On Thursday January 26th The Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship (IAE) will be teaming up with WBEZ’s new project Front & Center to host a resource fair for the self employed, small businesses, start-ups, and freelancers.

Mini seminars and presentations will run through out the evening at the fabulous Catalyst Ranch located at 656 W Randolph St # 3W in the Polka Room.

Mini Seminar Topics Include: 

Entrepreneurship 101
Presented by Institute For Arts Entrepreneurship

Receiving small loans as an independent worker
Presented Accion Micro Lending

Doing your taxes as a freelancer, small business owner, or independent
Presented by Center for Economic Progress

Create. Innovate. Repeat: featuring 4 fabulous presenters, 7 slides and just 5 minutes each to pitch their most innovative business idea to you.
Presented by Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship.

Partial List of Participants Include:

Co-Lab Evanston providers of shared office spaces.

Northside Freelancers Network  who can help you connect to the growing Chicago self-employed community. Make sure to ask them about their weekly “freelancers soup” lunch.

Accion will be on hand to discuss how to get a  micro-loans to jump start your own business.

Northside Community Bank can help you find funding for your small, local project.

IndieMade is itself a small business. They create websites for independents, artist, small businesses, and start-up projects.

Rockstar CPA offers CPA services specifically geared towards the self-employed, with a specialty in creative projects.

The Law Project offer affordable legal resources for freelancers, independents, and small businesses, such as creating contracts, negotiating pay, etc.

Chicago! Come on out and celebrate self-employment with us! We hope to see you on January 26th.

Fair begins at 6pm @ Catalyst Ranch  656 W Randolph St # 3W, in the Polka Room

There is still time to get your ticket to The Chicago Michigan Avenue TEDx on Saturday May 7th at Symphony Center in Chicago.

The big question: How can we make changes to our industry to support the arts? Where do we begin and what will that future industry look like? David Zoltan will play host to people from all over the arts industry to answer these questions and more. Join him on May 7th, 2011 at The Symphony Center, “Club 8″ for his TedX talk. Together we can
create solutions and evolve!

8:00am – Registration and Welcome

9:00am-10:30am – First Group
David Zoltan, Organizer – Welcome
Seth Boustead - Executive Director, Access Contemporary Music
Gwydion Suilebhan – Playwright
Drew McManus – Orchestra consultant

10:30am-11:00am – 30 minute break

11:00am-12:30pm – Second Group
David Dombrosky - Executive Director, Center for Arts Management and Technology
Scott Walters – Director, Center for Rural Arts Development and Leadership Education
Lisa Canning – Founder, The Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship

12:30pm-1:30pm – 60 minute lunch break

1:30pm-3:00pm – Third Group
Ian David Moss – Arts Policy Wonk at Createquity.com
Crystal Hall, Adam Marks, Melissa Snoza – Fifth House Ensemble
Tom Tresser- arts and business consultant, arts policy activist
Adam Thurman – Director of Marketing, Court Theatre

3:00pm-3:30pm – 30 minute break

3:30pm-5:00pm – Fourth Group
David J. Loehr – Playwright and co-founder of 2amtheatre.com
Julie Ritchey - Artistic Director, Filament Theatre Ensemble
Eric Ziegenhagen – Artist and funding consultant

Click here to purchase tickets to this event!

The Art of Science Learning, a project of The Learning Worlds Institute, explores ways in which the arts can help improve how people of all ages learn the sciences. Hands-on, imaginative approaches to science education, using many of the methods used in the creative arts, have been shown to attract and retain young people in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (sometimes known as the STEM disciplines).

Responding to concerns that the U.S. risks lagging behind other nations (See “Bridging the Innovation Gap”) in both the scientific literacy and the innovative capacity of its workforce, the Art of Science Learning is convening scientists, artists, educators, business leaders, researchers and policymakers in three conferences in Spring 2011 to explore how the arts can be engaged to strengthen STEM skills and spark creativity in the 21st-Century American workforce.

The Conferences are hands-on, workshop-oriented events that will showcase interdisciplinary methods and techniques used by educators and artists, share the results of current research into the impact of arts-based approaches to science education, and explore the connection between the arts and American economic competitiveness.

May 16-17 Chicago: The Illinois Institute of Technology

Early Bird Registration $199 Now Extended Through Fri April 22

June 14-15 San Diego: CALIT2
California Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology (CALIT2) at the University of California San Diego, in collaboration with the San Diego Science Alliance

Early Bird Registration $199 Through May 2

April 6-7 Washington DC:  The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

Stay tuned for presentations, reports, resources and forums to be posted shortly on the very successful Washington DC Conference.

The conferences are open to all. Three working groups formed at the conferences will develop the key deliverables of the initiative: an online knowledge base for science educators working in all forums and media, a research agenda for future quantitative studies, and a workforce development report connecting the arts education and corporate perspectives in making actionable policy recommendations on the use of arts-based learning for a competitive 21st-Century STEM workforce.

The Learning Worlds Institute acknowledges major funding for The Art of Science Learning from The National Science Foundation

In addition, the Learning Worlds Institute thanks the sponsors and national partners of The Art of Science Learning for their contributions.

Sponsors of The Art of Science Learning include:
The American Association for the Advancement of Science
The Seed Media Group.
National Partners include:
American Association of Museums
Americans for the Arts
The Association of Science-Technology Centers

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0943769. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Emerging Chicago artists give a sneak peek into their artistic practice; an evaluating panel of three successful arts entrepreneurs round out this American Idol-inspired show!

03.01.2011– Chicago–Interactive audience participation is at the heart of this new, fast-paced emerging artist show and tell, called The Bite-Size Variety Hour.

