Announcing Art Steady 3.0, Southwest Contemporary’s third career development workshop series for artists and creators.
It’s that time of year again! We are excited to invite you to Art Steady 3.0, the third iteration of our career development workshop series for artists and creators. All workshops are held via Zoom, with the addition of one in-person networking event in Santa Fe this year!
This year, we have a powerhouse line-up of presenters touching on essential topics for all artists at any stage of their careers. Join this brilliant group of experts to learn about Instagram strategy, copyright and intellectual property, how to talk and write about your work, and the it’s-never-too-soon topic of legacy planning.
Join us November 16-18 for the series. You can sign up for workshops individually, or for all six workshops at a discounted series rate. If you can’t make it during the live stream, all registrants will receive access to the recordings, but we *strongly* advise participating in person to get the most expertise out of these amazing workshop presenters. Read below for the workshop descriptions, and register via our online store.
Scholarships for Santa Fe County Residents
Thanks to sponsorship from the City of Santa Fe Office of Economic Development Department as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week’s programming, we have a limited number of scholarships available for Santa Fe County-based artists!
Santa Fe County-based artists interested in free registration, please fill out this brief form.
Crafting your Artist Statement
with Robin Cembalest, influencer and former ARTnews editor
Wednesday, November 16, 12-1:30 pm MT
Call it your bio, “about blurb,” or statement—every creative professional needs a paragraph (or two) that sums up who they are and what they do.
Learn the foundational tips for crafting an artist statement while making sure it stays true to your practice.
In her presentation, former ARTnews editor Robin Cembalest will show sample artist statements to demonstrate a variety of approaches and share templates that artists can use moving forward. Attendees will also receive one-on-one feedback for their statement or another short writing sample.
This session is limited to 10 participants.
$125 | Register
Gift of Gab: How to Talk About Your Work in a Genuine and Successful Way
with Elaine Ritchel, arts educator and owner of Santa Fe Art Tours
Wednesday, November 16, 2-3:30 pm MT
If the idea of talking about your work at a gallery opening gives you the heebie-jeebies, you’re not alone. Being able to connect with art on a personal level is a huge motivator for buyers, and one of the best ways to help people to connect with your work is to talk with them about it. But figuring out what to say during gallery openings, studio visits, and art fairs doesn’t always come naturally. In this workshop, the queen of talking about art, Elaine Ritchel, will show you what to talk about and how to turn awkward small talk into genuine, fruitful conversation. During this session, you’ll workshop your “elevator pitch,” and a few participants will have the opportunity to practice talking about their work. If you plan to attend the Art Steady IRL Speed Networking event, this is a great way to prep!
Elaine Ritchel is an arts educator with more than fifteen years of experience facilitating conversations about art in museums and galleries. She holds an MA in art history from the University of Texas at Austin and has worked as a gallery teacher and art museum educator in the U.S. and abroad. She specializes in discussion-based teaching and encouraging visual literacy. As founder and owner of Santa Fe Art Tours, she talks with hundreds of people about art every year and loves every minute of it.
$27 | Register
Art Steady IRL: Santa Fe Arts Speed Networking
at form & concept, 435 S Guadalupe St, Santa Fe
Wednesday, November 16, doors open 6 pm MT | event begins 6:30 pm MT
Have you been living under a rock for the last two years? Are you new to town and want to connect with like-minded folks in the arts? It’s time to come out and say hello, world. This very special event, sponsored by the City of Santa Fe Economic Development Department, will take place in ~the real world~ at form & concept gallery in our hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
If you’ve never participated in speed networking before, it’ll go something like this: you’ll have four minutes of one-on-one conversation, and we’ll rotate seats ten times, so you’ll walk away with ten new connections! We recommend bringing business cards or postcards, a notebook to jot down contact info, and some ideas about what you could use help with or what you could offer to other members of the Santa Fe art community. We promise big fun—and refreshments!
