Register Now | Spring 2020 Online Workshops

Workshops begin on February 18 and are themed around landing your dream job in the arts, artist statements, what funders want to know, and realistic budgets for artists.

New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is pleased to announce the next four workshops in its next Online Learning initiative, which provides professional development workshops to artists and creatives nationally and internationally through a webinar platform. The workshops are all led by specialized coaches from our NYFA Coaching program, who bring many years of experience as art industry leaders to their presentations. As many of our professional development programs are focused on building community, and these online sessions also provide virtual networking opportunities to registered participants.

Each workshop in this series costs $25, and registration starts six weeks prior to the session date.

February 18

How to Find and Land Your Dream Job in the Arts!

Presented by Maria Villafranca

Are you passionate about the arts and looking for a career where you can contribute to a vibrant cultural sector? Whether you are an entry-level job-seeker or an experienced manager who is interested in a career transition, this workshop will help you define your career path, find opportunities, and walk you through all stages of a job search from applying to interviewing to negotiating an offer. We’ll discuss arts-specific resources covering a range of disciplines, common application missteps, and how to strategically network in the field. You’ll walk away with a clearer sense of how to frame your career for new opportunities and essential strategies for landing your dream job in the arts.

March 17

Writing About Your Artwork: Artist Statements
Presented by Michelle Levy 
Register here via Eventbrite

Have you ever found writing an artist statement overwhelming? Not sure where to start or what to include? Have you struggled with staying true to your voice while matching established expectations? Writing an artist statement should be easy—after all, you are the number-one expert on your own work. But the reality is that no matter how good of a writer you are, writing about your own work is never easy because it is so close to you. Yet, it is crucial to have an effective statement that represents your work well and makes an impact. Further, the process of crafting a strong statement is an important exercise for every artist, as it helps clarify your ideas and benefits your artistic development as a whole.

NYFA’s mission to empower working artists and emerging arts organizations across all disciplines at critical stages in their creative lives and professional/organizational development. We aim to be a resource to artists, arts administrators, and students everywhere, especially when so many in our creative community are reeling from lost jobs, opportunities, and income as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

As such, we are taking action in a variety of ways including waiving registration fees on our upcoming webinars. For the following webinars, you will have one month to access the recording after the live session.

April 21

Film Pitches and Grant Applications: What Funders Really Want to Know, and Why
Presented by Matthew Seig
Register here via Eventbrite

This workshop will review what all funders want to know about you and your film, regardless of whether they are investors and producers (for profit) or donors and foundations (nonprofit). Understanding why funders are asking the questions they ask will help you craft better answers.

May 19

Realistic Budgets for Artists: Breaking down Project ideas for Fundraising Opportunities

Presented by Gabriella Calandro and Anne Muntges
Register here via Eventbrite

In this workshop, participants will learn how to assign value to their time, clearly allocate and spend money on a project, and how to best structure budgets for project and funding opportunities. Participants will leave the workshop with a better idea of how to paint a clear picture about their project through their budget. 

How It Works:

• Each session lasts for 90 minutes, including the lecture and Q&A.
• Each session will take place online from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM EST.
• Creatives from around the world can join workshops through our webinar platform or international call-in numbers.
• Participants will have access to the presenters during the live sessions, and also to the program materials and recordings after the workshops as long as they register before the session starts.
• Registrants will have access to the recordings for six months following the session unless otherwise noted.

This program is presented by NYFA Learning. Sign up here to receive NYFA News, a bi-weekly organizational email for upcoming awards, resources, and professional development. NYFA Learning also offers the monthly Con Edison Immigrant Artist Program (IAP) Newsletter if you are interested in opportunities, professional development, events, and tips and advice specific to immigrant artists.

Looking for individualized support? NYFA Coaching gives artists and creatives an opportunity to have personalized consultation sessions specific to their own circumstances and needs. Past NYFA Coaching sessions have focused on topics including cover letter and resume review, portfolio feedback, and support in crafting a fundraising or marketing strategy. Artists set the agenda, pick the coach, and book their one-on-one coaching session. They can attend their appointment via a phone call, Skype, or in person at NYFA’s Brooklyn office (if with NYFA staff).

Image: Amy Aronoff for NYFA