The WAAC's Town Hall: Exploring the needs of creative entrepreneurs

For generations, the creative sector and specifically, the art market, have long played a central role for cultural expression, radical social change, and the creation of economic wealth. More recently, emerging generations sucha as creatives, are often stereotyped with characterization such as “starving artist” and preconceived notions, for example, that artists are not good at finance. Where did these ideas come from and how might we change these perceptions of creative entrepreneurs?

QUESTIONS:

• What are some of the financial barriers that emerging artists face?
• What are some of the essential business knowledge, and leadership skills require for creative entrepreneurs in today's creative economy?
• How might art education institutions change to better suite creative entrepreneur’s needs?
• What role can associations, the corporate sector, and community organizations can play to support artists?
• What are some of the ways successful artists has demonstrated in the past, in their creative practices, that emerging creatives can learn from to scale-up their business model ventures?

TOPICS & THEMES:

• Marketing and sales for the creative sector
• Navigating intellectual property (IP) and contracts
• Business model, business planning, and creativity asset
• Funding and financing (e.g. alternative social financing)
• Accessing practical skills development and training
• Accessing affordable space and equipment

YOU WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS SHIFTS IN THE CREATIVE SECTOR, LEARN ABOUT THE WAAC’S HISTORY, ASK QUESTIONS, AND NETWORK WITH CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS AND ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS:

1. Freda Tan, Artist and Entrepreneur, Masters Student (BFA)
2. Adriana Lee, Painter
3. Noor Razvi, Industrial Design Student
4. Michael Angelo, Fashion Designer
5. Marley Khadija, Etching and relief Printing Artist
6. Barbara Mitchell, Independent Fine Art Appraiser
7. Christopher Wilson, Masters Student (SFI) / Facilitator

Host or Publisher Peter Scott, OCAD University Lecturer