The Business of Art

by Abbas Mohamed

 

We put out a poll earlier this year in our artists collective’s Facebook group to ask the artists what they were most interested in learning. The majority of responses were related to business, the side to an artist’s practice that they often don’t get to learn through school or classes. Some topics that emerged from these polls included sales, marketing, website design, and building a portfolio of work.

As a direct result of the poll, we decided to start a workshop mini-series called “Business of Art”, and partnered with IC3 to host them at the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California in Oakland.  We met monthly to explore a different topic with an experienced guest speaker:

Workshop 1: Intro to Art Business, October 21

We explored different art related revenue streams and business models including art sales, commissions, using art as a gig at events, merchandising, freelance art/design and more! Our featured speaker was GAMA artist Gabril Garai. The presentation was recorded live and is available here: https://www.facebook.com/theGAMACollective/videos/581975878885327/

Workshop 2: Building and Maintaining Your Online Presence, November 11

We explored different platforms that artists can use to build an online presence including websites, Instagram, and Facebook. Our guest speaker was photographer and entrepreneur Maryam Hadi who also taught some strategies on building traffic and getting leads for further income. The presentation was recorded live and is available here: https://www.facebook.com/theGAMACollective/videos/1213161148821684/

Workshop 3: Portfolio Building and Review, December 16

We explored art portfolios, most of which are prepared and presented online on artist websites nowadays. We discussed the gallery world, and how an artist can prepare a good resume, artist narrative, and art portfolio on their website to increase their chances of securing a spot in a gallery. Our guest speaker was artist, coach, and curator Rhiannon E MacFadyen who also conducted one on one mentoring sessions with our participating artists. The presentation was recorded live and is available here: https://www.facebook.com/theGAMACollective/videos/2228600550756700/

Through these workshops, we provided further value to our artist community based on their feedback, and hope to keep this momentum going through the new year for artists in all of our chapters!