Presented by the Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship, seven emerging artists have seven minutes each to show their work and tell their story: What’s their art all about? How do they share it with the world? Where have they been, and where are they going? Are they as creative as their art?

The Bite Size-Variety Hour channels “American Idol” by including a panel of three arts entrepreneurs who will give on the spot feedback on the artists’ branding. The audience is also encouraged to tell artists what they liked, what they missed, or offer other creative ways they can present their work. Artists receive encouraging and actionable feedback on their branding, while broadening their audience and perfecting their pitch.

Utilizing an innovative format, the Bite-Size Variety Hour replicates the experience of a “live-studio audience,” complete with cameras, MC, and cash bar. Presenting artists share their “branding,” are ‘judged’ by expert panelists, and ‘voted on’ by the audience. In the Bite-Size Variety Hour, all the artists are ‘winners’ — each will come away with a better sense of themselves and their work, and the audience gets an inside look at the entire artistic process, from creation to marketing, while realizing their own creative business skills.

For more information on the Bite Size Variety Hour, visit http://www.instituteforartsentrepreneurship.com/Bite-Size_Variety_Hour.html or contact Peter Weathers at Peter@TheIAE.com or call The IAE at 773.756.2163

WHEN: Tuesday, March 8, 7:00 pm

WHERE: The Greenhouse Theater Center, downstairs main stage, 2257 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL TICKETS: $5.00 at the door; tickets may be purchased in advance at http://bite-sizevarietyhour.eventbrite.com/

ABOUT THE EXPERT PANELISTS:

KHARI B, the Discopoet, celebrates his love of poetry through music. He left architectural engineering studies to focus on performing poetry while working a day job in the non-profit sector, and has since successfully carved out a career in the live music scene. Khari B has worked with the AACM Jazz organization; was featured in the Illinois Arts Council’s “Meet the Composer” program and Sons d’hiver Festival in Paris. He has also hosted open mic nights at the Spoken Word Café in Bronzeville and held writing workshops at the Boulevard Arts Center, Ravinia Festival Program and Purdue University. One part rocker, one part disco and one part an academic free spirit, Khari B is the founder and lead performer of the group ‘The Rockstar Poetry Project.’

STEPHANIE HOWELL is a theater practitioner and performance artist whose work is based in identity, the performance of fatness, body politics, and burlesquing the body. She is a Visiting Instructor at the College of Communication at DePaul University. At DePaul she has had the opportunity to teach various classes such as Performing Culture, Performing Literature, Intercultural Communication, Autoethnographic Performance, Performance Art, and LGBT Civil Rights.

REID HYAMS has over 35 years of in depth professional experience in music, recording and music business related industries. Reid is a performing artist, published author, previous faculty member and administrative staff at Columbia College, and founder and owner of an award winning multiple recording studio complex, Chicago Trax Recording. Reid is currently a co-founder and the Vice-President of EARS (Engineering and Recording Society of Chicago). Hyams has extensive business, administrative, academic and entrepreneurial skills in the music industry. Presently, Hyams has taken on a management / consulting position at one of the award winning state of the art Recording Studios in Chicago.

ABOUT THE ARTIST-PRESENTERS:

FOTIOS ZEMENIDES, is a Chicago based artist who primarily works as a painter, printmaker and sculptor. He earned his BFA at DePaul and his MFA at the American Academy of Art. As the very essence of social justice was ingrained into his being from a young age, his intended goal is to create art that forces the viewer to question the way of things and ask difficult moral and ethical questions of themselves. Via the Beverly Arts Center, he acts as an outreach art instructor for underprivileged youth in Chicago’s South Side and is a staunch advocate for increased government subsidy of art education. Fzemenides@aol.com http://www.fotioszemenides.blogspot.com/

NICOLE HARRY is an experienced designer specializing in both interior and jewelry design. Currently, Ms. Harry operates Nicole Designs All, an independent firm dedicated to create unique jewelry and magnificent interior spaces. nicoledesignsall@gmail.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicole-Designs-All

ELI ELY, The Peoples Variety host and producer. elimazursky@gmail.com www.thepeoplesvariety.com

TIFFANY GHOLAR is a lifelong resident of Chicago, Illinois. Gholar’s newest series, Post-Consumerism, explores the principles of design using found object assemblages. She studied art as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago and interior design at Harrington College of Design and has a Masters Degree in Painting from Governors State University. tiffany@tiffanygholar.com www.tiffanygholar.com

ERIC MALMQUIST lives, performs, and composes in Chicago, Illinois. He is a founding member of the Chicago-based Sissy-Eared Mollycoddles (SEMC) New Music Ensemble, and the founder of S O N G (Singers On New Ground), a group dedicated to contemporary American art song. emalmqui@gmail.com http://ericmalmquist.wordpress.com/

CORA VASSER is a graduate of Second City’s Writing Program. Along with Jaclyn Sorci, Cora is the co-founder of Girls in Glasses Productions. Cora is also a screenwriter and novelist who has trained with Steve Kaplan, Philippa Burgess of Creative Convergence, Laurie Scheer of Flashpoint Academy, and been read by The Gersh Agency in LA. cora.vasseur@gmail.com http://coracoco.wordpress.com

IRVIN ALMONTE’s paintings focus principally on exploring the power of music as an agent of human emotions and psyche. He is self-trained and considers his formative years to have been integral in his visual aesthetic. irvinalmonte@gmail.com http://www.irvinalmonte.com/

About The Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship

The Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship™ is a two-year program to teach artists how to earn a living. With a curriculum that combines experiential learning, mentorship and a personalized classroom environment that provides one-on-one time with the faculty of successful artist-entrepreneurs, artists are taught how to build their own arts based business while still in school. Founded by 25-year business veteran and serial artistic entrepreneur Lisa Canning, The Institute is based on her enthusiasm for the new wave of whole-brain thinking and the firm belief that the arts –and artists—can and must be allowed to contribute to the world’s financial recovery. Enrollment is limited to 45 students. Applications are available online to apply for the institute. There is no age limit for enrollment and the requirements to apply simply include artistic excellence and a desire to be self- sufficient. For more information about the school, go to www.TheIAE.com.

