For Creative Individuals and Organizations in Design, Culinary, Fashion, Film, Music, Dance, Theater, Literary, and Visual arts.

Friday March 1 and Saturday March 2, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Chicago Cultural Center 77 E. Randolph Street Chicago, IL  60602

Admission free  ::  No RSVP’s

There’s a lot to do ~ Bring a friend!

 The Creative Chicago Expo connects Chicago’s creative community with resources they need to thrive through Keynotes, Workshops, Vendors and more. So come on out and get professional development expertise from top local and national providers.

 

KEYNOTES

Four of Chicago’s top creatives – Rick Valicenti, Chris Kaskie, Christine Cikowski and Joshua Kulp — discuss their visions, inspirations and accomplishments.   Seating is limited, so plan to arrive early.   All Keynotes will be videotaped for future broadcast by Chicago Works and CAN-TV.

FRIDAY MARCH 1    10:30 AM RICK VALICENTI THIRST “Being All Creative – Chicago Style” Rick Valicenti is the founder and design director of Thirst/3st, a communication design firm devoted to art, function, and real human presence. He has been influencing the design discourse internationally since 1988 and is a leading presence in design as a practioner, educator, and mentor. Valicenti was honored by the White House in 2011 with the Smithsonian Cooper-­‐Hewitt, National Design Award for Communication Design. In 2006, he received the AIGA Medal, the highest honor of the graphic design profession, for his sustained contribution to design excellence and the development of the profession, and in 2004, was recognized as an AIGA/Chicago Fellow. Valicenti has been a member of AGI (Alliance Graphique Internationale) since being invited in 1996. For the past three decades, he has publicly presented his works to over 100 professional and college audiences on six continents in the form of presentations, workshops, and critiques on the design industry. A 356-­‐page monograph on the Thirst work titled, Emotion as Promotion, was published in 2004 by the Monacelli Press.

FRIDAY MARCH 1    3:00 PM CHRIS KASKIE PITCHFORK MUSIC “Overload: Cultivating a Trustworthy Brand and Cutting Through the Noise” Chris Kaskie is the President of Pitchfork, the award-winning online music magazine the New York Times calls “The most prominent brand in online music journalism.” With more than 4 million unique visitors each month and 500,000 visits each day, Pitchfork has one of the Web’s most loyal audiences and is considered one of the world’s most popular, trusted, and influential music publications. Starting in 2004 as Pitchfork’s first full-time employee, Chris has overseen the company’s day-to-day operations, guiding its development and growth -  the Pitchfork Music Festivals (Chicago and Paris) and Pitchfork.tv being just two of numerous success stories. Chicago’s edition of the Pitchfork Music Festival has been hailed as “one of the best, brightest ideas in Chicago rock history.” Chris has also recently led the expansion of Pitchfork’s coverage beyond the music world into the world of design and visual culture with Nothing Major and is continuously exploring new ways of reinventing how Pitchfork can push its content forward and reach music fans worldwide. He resides in Chicago with his wife and two children, working out of the company’s headquarters in Logan Square.

SATURDAY MARCH 2

10:30 AM

CHRISTINE CIKOWSKI, JOSHUA KULP

SUNDAY DINNER CLUB + HONEY BUTTER CHICKEN

“Building A Food Life”

Like many food lovers and budding cooks, Chefs Josh Kulp and Christine Cikowski wanted careers rooted in all things culinary and wanted to create a meaningful dining experience. They founded Sunday Dinner Club, an “underground restaurant”, as a solution to the grind of the standard restaurant environment and hierarchy. Eight years and hundreds of dinners later, Kulp and Cikowski have grown that dining experience into a full time business with employees, highly-structured communications, licenses, accountants, taxes and, above all, really great food! From sourcing peek seasonal ingredients direct from farmers, to exploring traditional cuisines, to serving thoughtfully composed menus to a community of diners, they have developed a workplace devoid of the trappings of the conventional restaurant. They will discuss the regulatory challenge of building a company that defies conventional processes and whose profit motive has been replaced by a quest for a sustainable food life.

Christine Cikowski and Joshua Kulp

Chefs and Owners of Sunday Dinner Club

Christine and Josh founded Sunday Dinner Club eight years ago, after graduating from Kendall College. Their multi-course dinners, served in a home setting, feature the best of what’s available from city farmers markets and often are a collaboration with other chefs, food and beverage artisans and local businesses. The food that they cook is the food they want to eat — seasonal, simple, clean but also refined and painstakingly handcrafted. In 2013 one of their popular menu items will get a restaurant space of its own. Honey Butter Fried Chicken will serve up some seriously tasty fried chicken, seasonal sides, desserts and, of course, a big ol’ dollop of honey butter.

Christine has previously cooked at Blackbird and Milk & Honey Cafe; Josh at Tweet and Restaurant Magnus (WI.) Their writings have been featured in Chicago Magazine, The Chicagoist, Ruhlman.com and on Josh’s food blog, Parcook.com

 

WORKSHOPS

Location Key:CCT       Claudia Cassidy TheaterPBH-E   Preston Bradley Hall East5M         5th Floor Millennium5W         5th Floor Washington1G          1st Floor Garland4           4th Floor Conference Room

FRIDAY MARCH 1, 2013

All Workshops last 1 hour

No Tickets, No RSVP  ~  Arrive Early to insure a seat!

