Titled the Professional Practise in the visual arts, this short course focusses on critical aspects artists need to consider when looking to effectively develop and manage a professional visual art career.

Whilst talent, dedication, technical expertise and hard work are necessary to create an artwork; industry information, a focussed strategic career plan and an understanding of the entrepreneurial business of art develops a professional career! This is what the training programme offers – practical advice on how to do it to achieve success!  The course is focused on key aspects of professional career development. It talks to understanding what it takes to develop a successful art career as a professional, how to work towards financial sustainability, career development, business strategy, marketing and industry information; all necessary knowledge for an artist to engage and navigate the contemporary art world and to manage their careers successfully.

The training is offered over a 2 week period, from 29 January to 9 February 2024. The course is for all artists who feel that they need to better understand the business side of the visual arts. The course content will refresh some old elements while teaching best practice and understanding how to professionally manage and successfully develop their art careers while navigating a challenging industry.

A call for applications is currently open and will close on 15 January 2024. Participants will be required to submit a CV, a small portfolio of their work and a letter of motivation to attend. The selection committee, made up of Les Cohn and Sara Hallatt, will assess the applications and review the suitability of each candidate. Candidates will then be notified in writing about their application by 17 January. Candidates will be provided with a brief course outline in order to prepare for the course.

The Selection Criteria:

• Selected participants will already be practising artists at an early stage of their careers
• Participants will be expected to commit to the whole course with full attendance mandatory. Please see the attached course calendar
• Selected artists will be required to sign an MOU
• A practical career end goal will be identified by each participant when compiling a first draft of their individual career Strategic Career Plans. This will become a road map for their career going forward.
• Preference will be given to female artists and artists from the LGBTIQA+ community.
• Selected applications will be required to pay a R500 administration fee and a further R500 attendance deposit which will be refunded to participants who attend 80% of the course.
• If an applicant needs a bursary, we are happy to consider that. Please select the box in the application form and we will be in touch.

Click on the link to complete the application form. Applications to include the following:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• A representative portfolio of your work including images of at least three original works of art (no more than 10). Ensure that all the images submitted are captioned with the year, medium, dimensions and title of the work
• Artist Statement about your work
• A motivation giving the reasons why you wish to participate and how you believe this programme will benefit your career.

This workshop is being funded by the Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and we are extremely grateful for their support.