Written by Tom Tresser http://www.tresser.com

President Obama delivered his 2011 State of The Union address on January 25. It was 69 minutes long and contained 7,445 words.

Three of those words were “innovation.” “Science” was mentioned three times. “Education” was mentioned five times.

Here are the relevant passages:

“China is not waiting to revamp its economy.  Germany is not waiting.  India is not waiting.  These nations — they’re not standing still.  These nations aren’t playing for second place.  They’re putting more emphasis on math and science.  They’re rebuilding their infrastructure.  They’re making serious investments in clean energy because they want those jobs.  Well, I do not accept second place for the United States of America.”

“We need to encourage American innovation.  Last year, we made the largest investment in basic research funding in history — an investment that could lead to the world’s cheapest solar cells or treatment that kills cancer cells but leaves healthy ones untouched.  And no area is more ripe for such innovation than energy.  You can see the results of last year’s investments in clean energy -– in the North Carolina company that will create 1,200 jobs nationwide helping to make advanced batteries; or in the California business that will put a thousand people to work making solar panels.”

“We need to invest in the skills and education of our people. Now, this year, we’ve broken through the stalemate between left and right by launching a national competition to improve our schools.  And the idea here is simple:  Instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success.  Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform — reform that raises student achievement; inspires students to excel in math and science; and turns around failing schools that steal the future of too many young Americans, from rural communities to the inner city.  In the 21st century, the best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education. And in this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than on their potential.

When we renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we will work with Congress to expand these reforms to all 50 states.  Still, in this economy, a high school diploma no longer guarantees a good job.  That’s why I urge the Senate to follow the House and pass a bill that will revitalize our community colleges, which are a career pathway to the children of so many working families.”

“That’s the leadership that we are providing –- engagement that advances the common security and prosperity of all people. We’re working through the G20 to sustain a lasting global recovery.  We’re working with Muslim communities around the world to promote science and education and innovation.  We have gone from a bystander to a leader in the fight against climate change. We’re helping developing countries to feed themselves, and continuing the fight against HIV/AIDS.  And we are launching a new initiative that will give us the capacity to respond faster and more effectively to bioterrorism or an infectious disease -– a plan that will counter threats at home and strengthen public health abroad.”

I’m not too inspired.

Presidents have been throwing the word “innovation” into their State of the Union addresses for decades.  But we really don’t have a coherent or powerful innovation policy, program or mindset.

Thomas Kuczmarski,  a Chicago-based innovation consultant, wrote an op-ed for Business week in March of 2009, “An Innovation Action Plan for Obama” where he called for, among other things, Innovation Booster Grants, Innovation Awards, special tax credits, innovation training, a special innovation fund and a cabinet level Secretary of Innovation.

The Athena Alliance,  a nonprofit organization dedicated to public education and research on the global information economy, based in Washington, DC, published a white paper in December 2008, “Crafting an Obama Innovation Policy” with a long list of significant short-term and long term investments.

We’re still waiting on most of these suggestions to take place.

Business leaders have been calling on America to get more creative and to boost its innovation chops for years.

Charts like this showing that the United States is no where near the top of any global educational achievement measures are becoming depressingly familiar.

I have a different path to innovation and keeping America competitive and prosperous.

I would argue that the arts are the pathway to broadening  and deepening America’s creative muscles.

I would argue that teaching the arts at every level of education would be an excellent way to build our collective creative capacities.

I would argue that having America’s children proficient in the arts – be it music, theater, design, computer coding, architecture, singing or painting would build skills needed for a robust economy and would also strengthen our communities.

So as the President and his team put together the federal budget for 2011 and beyond. I would say that one way to achieve this goal of getting to a creative America would be to fund the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities at one billion dollars each. Let the Department of Education be funded to enable states to pass funds to local school districts to hire artists to teach the arts full-time. Let’s make sure every community has a place where people can go to learn about and make art.

Remember the mysterious figure of “Deep Throat” from All The President’s Men? He was coaching the young reporter trying to unravel the Watergate Break-in cover-up. “Follow the money.” He said. I agree.

If you want a creative, more innovative America we’re going to need citizens who are literate, inquisitive, open-minded and creative. That’s going to cost. Let’s follow the money and see if the President puts our money where his mouth is.

Tom Tresser is an organizer, educator and strategic planning consultant. He was the Green Party candidate for Cook County Board President in the November 2010 election.

Yes, that’s right. I am speaking on a panel right after George Bush. Regardless of your politics, being asked to speak on a panel following the last President of the United States is an honor I will for the first time experience. What is an even bigger thrill is being able to finally see a clear path emerge for my passion of helping artists develop the skills they need to sustain their creativity for life. It has been 4 years of hard work to finally find the footing I need to get this engine started but its finally running as you can see from the increased recognition I am receiving. Are your passionate pursuits producing the results you want?

While I knew when I started this adventure that all good things come to those who work hard and can successfully navigate the long road of the mine field without blowing themselves up, there is no doubt this is the challenging work of an entrepreneurial leader. (But I can finally see all my hard work is leading me towards my goals in tangible concrete ways, which includes a trip to Algeria next week. But I can’t ( still) tell you explicitly about it until the press release is released in early December.) There is so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, truly. I feel surrounded by abundance. Do you?

