Save the Dates! Announcing a New Season of Free Online Professional Development Workshops for Artists and Creatives
Presented as part of a national collaboration between NYFA and Northern Virginia Local Arts Agencies (NVLAA), now in its third year.
Over the past three years, national nonprofit arts service organization NYFA has partnered with Northern Virginia Local Arts Agencies (NVLAA)—ArtsFairfax, Arlington Cultural Affairs Office, and the Office of the Arts—to deliver a series of virtual professional development workshops targeted at empowering artists, performers, and creatives.
This collaborative initiative offered 13 programs reaching an impressive 8,207 participants across the region and beyond, providing them with practical tools, strategies, and insights to support their creative careers.
Upcoming Programs
From October 2025 – February 2026, the partnership will continue with five free professional development workshops:
- Jobs in the Arts – October 9, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET
- Storytelling: Communicating Your Impact – November 13, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET
- Public Art and Creative Placemaking: Activating Nontraditional Spaces – January 15, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET
- Nailing the Application, Part 1: Narrative/Artist Statement – February 12, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET
- Nailing the Application, Part 2: Work Samples – February 26, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET
Those interested may RSVP at the links above.
Past Programs
Past programs addressed a wide spectrum of professional development needs, including:
- Nailing the Application: A Guide to Artist Open Calls
- Writing and Talking About Your Work
- Marketing Strategies for Artists and Creatives
- Build Your Fundraising Toolkit
- Inside Representation: Paths to Working with Dealers and Agents
The artists attending these programs represented a wide variety of disciplines, a breakdown of which can be seen here:
Participant Feedback
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive from each virtual session. Testimonials included:
This was a great opportunity to hear perspectives, real life stories, advice, and opinions from gallerists and represented artists that can be so hard to come by for a working artist. Very helpful. Gave me a lot to think about and some concrete ideas about next steps towards securing representation. Thank you! – Robert Sumner, Visual Artist
Nailing the Application: A Guide to Artist Open Calls (Part 1: The Narrative) was invaluable. Both speakers offered real world expertise as applicants AND evaluators, organized with questions from an excellent moderator. This is the exact kind of support that artists need and often don’t easily find when facing an application for a residency, a grant, or an exhibition. Thank you, NYFA and NVLAA! – Jeannie Friedman, Mixed-Media Painter
Marketing for Artists and Creatives far exceeded my expectations. The ideas I got from this presentation were invaluable. I left not only feeling energized about my marketing goals for 2025, but with actionable goals and new techniques to implement them. What a great way to start the new year! – Raushanah Simmons, Film and Video Artist
About the Partnership
This partnership reflects a shared commitment by NYFA and the Northern Virginia Arts Agencies to foster resilience, sustainability, and professional growth in the creative sector. By prioritizing accessibility through virtual delivery, the series has effectively bridged geographic and economic barriers, reaching a diverse population of creatives at various stages of their careers.
Established in 1971, the mission of the NYFA is to empower artists in all disciplines, as well as cultural workers, to achieve success on their own terms by providing critical support, resources, and opportunities. This workshop series is part of NYFA Learning, NYFA’s global professional development programming that provides artists and creatives the information, resources, and community they need to meet their career goals.
The Northern Virginia Local Arts Agencies (NVLAA) created over 5 years ago has goals to offer artists and arts organizations throughout the Northern Virginia region a series of free professional development workshops and opportunities for networking. NVLAA is comprised of staff from Alexandria Office of the Arts, Arlington Cultural Affairs Office, and ArtsFairfax.
