Demystifying the Art World: Professionalism Starter Pack

Session 1 of the series Demystifying the Art World: Practical Knowledge & Skills for Early-Career Artists, answering the question, besides making art, what makes an artist a professional?

An artist is anyone who makes art over a sustained period of time, but what does it mean to professionalize one’s art practice? Through presentations by a range of experienced arts workers, this online session will introduce early-career artists to definitions and key career basics that will help them begin to navigate the professional art field. DJ Jenny Laiwint will keep things fun and on-time and a Q&A will offer the opportunity to ask questions and discuss with the group.

This session is free and open to all early career and emerging artists. It will be hosted on Zoom, with captions. If you have other accommodation needs, please let us know through the registration form or contact dmg.utsc@utoronto.ca. After registering, attendees will be provided with a Zoom link to join the program virtually.

Presenters & Area of Focus:

Shaya Ishaq (she/her), interdisciplinary artist, designer, and writer, will offer advice on advocating for yourself, and understanding your rights and worth.

Megan Leduc (she/her), Program Officer, Canada Council for the Arts will talk about how the CCA defines an artist.

Joshua Vettivelu (they/them), artist, arts worker and mentor, will share information how to assess and navigate opportunities and organizations.

Su-Ying Lee (she/her), curator and mentor, will present on researching and identifying opportunities.

Jenny Laiwint (she/her), artist and filmmaker, will be the time-keeper and offer advice around building community.

–

This session is offered as part of the series Demystifying the Art World: Practical Knowledge & Skills for Early-Career Artists, running from September 2023 - May 2024.

Whether you’ve attended art school, pursued other forms of art education or are self-taught, there are foundational professional skills and practices that are rarely taught in formal environments. Artists often glean such knowledge through trial and error, having mentorship, or through information shared in their social and professional circles. Conceived of for early career and emerging artists, this series, organized by curator and educator Su-Ying Lee for the Doris McCarthy Gallery, aims to make key information accessible and demystify how artists approach essential tasks. Through nine sessions, some in-person and some online, participants will be familiarized with the practical knowledge needed to enhance and support their careers, through advice offered by a wide-range of experienced artists, curators, writers, and arts workers. The entire series is free, and participants can sign up for one session, multiple sessions, or the whole series – choose your own adventure and learn with us!

Session 1
Professionalism Starter Pack: Besides making art, what makes an artist a professional?
Thursday, September 21, 12:30 – 2 pm
Online, registration now open

Session 2
How to Talk About Yourself: Writing CV’s, artist statements, and artwork descriptions
Monday, October 23, 12:30 – 2 pm
Online, registration opens in September

Session 3
Get to Know Curators: What do they do, why approach them, and how?
Thursday, November 16, 6:30 – 8 pm
Doris McCarthy Gallery, registration opens in October

Session 4
See and Be Seen: Documenting your artwork
Saturday, December 9, 12 – 3 pm
Doris McCarthy Gallery, registration opens in November

Information on sessions 5 - 9 to be announced later this fall, stay tuned for more details!