A long time ago, my father taught me a very valuable lesson: Keep Your Eye on The Ball. That’s right. You have to know what to focus on and be able to sustain your focus on it to reach your goal. You need different “tools” to do this through out your journey too to accomplish this. And without the right skills this is next to impossible to do. But the reason I wanted to create The Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship in the first place was to help YOU develop the skills you need to take your anywhere in life you wish to go– just as I have been able to. I am telling you– there is NOTHING better in life than being able to make your ideas come to life.

Now I know not every artist will be willing to work as hard as I have to realize a dream. But if you are, then I am talking to you when I say: let me assure you it is far less risky and easier to do with support. At The IAE, we support you with a team of arts entrepreneurs as teachers, access to start up capital, individual mentorship and being surrounded by students just like you who will support your growth and development. Think of what you will be able to accomplish with these kinds of resources! Gosh, I wish there was a school just like the IAE when I was beginning my first business (also known as an (ad)venture.) I wonder where I would now be if there had been?

So, if YOU want to be the CAPTAIN OF YOUR SHIP and forever more be in control of your day and where your creative and artistic gifts can take you, then I am asking you to join me. Please apply now to The IAE.

Chuck Canning, my husband, learning how to navigate a houseboat on our recent boating vacation in Florida

Take your long holiday weekend to download our application and fill it out and mail it in. Your ship has come in to take you out for your own adventure and we are here to help you realize your own hopes and dreams.

Our biggest scholarships will be given to early applicants. Why? Because we want to reward those who take a risk. It’s easy to choose to come to a school once its trendy and cool. But we want our first class of students, and every class thereafter, to come because they simply have to take the risk now and can’t wait a moment longer to begin to build their own successful adventure.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What beauty will you find on your adventure?

Where can your leadership take you and what can you discover?

About The 2011 World Leaders Forum
Judson University is proud to present the inaugural World Leaders Forum, featuring President George W. Bush and a panel of accomplished entrepreneurs with global impact. This annual event will bring recognized world leaders to the Judson University campus each year with the intent to inspire and ignite a flame of leadership for all who attend. All proceeds this year will be donated to the Entrepreneurship Studies Endowment Fund. Please join the Judson Community as we endeavor to educate tomorrow’s business leaders and build greatness in the lives of Judson students. JOIN US!

REGISTER NOW, for the best pricing and best seats! Early Bird Pricing ends November 30, 2010. All Tickets are Tax Deductible (see ticket pricing for details).

Let’s Do it Again! Gosh, I am so pumped up by the energy I am finding all over Chicago for getting into a NEW mindset that screams “Let’s create something FRESH and NEW together!”  My new assistant, Jess Kaswiner, has her machete out and is cutting down the networking fields in Chicago and mining for Out of The Box thinkers. And she is finding them!

Are you one?

Come and hang out with us at Create. Innovate. Repeat. on October 21st from 7 to 9pm @ ING Direct Cafe on 21 E Chestnut here in Chicago.  At C.I.R. Artists and Entrepreneurs unite. We all are innovators in our own ways. Let’s get together and prove that we can achieve the impossible. Come share ideas, projects, and meet a group of like minded new friends.

It’s free, but you need a ticket because Create.Innovate.Repeat is a private event after hours at the cafe.

P.S. The last few times we have picked in advance a few speakers. Not this time. We think spontaneous presentations will be even more fun. We have a bunch of creative networking games, food, drinks and great conversation planned. Come join us!

We love our sponsors and we hope you do to! This event is made possible thanks to:

EFT Students will soon be here in Chicago. They are coming for a 12 week residency at The IAE which begins September 20th.

I just hung up from my skype call with the director of The Ensemble Free Theater Norway, Brendan McCall. For those of you who were unaware, EFTN is an independent company based in Oslo,Norway. It was founded by American director & choreographer Brendan McCall.

Beginning on August 30th 2010, EFTN  launched a 28-week international theater immersion program. EFTN will be in New York first and then come here to Chicago beginning September 20th for a 12-week residency with The IAE.  I will meet the ensemble in New York City to see the show they will be performing the weekend of September 17th.

When EFTN comes to Chicago, all of their classes will be held at The Greenhouse Theater Center.  Greenhouse Theater is one of  The IAE’s fabulous new strategic partners as well as a sponsor.

Currently, EFTN is helping to co-produce the Norwegian premiere of Discover Love, created & performed by the Belarus Free Theater of Minsk, and performing at Det Norske Teatret in Oslo.  This event is being co-produced by the Norwegian Helsinki Committee´s presentation of its Andrey Sakharov Freedom Award 2010.

In addition, EFTN is writing and developing 6 original site-specific theater works in Aaron Landsman´s Appointment series, which will they will be performing with drama students of New York University´s Tisch School of the Arts. These are the shows I will be seeing later this month.  Appointment is a  unique approach to theater which is designed for viewing by a single audience member. SO that means each show is for only one person at a time. How interesting and fun.  This performance at NYU was featured in an article in the New York Times in July of this year. Pretty cool for EFTN to be collaborating on it with them.

I can hardly wait to have them here. The entire ensemble is going to create an entry for The IAE’s 1st Sustainable Creativity Visual Arts Competition too. How cool is that.

Calling all visual artists!

Psst..Hey, I am hungry for some good conversation? How about you?

Regardless of the differences in our backgrounds, entrepreneurs and artists are visionaries. We all want to make a difference, create and be innovative. Isn’t it cool to try and prove that creating the “impossible” isn’t that hard to do? But in these turbulent times I certainly feel I  can’t do it alone! What about you?

