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Making Money Business - Basic Business Skills for Aboriginal Artists Workshops
20.05.2015Regional Arts NSW (RANSW) has commissioned small business adviser and presenter of the ‘Biztro’ small business workshops, David Sharpe, to deliver a series of workshops to build business capability for Aboriginal artists.
RANSW CEO, Elizabeth Rogers, said the Making Money Business: Basic Business Skills for Aboriginal Artists workshops will be hosted by three Regional Arts Boards: Murray Arts, Orana Arts and Arts Northern Rivers. The workshops are funded through the Regional Arts Fund (RAF).
‘The workshops are being run in response to feedback from a meeting of Aboriginal Arts Officers from the Regional Arts Boards, and from artists who participated in Black Arts Market in November last year,’ Ms Rogers said.
Held at the MCA, Black Arts Market was a key event of Corroboree Sydney supported by RANSW through the Regional Arts Fund. It included 31 stalls representing individual artists as well as collectives such as the Hands On Weavers group from the Wagga Wagga region and the Living Arts and Culture group developed by Outback Arts and funded by the Australian Government.
‘The feedback clearly showed that both groups wanted basic business workshops. I have asked David to develop a specific program for Aboriginal artists who need to increase their skills around basic business requirements to participate in markets and to develop their own micro businesses,’ Ms Rogers said.
‘For our Aboriginal Arts Officers it’s an opportunity to build their knowledge and capability to be able to advise local artists on these matters in the future and meet the needs of the growing regional, national and international Aboriginal arts market,’ she said.
Mr Sharpe has worked as an arts manager and as an adviser on finance and business issues for arts organisations, gaining experience at the Australia Council for the Arts and Film Illawarra. He is also an active playwright, with a number of his plays produced by independent theatres in Sydney and Melbourne.
The workshops will include information on setting up a creative enterprise including:
- the business basics of registration, tax, pricing, copyright, trademarks and the relationship between the artist’s product and the market including choosing the best sales channel.
- preparing a market stall for success. This section will be about preparing for selling at a market: how to establish a presence, how to display stock, how to maximise sales on the day and more, and
- planning for ongoing sustainability. In this part, I’ll talk about how to sustain and grow your creative enterprise: business planning, goal setting, marketing, customer relations and so on. I’ll also talk about the importance of an online presence and how it has to integrate with physical sales.
Mr Sharpe will also be available to conduct individual/small group consultations that have been developed in consultation with the Regional Arts Development and Aboriginal Arts Officers in each host region, and will be available for one-on-one consultations.
The workshops are being hosted by the following Regional Arts Boards.
- Murray Arts, based in Albury the workshops will be held in the Murray Arts offices 27 and 28 May.
- Orana Arts, based in Dubbo to be held in the Fire Station Arts Centre (TBC) 18 and 19 June
- Arts Northern Rivers, based in Lismore to be held at the Lismore Art Space 29 and 30 June.
Aboriginal artists interested in attending should contact the Aboriginal Arts Officer at their nearest Regional Arts Board. For details click onto the Aboriginal Arts Network heading on the Regional Arts Network page.
