Developed by Springboard for the Arts, Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists is based on a series of professional development and entrepreneurship workshops that have been taught to more than 5,000 artists at arts organizations, colleges, and libraries in over 80 communities in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa since 2010.

Work of Art is a 12-part workbook and video series that guides artists of all disciplines through every facet of building a successful and sustainable career – from career planning, time management, marketing, and social media to pricing, record keeping, funding, and developing a business plan.

Designed to help new artists learn the ropes, as well as more experienced artists grow and expand, each section provides a step-by-step guide to tackling the topic, including easy-to-digest tips, best practices, useable case studies, hands-on exercises, analytical tools, checklists, and worksheets. A series of videos brings each topic to life with empowering insights and advice from artists on how they incorporate Work of Artstrategies into their everyday work.

Work of Art can be used cover-to-cover or as a build-your-own lesson plan by mixing and matching the section that address specific challenges. It can be used by individual artists or groups in a self-directed way, or by organizations looking to provide professional development resources to their community.

The Work of Art Guide and Workbook are available for free digitally, fill out the form below or click here to request the free toolkit. Additional resources are available:

• Starter toolkit: Includes the DVD of all 14 videos, 5 copies of the published workbook, a printed guide and 1-hour of phone consultation with Springboard. Cost: $200
• Additional DVDs: $20 each
• Additional published workbooks: $20 each
• Opportunity for further consultation: Springboard is available to help further customize the program. Springboard can provide consultation via phone or email or in person, depending on your needs. Sales tax included in purchase price.

You can purchase hard copies of the Work of Art materials here.

Learn more about Work of Art impact and evaluation here.