We all need to get out of our own little worlds and find some new fresh resources  to help us get further, faster, down the road…

We’re back Thur, August 19th and then off until October. (It might even be cold weather by then!)

So COME to our Create.Innovate.Repeat. networking night!

WHEN: Thursday August 19th from 7-9 pm

WHERE: ING DIRECT Cafe Chicago @ 21 East Chestnut in Chicago.

WHY? Connect yourself with other local artists and entrepreneurs who might be of service in helping you realize your next big idea.  And did we mention free food and drink?

WHAT: Throughout the night, we’ll be encouraging a small group of local artists and business owners to get up and share their creativity in a format inspired by the popular PechaKucha networking nights.  You’ll have ten slides and five minutes (there WILL be a gong this time, so be warned) to share your art, your business, or just a cool idea for the community that you think is worth putting out into the world.  It’s a great way to find out what’s going on in the local world around you and how you might get involved as quickly as possible!

Grab up to 4 RSVP’s for you and your friends! The more the merrier!

Create.Innovate.Repeat. is presented by the Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship, a school designed to help you turn your creativity into a living.  Find out more about the IAE at www.TheIAE.com.

Urban Gateways: Center for Arts Education is a nonprofit organization that provides multicultural literary, performing, visual and media arts programs for children, teachers, and parents in the Chicago metropolitan area.  For nearly 50 years, its goal has been to improve the quality of education for children by incorporating the arts into their daily lives. Urban Gateways programs create shared and lasting experiences that strive to connect participants to their individual culture, to community, and to their creative potential.

Program Coordinator –  Artists-in-Residence

Urban Gateways is seeking to fill the position of Program Coordinator – Artists-in-Residence.  In partnership with the Program Manager, the Program Coordinator – Artists-in-Residence will manage all aspects of the Artists-In-Residence Program with particular emphasis on programming during the school day.  The position is heavily defined by coordinating and scheduling tasks aimed at orchestrating artists’ residencies in schools and communities.  The optimal candidate will possess a deep curiosity and interest in the unique roles that artists play in these settings.  Potential candidates should have interest in and familiarity with the fields of teaching artistry and contemporary art, visiting artist residency models, arts partnerships, teacher/artist collaborations, and navigating the cultures of schools and communities.  He/She will be familiar with the basic principles of artistic process and must show a willingness to serve as a detail-oriented liason willing to take the lead on nurturing strong relationships between Urban Gateways, artists, and our schools and community partners.

Essential duties and responsibilities

• Develop, coordinate, and realize all aspects of Artists-In-Residence program.  This includes working with artists and potential partners to develop individualized residencies, coordinating artists’ schedules, creating budgets, executing service agreements and preparing contracts.
• Market and promote Urban Gateways and the Artists-In-Residence program in partnership with other members of the UG staff by maintaining an active role in the local arts, arts education, education, and youth development communities.
• Assist in the assessment of the success of individual residencies and the Artists-In-Residence program by executing program and residency evaluations.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated professional experience with the coordination of arts educational programming
• Bachelors degree in the arts or related field of study
• Strong administrative, interpersonal, oral and written communication skills
• Ability to prioritize and multi-task
• Sensitivity toward and ability to collaborate and work with diverse populations

Competitive salary with excellent benefits. Regular evening hours; occasional extended hours. Position requires some local travel; car preferred. 

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should send cover letter and resume to Jill LeCesne Potter, Director of Education, at hr@urbangateways.org. No phone calls please.

Flourish Studios and the Institute For Arts Entrepreneurship™ welcome PR Chicago owner Toni Antonetti as the next installment in the Flourish Artisan Program Speaker Series.  Toni will be pulling from her more than 20 years of experience in marketing and public relations to share with visual artists strategies on How to Promote Yourself On A Shoestring Budget.  This event takes place on Thursday, Aug. 12 at 7 pm.  Registration is $10 for general public or free for participants in the Flourish Artisan Program.

Knowing how to market yourself is a skill that can make or break your business, whether you’re in the early stages of developing your creative concept or you’ve been running a company for 20 years.  With the marketplace constantly shifting and new technologies changing the playing field every day, Toni has honed in on some basic, timeless tools and concepts that can get your name and your work in front of the right people without breaking the bank.

Toni Antonetti started PR Chicago back in 1987 after stints at some major Midwest PR and ad agencies and a trade magazine. Her work in consumer and B2B PR includes projects and campaigns for hundreds of top U.S. corporations, including 7-Eleven. Among other things, she’s done case history interviews at construction sites, the behind-the-scenes media relations work for a now-historic product crisis and PR for the Chicago Marathon. Toni is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, the Word-of-Mouth Marketing Association, and a director of the PRConsultants Group.

The Flourish Artisan Program is a joint effort between Flourish Studios and the Institute For Arts Entrepreneurship™ and offers Chicago-based visual artists a brick and mortar home and training to help expand their creative brand.  The Institute For Arts Entrepreneurship™ offers a host of monthly programs and workshops for artistic entrepreneurs of all disciplines and experience levels.  To find out more about the variety of classes and how to apply for the Flourish Artisan Program, visit www.TheIAE.com.

Flourish Studios is located at 3020 N Lincoln Ave., Chicago. To register for this event online, visit www.ICanFlourish.com or register by phone at 773.281.8140.

