The Business of Art Conference
where creative people come to connect & learn
March 6, 2021
Location: This year, we’re coming to you — BOA 2021 is VIRTUAL!
2021 Keynote Speaker
Jenie Gao
Contemporary Artist, Printmaker, Muralist, Entrepreneur
Jenie Gao is a full-time artist, creative director, and entrepreneur. She specializes in large-scale projects including murals, public installations, curatorial works, and creative direction. She is an interdisciplinary leader with a professional background in the arts industry, public education, and lean manufacturing, and an advocate for equity for artists and creative labor. As a first generation American, she is a spokesperson for the arts as a path to cultural relevance for a diverse citizenry.
Jenie is an arts ambassador who has served as the Vice President of Wisconsin Visual Artists, Chair of the Biennial at Museum of Wisconsin Art, and Public Art Committee member for Madison Arts Commission. She is a founding member of Arts + Literature Laboratory and Dane Arts Mural Arts, where she has served as a fundraiser and systems builder for the financial longevity of these nonprofits. Jenie is a TEDx Madison speaker and outspoken advocate for the value of the arts in our ecosystems. She is a former artist-in-residence at Proyecto’ace in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Museo de Arte Moderno in Castro, Chile; Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, Madison Public Library, and Artist Campaign School with Fractured Atlas. As a curator, she has produced exhibits at companies like Promega Corporation and AC Hotel Marriott as a way to build bridges between artists and businesses.
Jenie currently runs a 1,700 square foot production studio and has hosted 20 interns since 2018. Through her interdisciplinary work, Jenie has become a visionary leader who knows how to bring together industries, education systems, and cultural representation to create a more equitable ecosystem for everyone.
Connect. Learn. Share. Inspire.
About the Conference
The arts and other creative endeavors permeate the fabric of our lives. The arts have been shown to promote physical and mental health, learning, healing — and even to help give meaning to our lives.+ Arts and culture help drive Iowa’s economy, employing over 25,000 people and contributing $4 billion to the state’s economy.* Yet, artists can find it difficult to sustain their practices.
The Octagon Center for the Arts and the Ames Community Arts Council are partnering to present the third annual Business of Art Conference on Saturday, March 6, 2021. We are dedicated to helping artists grow and succeed — and to supporting the impact of art in the world.
This conference is designed to strengthen skills and resources in both formally trained and self-taught creatives. Topics such as: developing a brand; finding a market through an online presence, festivals, galleries, consignment, and/or retail/wholesale sales; searching for funding; and self-care will be considered. In addition to professional development sessions, the conference will include networking opportunities throughout the day, giving participants the chance to talk one-on-one with the speakers, other professionals, and each other. Professionals and students in all types of creative work, part time or full time, in all stages of their career are welcome.
Last year’s conference drew about nearly 100 professional creatives and students from around the region for a day-and-a-half of information sharing and networking. Participants had high praise for the event: “You nailed it!”
The 2021 conference will be held virtually.
*Americans for the Arts Fact Sheets +Americans for the Arts, Creative Industries, Iowa report, 2017; U.S.Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2016.
Questions?
Click the registration button above to register. Complete this form to send us a message or question about the conference. Thanks!
Hosted by the Ames Community Arts Council and the Octagon Center for the Arts, the Business of Art Conference is being supported in part by the City of Ames Commission on the Arts (COTA) and the Iowa Arts Council’s Art Project Grant. Funding for the Art Project Grant is made possible by an annual appropriation from the Iowa Legislature to the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and by the National Endowment for the Arts.
