| A list of artist career development resources that provide advice, information, and guidance on a wide range of artist career development topics. |
| PUBLICATIONS ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.) The Art and Business of Photography |
| Art, Inc. Author: Lisa Congdon Covers various topics related to career development for fine artists and illustrators. Publisher: Chronicle Books Publication date: 2014  Art, Money SuccessAuthor: Maria Brophy The author tells personal stories of her own business dealings, successes and failures. Publisher: Son the the Sea, Inc. Publication date: 2017 |
| ART/WORK: Everything You Need to Know and Do as You Pursue Your Art Career Author: Heather Darcy Bhandari and Jonathan Melber Imparts advice based on interviews with 100 curators, dealers and other arts professionals throughout the United States. Written by an art dealer and arts attorney. Publisher: Free Press Publication date: Revised 2017 |
| The Art World Dream: Alternative Strategies for Working Artists Author: Mark Rudd Discusses the peaks and challenges of an artist’s career and offers practical advice. Publisher: Cire Corporation Publication date: 2001 |
| The Artist in the Office: How to Creatively Survive and Thrive Seven Days a Week Author: Summer Pierre A humorous book about integrating the work you have to do with the work you want to do. The author tackles everything from money issues and the importance of patience during the creative process – to better organizing your time to countering the isolation of being an artist. Publisher: Perigee, The Penguin Group Publication date: 2010 |
| The Artist’s Guide: How to Make a Living Doing What You Love Author: Jackie Battenfield Using a “tough love approach” to pursuing a career in the visual arts, the author provides a comprehensive guide for artists at all career levels. Publisher: Da Capo Press Publication date: 2009 |
| Business of Art: An Artist’s Guide to Profitable Self-Employment Includes information on career and business planning, marketing and promotion, budgeting and money management, legal issues, and financing creative work. Publisher: Center for Cultural Innovation Publication date: Revised 2021 https://www.cciarts.org/cgi/page.cgi/business_art.html/Books-c1/Business_of_Art_An_Artist_s_Guide_to_Profitable_Self_Employment_Second_Edition-p1 |
| The Business of Being an Artist Author: Daniel Grant Covers a range of career-related topics, including making a transition from school to the working world. Publisher: Allworth Press Publication Date: Revised 2015 |
| CARFAC Ontario’s Advisory Notes Documents that summarize specific topics relating to an artist’s career and the business of art. PDF format. Publisher: CARFAC Ontario http://www.carfacontario.ca/CARFAC-Ontarios-Advisory-Notes |
| Crusade for Your Art: Best Practices for Fine Art Photographers Author: Jennifer Schwartz. “Helps you navigate and demystify the fine art photography world. The knowledge and resources this guide provides give you the tools to take your fine art photography career by the reins and thoughtfully and purposefully develop a plan to get you where you want to go.” Publisher: Crusade Press Publication date: 2014 Getting Your Sh*t Together: The Ultimate Business Manual for Every Practicing Artist Authors: Karen Atkinson and GYST Ink Aims to help all artists everywhere avoid career development pitfalls and get on the track to success on their own terms. Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Publication date: Revised 2014 |
| How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself without Selling Your Soul, 7th edition Author: Caroll Michels Written for fine artists ready to launch their careers as well as experienced artists who wish to relaunch their careers. Empowers artists to take control of their careers to create a fulfilling life and earn a decent income. This newly revised edition continues to demystify the inner workings of the art world and challenge the status quo. New topics include: Feedback on new business models for artists: Going to the extreme; use of social media and website development as marketing and publicity tools and what does and doesn’t work; confusion between the “art-buying public” and the “general public” and their differences; new suggestions for establishing and calculating prices for artwork; neighborhood gentrification and the growing challenges of securing a reasonably priced live/work space – and much more on many more important subjects. The author is the founder of the Artist Help Network, and a career coach and artist-advocate. Publisher: Allworth Press Publication date: Revised 2018, 7th edition |
| Information for Artists: A Practical Guide for Visual and Media Artists Contains 19 chapters covering a variety of subjects relevant to Canadian visual and media artists. Publisher: CARFAC Ontario Publication Date: 2005 (sold out). New edition on the way. www.carfacontario.ca/Information-for-Artists-A-Practical-Guide-for-Visual-Artists |
| Living and Sustaining a Creative Life: Essays by 40 Working Artists Author: Sharon Louden Publisher: Intellect Ltd. Publication Date: 2013 The forty essays are written in the artists’ own voices and take the form of narratives, statements, and interviews. Each story has a common thread of a commitment to creativity, inside and outside the studio. “Both day-to-day and big picture details are revealed, showing how it is possible to sustain a practice that contributes to the ongoing dialogue in contemporary art. These stories will inform and inspire any student, young artist, and art enthusiast and will help redefine what ‘success’ means to a professional artist.“ |