10:30

Building a Professional Toolkit for Careers in the Arts

John Sisson  |  Career + Coop at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Tempestt Hazel  |  Chicago Artists Coalition, Chicago Artists Resource

Prepare for creative careers in today’s job market. We will discuss cutting edge practices for developing resumes, written materials, and online portfolios, as well as strategies for finding jobs and building networks to support and develop career paths.   PBH-E

 

Business Planning Basics

Donna Rockin  |  City Treasurer’s Office + Duman Entrepreneurship Center

Learn the components of a business plan, how to get started and where to find further resources to complete and implement it.  5M

 

Highly Effective Boards + How to Create Them

Carolyn Rusnak and Don Schwarz  |  Executive Service Corps  

An effective  board of directors starts with well-intentioned, caring and committed members, but a great one takes more than having good people.   Focus on how you can work toward creating a Board that clearly understands its role and responsibilities, is productive and strategic in its decision-making, and works together with the management team  to provide the appropriate oversight, help support your arts organization and lead its future success.  5W

 

It’s Easy to Start a Nonprofit – Here’s How

Elaine Luther  |  Chicago Metal Arts Guild

Want to start a not for profit to support your artistic endeavors?  Serve a need in the community through art, or build the community that you wish existed?  Learn from an experienced board volunteer and serial NFP founder the nuts and bolts of how to create and sustain the organization, get free legal help and stay out of trouble with the IRS.  You’ll know the steps to follow and who to call for help in creating your own organization.  1G

 

12 Noon

0 to 60 Ideation Mapping

Randy Ellis  |  Appsterdam Chicago

Chicago’s non-profit software development community Appsterdam Chicago will share highly insightful techniques and methods to take mobile/tablet/desktop ideas from your sketchpad and prepare you for the multi-billion dollar software marketplace. This interactive workshop will involve exercises, tools, and resources to future-proof your creativity for 2013 and beyond. PBH-E

 

How Artists and Arts Orgs can Gain a Voice on Radio

Tony Macaluso  | WFMT Radio Network

Shawn Campbell  |  Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP)

Insights into how artists can use radio (both locally and nationally) to help their work and ideas reach a larger audience. Learn about specific tools and opportunities that are available and gain a broader insight into how radio is evolving in the 21st century.  5M

 

Meet DCASE

Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events

Representatives from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events will discuss the new programs, performances, plans and other opportunities being offered and in development for organizations, creative industries and individual creatives in Chicago.  5W

 

Get Your Green ON!  Powerful Partnerships to Protect the Planet

Catherine Game  |  Global Alliance of Artists Environment Xchange

Chicago, the City in a Garden, is well-known for its green accomplishments.  Beyond its miles of green roofs and bike lanes lies tremendous opportunity for artists to partner with the region’s leading environmental organizations.  This panel brings together key institutions in the region – the Field Museum, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago Park District North Park Village Nature Center, and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County – to learn how to collaborate with these institutions through exhibits, performances, community work, and opportunities to teach classes and workshops. 1G

 

1:30 pm

Copycats Beware: Protecting Creative Works with Copyright and Other Intellectual Property Rights     

Kathleen M. Wilt, Attorney  |  Valauskas Corder LLC

Every creative person builds creative content.  Learn about protecting that creative content through copyright, trademark, right of publicity, patent, and trade secrets.  Also, what happens after protecting the content, specifically, licensing rights to and from other parties and enforcing rights against other parties.     PBH-E

 

Opportunities at Chicago’s Parks and Libraries

Carla Mayer and Nikki Jolly  |  Chicago Park District

Robert Sloane  |  Chicago Public Library

Learn about performance and exhibition opportunities for individuals and groups, including the Park District’s Arts Partners in Residence Program.  5M

 

Funding Options for your Art Organization

Bill Cosper and Marcia Lazar  |  Executive Service Corps

Discover practical and proven action steps to secure the funding you want for your arts organization.  5W     

 

Present Yourself with Clarity and Confidence

Mare Swallow  |  Chicago Writers Conference

“Creative” doesn’t mean “sloppy” or “carefree” — and that myth can get you in trouble.  Whether your approach is in print, online, or in person, how you present yourself and your ideas will have a large impact. Whether you’re seeking a job, internship, partnership or funding, this presentation will help you better understand how you communicate when you present yourself (or your organization), and what you can do to polish up your self-presentation – in any medium.  1G 

 

3:00 pm

Create a Fierce Facebook Page

Marissa Wasseluk  |  Community Media Workshop

Your Facebook fanpage is like a second website but is often the first contact your audience has with your brand. This intensive presentation will help you understand the basics of how to use Facebook as an extension of your brand and elevate you, your artform, and/or your organization’s presence online.                PBH-E   

 

Essentials of an Effective Arts Website    

Norman L. Lawrence, Jr.  |  Arts eVentures

Do’s and don’ts of an effective arts website – including a discussion of several live sites. The presentation will use the demo sites to show features that work well and how to fix things that are not effective.     5M

 

New Models of Operation for Greater Efficiency, Less Cost

Jo Posselt  |  Executive Service Corp 

Deb Clapp  |  League of Chicago Theaters

Jennifer Richards  |  Eighth Blackbird

Panelists discuss their successful efforts to create cost savings and greater operational efficiencies through shared services.  5W

 

Creative Placemaking in Urban Neighborhoods

Roy M. Close  |  Artspace Projects, Inc.  

