Biz workshop for artists...the marriage of art and business!

Artists are artists. Business people are business people. There's a misconception that the two worlds can't co-exist.

Wrong.

Some 40 full and part-time professional artists joined EntrePaducah and the Kentucky Arts Council for a day-long business workshop. The sub-title for the session was "Providing essentials for a strong art business" which was truly the purpose of the day.

Paducah has made its intentions known to be a first-class location for artists to create and sell their work. The Artist Relocation Program, Lowertown Arts and Music Festival and other programs are just two of the many popular events held to celebrate the city's attention to the arts.

The reality, however, is that artists need to eat and pay rent just like everyone else. Starving artists are great for novels, but earning a consistent (and hopefully prosperous) living on your creations is still the American dream.

Responding to a number of requests, EntrePaducah enlisted the services of the Kentucky Arts Council and the Small Business Development Center at Murray State University to produce a business workshop designed specifically for people who make their living selling their art.
Topics ranged from Business Planning, Marketing (traditional and social media), Sales, and resources available from the government and from other artist-related groups. Our artists seemed to particularly enjoy hearing from guest speakers who run successful galleries in other parts of the state.

Our thanks to our presenters: Chris Wooldridge of the Small Business Development Center at MSU; artist Marcie Christenson; artist David Toczko; Tim Glotzbach of Berea College; and Mark Johnson,manager of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development’s Small and Minority Business Branch and its Business Information Clearinghouse. You are always welcome in Paducah!

EntrePaducah also thanks the Kentucky Arts Council for helping to coordinate the event and the Maiden Alley Cinema/River Discovery Center for their great facility.
Finally, thanks to all the artists who attended the event and gave us their feedback on this session and suggestions for future workshops.
We truly want our artists to succeed in Paducah and are happy to meet one-on-one with anyone interested in starting an art business, or needing help with their existing business.