Norway Free Theater Group Collaborates with The Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship to Offer 12-Week Program in Chicago

The Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship welcomes the Norway-based Ensemble Free Theater (EFT) to Chicago for a 12-week residency that will feature courses in directing, playwriting, movement and composition. Artistic director Brendan McCall in collaboration with the IAE and its founder, Lisa Canning, will lead the program, which starts this fall. Students from Norway also will be creating and developing original works to premiere on the Chicago stage at the Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln, Chicago and Gorilla Tango Theater, 1919 N. Milwaukee, Chicago.

“We’re thrilled to be able to accept the invitation of an organization on the forefront of arts education like the Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship.” McCall said. “The opportunity to bring our students to the U.S. to experience Chicago’s culture will be immensely helpful to their creative development and we’re looking forward to bringing our own experiences to the community, as well.”

McCall is an actor, director and choreographer whose work has been presented internationally. He has taught at the Yale School of Drama, New York University, New School for Drama and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, among others.

The Ensemble Free Theater company is a new program that emphasizes the importance of true collaboration among theater artists. While the curriculum is primarily focused on theatrical works, the EFT encourages interdisciplinary projects that include film, dance, photography and music.

“Collaborating with the EFT was a no-brainer,” Canning said. “Brendan McCall’s work is so relevant to the mission of the IAE. Like the EFT, we encourage provocative new works and creative career paths with a focus on an interdisciplinary curriculum.”

EFT classes will be conducted primarily at the Greenhouse Theatre Center and will be held Monday through Friday during the day for approximately 25 hours a week. The total tuition cost for the 12-week program is $4,500. Courses will be taught by McCall in conjunction with guest artist workshops conducted by IAE founder and musician Lisa Canning, musician, composer and author David Cutler; actress Amanda Leigh Cobb; actor and playwright Aaron Landsman and filmmaker and playwright Laura Lynn MacDonald.

“The IAE has offered us a great opportunity to encourage artists on the rise by premiering the new works of the Ensemble Free Theater program,” says Jenifer Kincaid, General Manager of the Greenhouse Theater Center. “We truly believe in the development of artists and the effect they can have in the community.”

For more information on this residency and all of the workshops and programs offered by the Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship, visit www.theiae.com. For more information about the applying for the Ensemble Free Theater program, contact lisa@theiae.com or call 773-756-2163.

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You may remember some posts from many moons ago under the Produce Yourself! label.  They were designed to be a step by step process in the art of self producing your own independent theatre…from idea generation to the theatrical process to marketing and beyond.  Well Produce Yourself is back, albeit in an even more intensive, real-world form.  The IAE is holding our first Produce Yourself workshop on Saturday, August 7th from 12-3 pm at the Gorilla Tango Theatre in Wicker Park, focused specifically around the idea of figuring out how to get an audience into the door and keep them invested in your work long after they leave.

I think that’s a question we don’t really consider often enough as we’re assembling our marketing plans.  As a creator, I’m a proponent of momentum…if I’m going to the trouble of building up a hubub about my current project, it seems foolish not to try and stay connected to my audience after they leave the theatre and parlay the buzz and their obvious initiative to buy tickets into my next show.  But how do you do that?  Is that a social networking thing, is it building an e-mail list, is it block booking shows?  Honestly, it could be any number of things depending on your project, and we’re going to be asking all those questions and more in the workshop.

The other thing I’ve noticed a lot in the Chicago independent theatre community is a certain expectation that you don’t need to find an audience because they’ll find you.  If anything, we have an even more uphill battle in this community because of the glut of comedy and small theatrical productions all vying for a few regular theatre-going audience members.  In this workshop, we’re going to look into targeting your show to a particular audience…maybe one that doesn’t even know they WANT to go out and see theatre.  Performing for your friends and family is great, but the real satisfaction of creating is in sharing your brilliance with people who don’t already know you’re brilliant.  I’m assuming everyone reading this is brilliant.  That’s correct, isn’t it?

We’re going to have a packed 3 hours on August 7th, and I hope to see many of you there.  Because of our relationship with the Gorilla Tango Theatre and their amazing relationship with independent producers in the community, the workshop is free for select Gorilla Tango producers who are currently working on shows or have shows coming up.  If you are a producer putting on a show at the theatre, inquire with Gorilla Tango if you’re eligible to come to this workshop for free.  General registration is $50 and you can enroll online at produceyourself.eventbrite.com or by calling the IAE at 773-756-2163.

If you have any questions about the workshop or aren’t sure if it’s right for you, feel free to e-mail me directly at Shawn@TheIAE.com and we can chat.  Asking questions is a good thing!

It’s time for artists and entrepreneurs to unite once again!  At our last Create.Innovate.Repeat. event, we met a lot of brand new faces from the Chicago community who all shared one important quality: no matter their craft, business or big idea, they knew they couldn’t do it alone.

It’s easy to get sucked into the social vacuum of the Internet and be fooled into thinking you’re making actual connections.  I spend as much time on Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz and the blogosphere as anyone (let’s be honest, probably moreso…it’s an obsession), but the bulk of those connections aren’t technically real.  The thread connecting me to many of the people who I communicate with is an invisible, digital one…and at the end of the day, that can’t hold a candle to looking someone in the eye and shaking their hand.

That’s why we created Create.Innovate.Repeat. to begin with…to facilitate more of those handshakes.  This time, we’ve teamed up with the ING DIRECT Cafe Chicago in downtown Chicago to host a free night of networking and presenting designed to bolster your real world contacts and make connections that could prove invaluable as you continue building your business or brand.  We’ve been inspired by the PechaKucha networking nights (if you’re unfamiliar, look it up…they have a great following) to do our own form of show and tell for adults.  We have ten presenters lined up, representing an assortment of artists and entrepreneurs from all over Chicago, who each have 10 slides and 5 minutes to share the art or business concept that drives them.  From them, you might find inspiration…you might find a way to get involved with a new project…or you might find a partner that you never knew existed who could provide a mutually beneficial team-up opportunity.  Check out the list below to get a taste of who’s presenting…and we still have a slot or two open, so if you’re interested in being one of these folks, e-mail me at Shawn@TheIAE.com and I’ll get you set up.