| The Practical Handbook for the Emerging Artist Author: Margaret R. Lazzari Designed to help visual art students make the transition from art school to their own art practice. Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing Publication date: Revised 2010. Professional Artist Description: Articles on practical business advice and strategies. Published bimonthly. Print and digital editions. www.professionalartistmag.comThe Profitable Artist: the Performing Literary and Visual Arts Editors: Peter Cobb, Felicity Hogan and Michael Royce A compilation of the best practices approach to planning and organizing an art career, based on more than 30 interviews and illustrated through anecdotes and in-depth case studies. Publisher: Allworth Press & the NY Foundation for the Arts Publication date: Revised 2018 Starting Your Career as an Artist: A Guide for Painters, Sculptors, Photographs, and Other Visual Artists Authors: Agie Wojak and Stacy Miller Chapters cover topics essential to artists who are entering the art world. Includes interviews with artists. Publisher: Allworth Press Publication date: Revised 2015 Strategies for Serious Older Artists Author: Eric Rudd and edited by Barbara Rudd Covers the subject of what will happen to your artwork after you die, including how to upgrade and adjust your studio methods, and how to get ahead of the curve for your later years. It offers alternatives for preserving and exhibiting your life’s work even after you die Publisher: Cire Corporation Publication date: 2013 The Successful Artist’s Career Guide: Finding YourWay in the Business of Art Author: Margaret Peot Covers a range of issues from health insurance to taxes and legal advice – and self-promotion and employment. Also provides advice for freelance artists. Publisher: . North Light Books Publication Date: 20012 Taking the Leap. Building a Career as a Visual Artist Author: Cay Lang. Covers a comprehensive range of career-related topics. Publisher: Chronicle Books Publication date: Revised 2006 The View from the Studio DoorAuthor: Ted Orland. Co-author of Art and Fear, Ted Orland confronts issues such as what are we really doing when we make art? What is art? Is there art after graduation? And how do we find our place in the artistic community? Publisher: Imagine Continuum Press Publication date: 2006 A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers will Rule the Future Author: Daniel Pink The author builds a case for predicting that the future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: artists, inventors, storytellers-creative and holistic “right-brain” thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn’t. Publisher: Riverhead Books Publication Date: Revised 2006
ORGANIZATIONS ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER Artists Trust, Artist Support Programs |
| Arts Business Institute www.artsbusinessinstitute.org A non-profit organization serving the art and craft-making communities, providing practical business education for artists. |
| The Charles Huling Fund for Artists http://clarkhulingsfund.org A nonprofit organization that offers many programs and services to assist artists with marketing and career development, including blogs, podcasts, workshops, and other educational programs. |
| Creative Capital Foundation www.creative-capital.org A nonprofit organization that sponsors professional development workshops and webinars. Also provides grants to artists. |
| GYST, Inc. www.gyst-ink.com An organization that helps organize their professional lives. Offers services related to career development. |
| Caroll Michels, Career Coach and Artist-Advocate www.carollmichels.com Author of How to Survive & Prosper as an Artist, and founder of the Artist Help Network. Assists artists throughout the USA and abroad with career development through phone and in-person consultations. Also offers art world contact lists. |
| Mint Artists Guild http://www.mintartistsguild.org Trains teenage artists in Detroit business skills and career strategies, and provides exhibition experience by showcasing their artwork in public spaces, including galleries, fairs, workplaces, galleries, and various events. Selected students, who are chosen by a jury of art professionals, are tutored in career planning, promotion, pricing, communication, and collaboration. They also participate in field trips to art-related venues, and attend workshops. |
| Springboard for the Arts www.springboardforthearts.org A source of management information & training for independent artists & small to mid-sized cultural organizations. Offers consultations, information, and workshops. |
| W.A.G.E. (Working Artists and the Greater Economy) www.wageforwork.com Draws attention to economic inequalities that exist in the arts, and works to resolve them. Its advocacy efforts have successfully received commitments from many U.S. nonprofit art institutions to pay artist exhibition fees for solo and group shows. An artist fee calculator is published on the organization’s website. |
| WEBSITES ArtBusiness.com A series of articles on the business aspects of the fine art world. Penned by Alan Bamberger. www.artbusiness.com |
| Artjaw.com A collection of first person stories from the art world, sponsored by Spector Projects. Artists, dealers, critics, administrators, curators, and academics sound off. www.artjaw.com |
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The Artist as Debtor |
| GYST Radio Part of a blog radio network. A resource for information on the business of art and strategies for a successful career in the arts. http://www.gyst-ink.com/gyst-radio-2Immigrant Artist Program Directory Sponsored by The New York Foundation for the Arts. An online directory of art service organizations and other resources for immigrants and refugees. https://www.nyfa.org/professional-development/immigrant-artist-program-iap/resource-directory/ The Maryland State Arts Council Resource Bulletin MN Artists NYFA Source Professional Practices for Artists TextileArts.net |
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Categories: Career