Art by the Numbers: Creating a Project Budget
Tuesday, May 18, 2021 at 6pm

A project budget shows the world how you plan to use one of your finite resources - money. Veteran arts manager Karen Brown Fournell walks you through how to create a budget that's in line with your priorities, and put everything into a form that will work for the reader - whether that reader is a funder, an investor or a fellow artist. Bring your questions - or better yet, send them to us in advance. Register for this free session here.

Casting Through an Intersectional Lens
Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 6pm

Intersectionality involves an assessment of how (for instance) race, class, gender, disability and other characteristics overlap and affect one another. At every scale, film projects are increasingly using an intersectional lense in casting (and crewing) of artistic teams. Further, audiences, partners and funders increasingly expect this. To better understand how this can strengthen your own projects, join us for a free session with filmmaker Andrea Beça, co-presented by the Film and Video Arts Society - Alberta and the Edmonton Arts Council. To register, click here.

Review the information presented at previous workshops here:  

Pricing Your Art: How to Put a Number on Your Visual Art, Craft Work and Commissions

The pricing of visual art and craft involves a delicate balance of considerations: the time and materials going into the creation of the work, the message it sends about the artist, perceptions around the work aesthetically, economically and as a social statement. Vikki Wiercinski (Royal Bison Craft Fair), Chris W. Carson (CARFAC Alberta), and Danny Ross (Tix on the Square) will help artists navigate thought process behind setting the right price for your work. A link to the recorded session is available here.

Participation in the Arts Info Session 5

For the past year, market research firm Stone Olafson has been regularly charting the progress of Albertans' attitudes towards COVID restrictions, arts and recreation. On a regular basis, they've brought this evolving picture of how we have all been changed by this pandemic back to Edmonton artists and arts organizations. In this latest instalment, see how Edmotonians' responses and attitudes have continued to evolve, and what impact this might have on your plans for the months ahead. A link to the recorded session is available here.

Access Support in Preparing a Grant Application

As the Edmonton Arts Council strives to better accommodate all of the artists in our community, we recognize that many individuals face unique challenges relating to language, disability and other factors. In preparation for the next deadline of our Equity & Access program, we are seeking to engage with artists to talk about resources that we can provide, and what you'll need. A link to the recorded session is available here.

Arts Governance in a Pandemic
A discussion for board members and managers

What is the role of a board in helping arts organizations through this period of crisis and transition? A panel of governance and management veterans from Calgary and Edmonton discuss their experiences and perspectives on the past year, and help suggest steps forward for boards who may be seeking direction. This free session is jointly presented by Calgary Arts Development and the Edmonton Arts Council. A link to the recorded session is available here.

Advertising on Social Media

As Social Media continues to dominate as the information source of choice for patrons, understanding how to use these powerful but often opaque tools efficiently is essential for organizations and individual artists alike. Joshua Semchuk and Katie Sowden talked about using the free aspects of these tools in a past session, and return now to discuss the judicious use of paid advertising. A link to the recorded session is available here. 

Navigating a Public Art Submission

Permanent display in public is a tremendous way to share your vision with thousands, but the process of creating it can be incredibly complex, technical and multi-layered. The Edmonton Arts Council's Public Art team take you through the elements of a typical submission, and help you understand the various ways in which you need to look at your own work. A link to the recorded session will be available soon.

Participation in the Arts - Stage 4

Since the start of the Pandemic, the EAC and other partners have been working with market researchers Stone Olafson to track people's ever shifting attitudes towards engagement, activity and the response to COVID. The results have been tremendously enlightening, especially as we watch Edmontonians' response gradually shift away from trends in the rest of the province. The latest stage of this report covers November and December, when numbers spiked and a new wave of measures swept the province. A link to the recorded session is available here.

Individual Grants Info Session

The Edmonton Arts Council has revised its guidelines and parameters for our new individual artist grants. The info session discusses the program's revised guidelines and parameters, including wisdom gained from the first round of this new program in the fall. A link to the recorded session is available here.

Taxes for Artists

In this year of COVID and assorted weirdness, it's more important than ever to understand your rights and obligations for the upcoming taxes deadline. Accountant Janis Richards guides you in organizing your records and understanding how to report income and what expenses you can claim, including any CERB repayments. A link to the recorded session is available here.

2021 Activate Grants Info Session

The EAC's new Activate grants aim to provide arts and festival organizations with the tools they need to move through a second year of COVID-19. Applications are now available online. Join us to discuss the focus and details of this new program. A link to the recorded session is available here. 

Contracts for Artists

Whether it be for representation, a presentation, a gallery show or a commission, the building blocks of an artist's career are held together with contracts. Entertainment lawyer Greg Pang walks you through the essential elements of a contract, finding simple language to make out the essential elements of these documents, so that you can be clear about what you're giving, and what you're getting in return. A link to the recorded session is available here.

How Much? Determining a Price for Your Work
Featuring Bill Samoil and Bob Rasko

Setting a price for your art - whether that's a professional service, a performance, a painting or a chalk drawing - is one of the most complex and important calculations an artist can make. Financial whiz Bill Samoil walks you through the calculations required to adequately cover your costs, and impresario Bob Rasko helps explore the psychology and dynamics of price negotiations. A link to the recorded session is available here.

Participation in the Arts - Stage 3

It seems like every artist and organization in Edmonton wants to know when people will be ready to step back into in-person events and experiences. We can't predict the future, but since March, Stone-Olafson have been carefully tracking Albertans' evolving attitudes towards the pandemic. With this session, they present their findings on the fall, with a special focus on what this might tell us about the winter ahead. A link to the recorded session is available here.

Social Media Marketing in the Arts

Maintaining a trusted and functional online presence takes diligence, creativity and technique. Join the EAC and communications specialists Katie Sowden and Josh Semchuk for a discussion of how to establish your voice, sustain your relationship with your audience, and expand your circle. A link to the recorded session is available here.

Reimagine, Recovery and Relaunch for Artists

It's never been more important for artists to be able to find diverse uses for their many skills. This workshop, hosted by the Edmonton Arts Council in partnership with Business Link, offers you the tools needed to see more opportunities around you for the creative work you do. A link to the recorded session is available here.

EAC Grants to Organizations - Info Session

To learn more about how the EAC will support arts organizations in 2021 and beyond, read the latest post on the YEGArts blog. A link to the recorded session is available here.

What the Fund? Equity & Access Grants for Individual Artists 

The Edmonton Arts Council has unveiled a new suite of supports for individual artists from Indigenous and equity-seeking communities. View the video of the session held on Sept. 16, 2020 here.

Arts Participation in the Summer of 2020: Stone Olafson

This is the second report from a rigorous study of how Albertans have responded to arts and cultural offerings inside, outside and online. The report covers the vital June and July period, as lockdown restrictions lifted and we reached toward a new normal. In this session, Kim Griffen and Mathew Stone of Stone-Olafson share insights and extrapolations from this survey.  

View the video of this presentation here. 

What the Fund? A Guide to EAC Grant Applications - held Aug 18, 2020

View the pdf of the presentation from the workshop here: 

Please contact grants@edmontonarts.ca if you require any further information.