The NYFA Artist as Entrepreneur Program is an intensive professional development opportunity that serves artists and creatives of all disciplines (including visual, literary, performing arts, among others). This 1-3.5 day program delves into the fundamental principles of building, maintaining, and growing a career in the arts, empowering artists with the tools to imagine and pursue success as they define it.
Whether you’re looking for a shift in thinking, strategies for your arts/creative business, or peer networks, this program provides dynamic planning tools for building a blueprint for your creative practice or arts project.
Artist as Entrepreneur, Powerhouse Artist (Brooklyn, NY)
Artist as Entrepreneur, Acadiana Center for the Arts (Lafayette, LA)
Artist as Entrepreneur, Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts (Blue Mountain Lake, NY)
Artist as Entrepreneur, Roxbury Arts Group (Roxbury, NY)
Artist as Entrepreneur, Genesee Valley Council on the Arts (Mt Morris, NY)
Dive into topics including strategic planning, marketing, fundraising, financial literacy, writing about your work, and/or art law, with additional material adapted from NYFA’s popular The Profitable Artist (Allworth Press, 2018) textbook.
Receive work sample reviews from professionals in their discipline, such as curators and artistic directors. Designed to give artists insight into the jury selection process, this individualized feedback is modeled after NYFA’s Fellowship Program.
Gain access to a community of like-minded peers working across disciplines, with opportunities to stay in touch to support each others’ creative practice beyond the program.
Led by NYFA’s expert staff and arts industry experts in your community, such as local funders, curators, presenters, publishers, artistic directors, etc.
Work through flexible and dynamic tools that will provide a blueprint for your practice or specific arts project. You’ll have the opportunity to share and discuss this “Artist Action Plan” among your peers
Customized to fit the needs of participants and partners hosting the program, each program’s structure includes a blend of presentations, panels, interactive workshops, and breakout groups.
Interested in hosting the Artist as Entrepreneur program for your creative community? Click here.
Artists of all disciplines within commuting distance of Blue Mountain Lake, NY, are encouraged to apply to participate in this free entrepreneurial program to be presented by Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts from September 18-21.
All Creative Disciplines: Artists of all disciplines (Visual, Multidisciplinary, Performing, Literary, Interdisciplinary, Social Practice, Folk and Traditional, Film, Video and New Media) and career stages, including students, are encouraged to apply.
Location: Must be living within a commuting distance of Blue Mountain Lake, NY. This includes but is not limited to the Adirondack (ADK) Quad-County region: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and Hamilton counties and the Haudenosaunee tribal community of Akwesasne in the Saint Regis Mohawk Territory. Artists in nearby areas may apply, and will be expected to travel to attend the program in person at Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts’s space in Blue Mountain Lake, NY.
Attendance is mandatory to all sessions. Please check your calendar before applying.
Meet and Greet and Artist as Entrepreneur Introductions
Thursday, September 18, from 5:00 PM-8:00 PM
Intensive
Friday-Sunday, September 19-21, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM daily
Artists interested in attending are required to apply. For the application, we ask you provide:
Please submit an application via Submittable by Friday, August 22, 5:00 PM ET.
First-time users will need to register with Submittable to access the application portal. For technical questions regarding submittable, please contact Submittable support.
Applications are selected through a panel review process with representatives from both NYFA and the partnering organization, along with outside professionals on a case-by-case basis.
All applicants will be notified on or by August 29, 2025.
Please email [email protected] with the subject line “Artist as Entrepreneur, Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts.”
To request an accommodation or assistance in applying, please email [email protected]. We ask that requests for accommodation be made as soon as possible or by Thursday, August 28, to allow adequate time for staff to support you in submitting an application before the deadline.
Artists of all disciplines within a commuting distance of Delaware County are encouraged to apply to participate in this free entrepreneurial program to be presented by Roxbury Arts Group from November 6- 9.
All Creative Disciplines: Artists of all disciplines (Visual, Multidisciplinary, Performing, Literary, Interdisciplinary, Social Practice, Folk and Traditional, Film, Video and New Media) and career stages, including students, are encouraged to apply.
Location: Open to all within a commuting distance of Delaware County, NY; special consideration will be given to applicants from or working within rural communities.
Attendance is mandatory to all sessions. Please check your calendar before applying.
Meet and Greet and Artist as Entrepreneur Introductions
Thursday, November 6, from 5:00 PM-8:00 PM
Intensive
Friday-Sunday, November 7-9, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM daily
Artists interested in attending are required to apply. For the application, we ask you provide:
Please submit an application via Submittable by Thursday, September 11, 5:00 PM.
First-time users will need to register with Submittable to access the application portal. For technical questions regarding submittable, please contact Submittable support.
Applications are selected through a panel review process with representatives from both NYFA and the partnering organization, along with outside professionals on a case-by-case basis.
All applicants will be notified on or by October 10, 2025.
Please email [email protected] with the subject line “Artist as Entrepreneur, Roxbury Arts Group.”
To request an accommodation or assistance in applying, please email [email protected]. We ask that requests for accommodation be made as soon as possible or by Thursday, August 28th, to allow adequate time for staff to support you in submitting an application before the deadline.
Through the NYSCA/NYFA Artist as Entrepreneur program, I was able to prioritize, organize, and visualize next steps for my career as an artist. I left the program with a feeling of clarity, and a much stronger sense of belonging and connection to my community of fellow artists.
The NYSCA/NYFA Artist as Entrepreneur Program provided an opportunity to work with artists from all different backgrounds working in many media including visual, performance, literary, choreography, and more. It was a great learning experience. We benefited from the presentations, given by [NYFA Learning and Flushing Town Hall] staff and the many guest panelists with whom we shared many common challenges, and interests in reaching the public, and striving to better our communities.
