the Carnegie Foundation. Founded in 1891 and one of the original three UNC system institutions, UNCG is the most diverse university in the state with 18,000 students and 3,000 faculty and staff members representing more than 90 nationalities. With 82 undergraduate, 63 master’s and 28 doctoral programs, UNCG is consistently recognized nationally among the top universities for academic excellence and value, with noted strengths in education, health and wellness, the performing arts, business and the arts and sciences, among others. For additional information, please visit uncg.edu.