This in-person event is limited to 70 participants.
Free with registration.
Play the Long Game: Career Documentation and Legacy Planning
with Antonia Perez, artist and Legacy Specialist
Thursday, November 17, 12-1:30 pm MT
Many artists have never archived their work in an organized and comprehensive way. It can be daunting to think about how to begin the process! In this workshop, artists will learn about the importance of planning for and preserving their legacy as artists through the process of career documentation. Artists will learn how to create an inventory system and understand what archiving their work entails. They will learn how to set goals and prioritize tasks, what materials and tools they may need, what procedures can support their efforts as well as how to work with assistants throughout the process.
Antonia A. Perez is a mixed-media artist living and working in New York City who exhibits locally and nationally. She has worked as a Legacy Specialist for eight years, for which she was trained through the Creating a Living Legacy program of the Joan Mitchell Foundation. Over the past seven years, she has developed the archive of the work of the late artist Joe Overstreet. She gives seminars, lectures, and consultations on career documentation and archiving as it pertains to an artist’s legacy. She holds a BA in visual arts and arts education from Empire State College, State University of New York, and an MFA from Queens College, City University of New York.
$27 | Register
Check your DMs: Instagram for Artists
with Robin Cembalest
Thursday, November 17, 2-3:30 pm MT
Back by popular demand, this is an intensive training workshop created especially for visual artists. Using examples from a wide range of artists, Instagram influencer and former ARTnews editor Robin Cembalest will share essential tips for crafting profiles, chronicling your art process, and explaining the larger meaning of your work. She’ll cover the latest strategies for Reels, Stories, and hashtags, along with tools for expanding visibility and networks.
Robin’s editorial approach empowers artists to create effective organic content—connecting them with people who will show their art, sell their art, buy their art, write about it, or offer other career opportunities.
After a presentation, Robin will review the Instagram of each participant and offer actionable tips to move forward!
This session is limited to 15 participants.
$75 | Register
How to Get Your Work In Galleries
with Paddy Johnson, founder and CEO of VVrkshop
Friday, November 18, 10-11:30 am MT
Ah, the eternal question: how do you get a gallery? In this workshop, Paddy Johnson will help you learn how to reach out and establish relationships with galleries and curators, so you can get the visibility your artwork deserves. By the end of this class, you’ll know how to network more effectively and navigate the long game/short game of art-world relationships. You’ll be more confident and armed with communication tools that will allow you to make the connections needed for big career breakthroughs.
Paddy Johnson is the founder and CEO of VVrkshop, a company that helps artists get the shows, residencies, and grants of their dreams, and an online pioneer with more than fifteen years of experience. Prior to VVrkshop, she founded the blog Art F City and the public art initiative PARADE. She writes for publications like CNN, The New York Times, and New York magazine. Johnson is best known for her ability to help artists produce their best work.
$27 | Register
Copy that! What Artists Need to Know About Copyright and Intellectual Property
with Luke Blackadar, deputy director of Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston
Friday, November 18, 10-11:30 am MT
In this session, we’ll cover the basics that artists and creative businesses should know about Intellectual Property. While we’ll briefly introduce the four major varieties of intellectual property—copyright, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets—we’ll focus primarily on copyright and trademark. Attendees can expect to leave with a foundational understanding of what copyright and trademark are, what they protect, the rights they provide, and why they’re important. Time permitting, we may also briefly discuss intellectual property licensing.
Luke manages the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston’s Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts program. An entertainment attorney, Luke counsels artists, creative small businesses, and cultural nonprofits on contracts, intellectual property, taxable entities, and nonprofit governance. In addition to his work at the Arts & Business Council, Luke teaches at Roger Williams University School of Law and the Boston University Metropolitan College, and he serves on the board of directors of the Community Music School of Boston. Luke is a graduate of Clark University and Northeastern University School of Law, and in his spare time he enjoys drawing, running, reading, and playing video games.