An overview of Artspace’s experience in developing and operating affordable arts projects that address multiple agendas in urban neighborhoods, with examples from Chicago, Elgin, Waukegan, and other communities.    1G

 

SATURDAY MARCH 2, 2013

All Workshops last 1 hour

No Tickets, No RSVP  ~  Arrive Early to insure a seat!

10:30 am

USA Projects: We help artists fund projects

Jesse Rosen  | USA Projects

Lauren Levato  |  Funded Artist

An introduction to USAprojects.org, a non-profit site built exclusively to help artists fund their projects (almost 4 million dollars in 3 years).   PBH-E

 

How to Get Published

Robert Loerzel  |   Society of Midland Authors

Several local authors will talk about the pros and cons of different paths to published — small presses, university presses, self-publishing, Kickstarter campaigns and the traditional agent-publisher route.  1G

 

Setting Up Your Creative Business

Barry Cooper  |  Limelight Accounting

Business structure, finances, taxes, record-keeping, budgeting, and more.   4

 

12 Noon

What to Charge:  How to Price Your Work

Jane Hamill   |  Jane Hamill Consulting

Research the competition, make a pricing “formula,” find the best way to make an offer to a potential customer and the confidence to get the price you want.             CCT

 

One Stop Shop:  Raise Money, Get Covered, Find Space

Dianne Debicella, Jean Ann Douglass  |  Fractured Atlas

Connect with Fractured Atlas’ business tools and resources to… get funding, find insurance, secure work space, manage your customers, sell tickets and more.         PBH-E

 

Small Projects, Big Impact

John Carnwath and Derek Sherman | The Awesome Foundation

Janet Attarian  |  Chicago Department of Transportation

Katherine Darnstadt  |  Latent Design / Architecture for Humanity Chicago

Lindsay Obermeyer  | The Red Thread Project®

Why it’s sometimes best to think small, how to fund small projects, what challenges to expect, and what the impact of small-scale projects can be.       1G

 

Your Proposal Toolbox

Alice Feldt  |  Time Gift Artist Assistance

So much of an artist’s access to exhibitions, grants, and residencies begins with proposals.  Learn basic time management, organizational skills, the components of a successful proposal, and useful virtual tools.      4

 

1:30 pm

WordPress in a Nutshell:  your Website, Security and More

Lisa Ghisolf  |  Gizmo Design, Inc.

WordPress is an easy content management system.  Learn the basics, the dashboard, how to run a clean site, plugins, security and where you can take your site from here.      CCT

 

Don’t Get @#$%:  What Artists Should Know about Their Contracts

Travis Life  |  Life Law Office

Covering various agreements and common clauses that artists should know to protect their work and ensure payment.  PBH-E

 

Start Your Music Career the Right Way

David M. Taylor, II |  House of DT Music

Basic building blocks that artists, songwriters, and producers need to get their music careers started properly.  1G              

 

Artist as Entrepreneur:  Plan to Become a Profitable Artist

Eleanor Whitney  |  New York Foundation for the Arts

Think like an entrepreneur!   Set your mission and professional goals, identify resources and organizations to take your career to the next level, via Artspire, a program of the New York Foundation for the Arts.   4

 

3:00 pm

Kickstarter School

Stephanie Pereira  |  Kickstarter

A primer on bringing a Kickstarter project to life, with panelists Jeff Harms (musician), David Tamarkin (editor, Middlewest), and artist Lee Rosen (co-founder, Chicago the Beautiful).             CCT

 

Going Pro: Artist Development Beyond the MFA       

Mike Nourse  |  Hyde Park Art Center)

Cortney Lederer  |  Chicago Artists Coalition

Paul Klein  |  Klein Artist Works

Lynn Basa  |  University of Chicago Graham School for Continuing Studies

Chicago’s alternative paths for artist professional development can augment or substitute for an MFA.   Learn about options from HPAC, the Chicago Artists Coalition, Klein Artist Works, and the Vis Certificate Program at UChicago’s Graham School.     PBH-E

 

Working with SAG AFTRA Low Budget Film Agreements

Kathy Byrne  | SAG-AFTRA

Learn how to use professional actors in shorts, student and feature films for free or low cost.     1G

 

For Profit as the Future: Why Nonprofit Must Die

Dan Abbate  |  Gorilla Tango Theater

The CEO and Owner of Gorilla Tango on why arts organizations and creative endeavors must become for-profit to thrive in today’s environment.      4