Again, the event is totally free, but registration is recommended.  Go to createinnovaterepeat.eventbrite.com to RSVP for yourself and up to 3 friends…and pass the link along to anyone else you know who might be interested.  We’ll have free cafe drinks, courtesy of the ING DIRECT cafe, and snacks to make sure you’ve got energy for some intense networking.  The event takes place Thursday, June 10th from 7-9 pm.  The ING DIRECT Cafe Chicago is located at 21 East Chestnut Street.

We’ll have social networking stations onhand so you can connect with people online as you talk to them in person, but don’t forget to bring a few business cards just in case!  And come say hi to me, I’ll be the bald guy wearing lots of No More Starving Artist buttons…because we could all use a few more passionate entrepreneurial cohorts, right?

As we’ve been getting applications for our Bite-Size Arts Ensemble summer program and talking to potential students, we’ve heard from many people that a 12 week program seemed like a really long time.  And while you could certainly argue that it is, these comments and questions made us consider something that is often overlooked in the way that schools roll out their curriculum: people learn at different speeds.

In the spirit of the flexibility that we encourage all of our students to have, we’ve added two additional sections of Bite-Size Arts Ensemble summer programming to meet different needs.  You can find out all about our full curriculum over on the Bite-Size page at theIAE.com, but I wanted to give you a little breakdown about the differences between these new programs.  Now, in addition to a 12 week program that meets once a week, we have a 6 week program that meets twice a week and a 1 week intensive that meets for five days in a row.

There are advantages to all of them, depending on how you learn.  Take a look:

If you’re ready to jump right in, learn the tools and get to creating your own business, we recommend the One Week Intensive.  You’ll spend a full week in all-day classes breaking down the tools and making rapidfire choices as you develop your full length show to premiere at the end of the course.  The speed of the course forces you to push past any hesitancy and dive head first into your ideas and is a great jumpstart to get ideas flowing for a new project or business concept in a short period of time.

If you prefer to let your ideas simmer a little longer, we recommend the Six Week Experience.  With twice-a-week meetings, you’ll have more time to synthesize the concepts and revise your creative ideas as you go.  The extended time will also give you more access to our instructors and will put more emphasis on the development of the 45-minute solo workshop.

If you’re just stepping into the world of arts entrepreneurship but know that you want to develop a business idea, we recommend the Twelve Week Experience.  You’ll meet once a week for three hours, which is perfect for full-time employees or students looking to develop a new business on a more paced schedule.  The Twelve Week Experience will also culminate in two community performances of your final show and workshop.

So what kind of learner are you?  Are you ready to rumble and want to learn the tools so you can move into your business?  Or do you like to have a little time to let your ideas settle in as you conceptualize?  Sound off in the comments below!

And if you think you’re ready to join us for one of our summer sessions, you can apply for the Bite-Size Arts Ensemble right now by filling out our Online Application.  We’re even offering a 20% discount for readers of the blog.  Just use the discount code “icanflourish” and they’ll get you set up.

Trust me, it’s going to be fun.

Have you been to Artist Gumbo?  If the answer is no, you really should, because you’re missing some amazing talent…such as Kay Kron, a Chicago slam poet who is a neverending well of word-spinning enjoyment.  Kay, I welcome you to use that as a quote on the back of a future album or book.  At the March Artist Gumbo, Kay premiered a brand new piece that was inspired by our No More Starving Artists cause, and we wanted to share it with our readers in the hopes that you can be as inspired as we were.  While we really think you should see it live (find out more about Artist Gumbo at the bottom of the post so that you don’t miss stuff like this again), this will have to do for now.

———————-

Lady Gaga and the Starving Artist
by Kay Kron

There is thousands of dollars worth of lighting equipment

tinting the stage purple and amber

fiery rain drop spark showers are timed to go off

when the beat drops

the backup dancers smell like sweat and melting lip stick

when the audience leaves they’ll be covered in glitter

and other peoples fluids

And in some dressing room

looking into a mirror streaked with hair spray

you are going through whatever mysterious magic

shit you do before hitting the stage

Lady Gaga.

At this moment you are in Vegas – the city that stopped

the Colorado River from reaching the Atlantic with all its

bright desert oasis splendor

While I- I am in Skokie preparing for today’s third performance

of The Emperors New Clothes

the venue- Carter’s Elementary School, cafeteria

the audience- K-5

the set- pbc pipe and paint on canvas

we are not lucky- there is no circulation to speak of

and the ultra violet behind yellowing plastic

makes us look like we have malaria

During our last show a kid puked on stage

8 times, tried to run out and did the splits in his own

vomit with a little squeak. We kept going.

The crazy thing about good art is how fully so many people

identify with it and I know you get this a lot Lady Gaga

but I love comparing the two of us

both 23 year old artist blond girls in America coming from

privilege writing perverted poetry and seeking shelter in the gay community

and I know you’re smart in ways I can’t even comprehend

with life experiences rung from a city that wanted you naked

playing piano

But every time I hear ‘just dance’ walking through boys town

or ‘bad romance’ on the radio again I can’t help being insanely

jealous you made it all pay

While every morning I walk into my kitchen barefoot

pull my heart out of the freezer stone brittle – zip lock bagged

and ready for the sledge hammer of practicality

Wonder when I’ll stop trying to cash in my art for a decent life style

and just get work answering telephones.

