Panel to offer tips on making it as an artist
North Central College is inviting aspiring artists and entrepreneurs to a free panel discussion Thursday, Jan. 19, on “Making it in the Arts.”
Attendees will learn what it takes to make a living in the arts from a panel of visual, performing, literary and media artists. The discussion is free and open to students and faculty from any college or university, as well as community members. The presentation is coordinated by The Chicago Artists’ Coalition and Self-Employment in the Arts.
The event will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S. Ellsworth St. The first 25 students from any college or university who present a valid ID will receive a free student membership to the Chicago Artists Coalition.
The panel moderator is Janet Bloch, an SEA board member who earned a master of fine arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She served as director of Woman Made Gallery in Chicago from 1993 to 2000 and wrote the new book “Strategic Marketing Tools for Visual Artists.”
Bloch has had several solo exhibits nationwide and earned numerous awards, including an Illinois Arts Council Visual Artists Fellowship, a National Endowment of the Arts Regional/Midwest Fellowship and two Individual Artist grants from the Indiana Arts Commission. She serves as education director at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City, Ind.
Panelists include Andrew Huff, editor and publisher of Gapers Block; Rachel Damon, artistic director at Synapse Arts; Tristan Hummel, founder of Art on Track and the Built Festival in Chicago’s Wicker Park; and Joe Roberts, professor of arts entrepreneurship at Columbia College in Chicago.
The panel will discuss a variety of topics focused around making a living in the arts, including key steps in getting started; balancing business and “creation” time; overcoming struggles; marketing and promotion, especially as it has been influenced by social media; business plans and more.
North Central College’s 12th annual Self Employment in the Arts Conference will be Feb. 24-25 at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville Hotel and offers high school students, educators and adults who aspire to be self-employed artists gain valuable information about running their own businesses as artists.
All areas of art are represented including visual, performing, literary and media. Activities include artist-led sessions, panel discussions, round-table discussions, one-on-one mentoring sessions, mock auditions, business plan reviews, book proposal reviews, networking and more.
The conference is intended for college students, serious high school students, artists and educators. It features performances, workshops, panel discussions and other activities tailored to actors, filmmakers, musicians, painters, sculptors, writers and other artists. Contact Amy Rogers, SEA director, at (630) 637-5468 or aerogers@noctrl.edu to learn more. SEA is supported by The Coleman Foundation, the John E. and Jeanne T. Hughes Charitable Foundation and private donors. Visit selfemploymentinthearts.com to learn more.