January 8, 2013  • Curriculum

The Ohio State University’s spring semester kicked off on January 7, 2013 with one new course offering in the Department of Art: The Business of Art.  This class (ART 5108) is offered to seniors and graduate students to enhance their professional practices as they embark on creative careers.

I designed the course from scratch and chose to focus on financial issues relevant to artists and creative entrepreneurs at all stages of their careers.  Topics of discussion will include maintaining a professional presence online, business entity types, building portfolio careers, managing artwork inventory, taxes, budgeting, pricing and selling work, investment basics, and ethical dilemmas artists may face in creative and business contexts.  Since this is a new course, the students have helped me shape the content with their questions and the financial issues they face.

I’m leading the course in a discussion-based and practical way, allowing artists to focus on the tasks and practice areas they find most applicable to their goals and career paths.  Each lecture will be supplemented by reading material, both technical and non-technical in nature, and activities meant to concretize the topics of discussion.

Those enrolled represent a diverse mix of disciplines and personalities.  There are glass blowers and potters, painters and photographers, those in the early stages of their careers and those more seasoned, those enthusiastic about exploring business topics and those apprehensive and skeptical about the material.

I can’t wait to see what will unfold artistically and professionally for these incredibly talented students.





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