I knew already I was never gonna make money

but I didn’t know I’d make nothing

I didn’t know how evil day jobs are

How much life they eat away

How horrifying- what they want me to do

to do is sell coffee –  with my voice and heart and brain and blood

they want me to sell coffee and

stop pressing my fore head into TVs trying to become pixels

Suburbia lied to me and so did the poets

You were right calling Fame a Monster

It blazes in me a cold fire

Fed on two years of

writers block trying to find escape route sentences jammed in

fingertips stuffed back in and traded for conversation to keep the silence away

Is the art in me dead? Three more weeks of children’s theater

and I’ll be unemployed. The financial umbilical cord

connecting me to my parents will turn back into steel- perfect

My guilt makes me feel masochistic

I watch your videos when I’m in the mood for self-loathing

poker face and the sound of keys frantically typing up cover letters

Hello my name is she’s got me like nobody and I am a recent graduate of the one that’s on his heart

I enjoy love glue gunning and am not the same without a gun

Personality test? OK

Do you enjoy working hard?- agree or disagree?

I think I’ll go with agree

how do I keep failing these? Another 45 minutes sacrificed to scantron

I follow them until they want me

You keep my pen moving

When you sing I can tell it costs you something

It costs me something to listen

Three nights ago I watched a boy dressed up as you

sing his heart out in a red sparkle bikini

She sucked but I can’t afford concert tickets

And as I watched her be you

I wondered how you’d look being me

That made total sense when I was drunk

You as me- sitting in the

apartment my parents bought me full of quilts my mother made

petting the cat I adopted missing half her teeth

wearing my glasses and pajama pants

feeling control over nothing in the world but your own pony tail

We can’t be that different

After the show the boy dressed up as you told me she liked my poem

I would like to think she was channeling something

Back in skokie

The children applaud

I am bow at the waste

A five year old wants my autograph guess I have to start somewhere

You’re the prey of the paparazzi

tucking bare legs into limousine

It is hilarious to me how much I love you

Its is hilarious to me how much I think you know I exist

Tonight I drink vodka-

Lady Gaga, cheers to you

———————-

Amazing stuff, and even better live.  You can check out original work from local Chicago creatives on the last Tuesday of every month at Artist Gumbo, which is presented by Dramatis Personae and the IAE.  The event takes place at  8 pm at the Black Rock Pub (at Damen and Addison in Chicago) and is a great way to mix and mingle with artists from all sorts of disciplines…and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the amazing sandwich specials that they happen to have on Tuesday nights as well.  Trust me.  There’s no better combo than creative passion, delicious sandwiches, the IAE and a fireplace.

I wanted to pass this along for Chicago locals, as it’s a great way to get your child active, outgoing and involved for absolutely zero dollars.

The Second City is offering free workshops in Clowning & Physical Comedy, Stand-Up and Singprov for students ages 9-18 on Saturday, April 10th.  As a (soon-to-be) graduate of the Second City Conservatory, I cannot recommend the Second City Training Center enough, especially for their youth programs.  Improvisation and performing skills are applicable no matter what your child wants to be when they grow up…at Second City, they put a special focus on positivity, communication skills, working collaboratively in group settings and the always wonderful concept of agreement and “yes, and.”

More information on age ranges, workshop times and how to reserve a spot (yes, you need a reservation) can be found at the Second City’s website.

For our Chicago readers and, maybe more specifically, our Chicago writers…there’s an event coming up this weekend that we don’t want you to miss.  The Chicago Zinefest is a brand new event that’s trying to shine the spotlight on the Chicago zine community and bring a little connectivity to the local culture.  The DIY spirit of zine creation is exactly the kind of thing that we support here at the ETA blog, and even if you have no interest in zine culture or don’t even know what a zine is (it’s a short, self-published and often handmade magazine), there are still lots of lessons on creation in general that would be worth picking up from the events.  There are a bunch of free workshops this Saturday and some cool related events happening on Friday as well.  From chicagozinefest.org:

Friday, March 12:

7-9pm Zine Reading

Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W North Ave

7-10pm Zine Art Show

Johalla Projects, 1561 N Milwaukee Ave

10-11pm Gadabout Film Festival & Animations by Lilli Carre

Johalla Projects, 1561 N Milwaukee Ave

Saturday, March 13:

10am-5pm Exhibiting and Workshops

Columbia College’s Conaway Center, 1104 S Wabash

7:30pm-? After Show, featuring music & zine readings

Ball Hall, 1621 N Kedzie #3

Check out these other events related to the fest:

Comics Symposium of Chicago

March 11 & 12 4:30-7pm

School of the Art Institute of Chicago Ballroom

112 S Michigan Ave

March 12 5:45pm-6:45pm

Student and Volunteer Reading

826 Chicago 1331 N Milwaukee

I know I’ll be at a few of the workshops on Saturday.  If you see a young bald man with stubble who is perpetually carrying a laptop bag, say hello.

For more information on the Chicago Zinefest, visit their official site at www.chicagozinefest.org.

Global Entrepreneurship, sponsored byThe Kauffman Foundation– the world’s largest foundation devoted to entrepreneurship– is happening Nov 16-22 this year.

For one week, millions from around the world will join a growing movement of entrepreneurial individuals, to generate new ideas and to seek better ways of doing things. Countries across six continents are coming together to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week, an initiative to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity. To think big. To turn their ideas into reality. To make their mark.

Are You Ready to Make YOUR Mark?????

There are no geographic or socioeconomic boundaries to Global Entrepreneurship Week. Anyone can participate:

How Can You Get Involved?

Get involved today at the Global Entrepreneurship Week web site, www.unleashingideas.org.