Business of Art

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Wendy Schneider

Dane Arts hosts an annual Business of Arts conference.

Dane Arts hosts an annual Business of Arts conference.

media release: Dane Arts, a primary arts funding arm for Dane County, Wisconsin, invites all artists and budding entrepreneurs alike to participate in the annual Business of Art Conference. This year’s theme is, “Artists at Work”, celebrating all of the incredible artists who work so hard to make Dane County a thriving economic community. The conference is expanding due to popular demand and will take place on April 24-26, 2025. 

Attendees will learn about essential business tools for artists to successfully manage and promote their work and offerings. This year’s conference features three areas of focus: business strategies, wellness/self-care, and community development for artists, and will include self-care workshops, presentations by health professionals who incorporate the arts into their work and a keynote presentation on creativity in business. Trainings include business strategies on marketing, budgeting, managing finances, writing and issuing contracts, copyright law, and much more! Hear from working artists and other creative professionals on how they have successfully sustained a small business and generate revenue through their craft. Also offered are workshops by artists with experience in educational settings, and how the arts are used to “educate” through community development programs.  

“This conference is for working creatives in the arts across disciplines, educators, and healthcare professionals,” says Mark Fraire, Dane Arts Director.

Attendees will also enjoy a pre-event reception at Café Coda and Aubergine Community Space with music by Madison’s Madtown Mannish Boys, a premier local Chicago style blues band. Attendees can sign up to get headshots taken too.

Now open- a call for presenters! Proposals are being accepted through December 20. Apply now if you’d like to share your talents with others. Stipends are available for presenters and panelists who are able to lead attendees through strategies that maximize a financial return on their creative efforts as small business owners.

The three-day conference will take place in Madison at the Arts & Literature Lab, 111 S. Livingston Street, and across the street at StartingBlock Madison, 821 E. Washington, 2nd floor.  The fee is $150, early bird special is $100 due February 28. Registration will open in early 2025. Work-volunteer scholarships available.

Business sponsorships opportunities to support the conference are also available. 

Dane Arts continues to prove the economic, cultural, creative and community impact the arts generate across all arenas.  Our research shows in Dane County that nearly $350m goes back into the local economy through arts and culture (from AEP VI, 2023).

For more information, email fraire.mark@danecounty.gov.