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DC Arts

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The Business of the Arts

Public Art image "Chairs"

The Business of the Arts program aims to provide knowledge and skills through resources and workshops. It has focused on fundraising and development, marketing and public relations, as well as legal concerns and entrepreneurship. Free workshops and seminars are led by accomplished professionals and subject matter experts.

Unless otherwise noted, workshop facilitators are independent professionals, not employees or affiliates of CAH or the District of Columbia government. The views expressed are their own and not necessarily those of CAH or the District of Columbia government.

Upcoming Workshops:

CAH Emergency Preparedness Symposium

  • Friday, June 27, 2025
  • 9:30 am - 5:30 pm
  • Online via Zoom

CAH will host a number of workshops to address emergency preparedness topics and issues in the arts. Please click on the link above for complete details on each session. All sessions will be held virtually via Zoom.

 

The Business of the Hustle

  • Tuesday, July 8, 2025
  • 6 pm - 7 pm
  • Online via Zoom

Our panel will discuss how they've build sustainable careers as artists, while staying true to their creative visions and values. They'll be having a candid conversation on what it takes to make a living making art.

Panelists will share personal anecdotes and practical strategies. So whether you're seasoned or fresh, we hope this session will offer insights across disciplines, in just some of the many ways creatives have managed the hustle.

 

Cultivating a Creative Community

  • Wednesday, July 23, 2025
  • 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
    • CAH Multipurpose Room
    • 200 I (Eye) Street SE
    • Washington, DC

In partnership with Not At All Creative Kickback, join DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities staff for a panel of artists and curators crafting a creative community within our city!

Attendees will also have a special guided tour of our current exhibition: Queer Art Salon!

 

For additional inquiries on this series, please send an email to [email protected].

Past Presentations:

Past Workshop Recordings*

*Please note that information and best practices shared in the recordings below may be dated. Viewers are asked to exercise their judgment as to how applicable any recording is to the current day.

  • A Toast to the Boogie: Protecting Our Legacy
  • Accessibility and Inclusion in the Arts 
  • Arts Organizations and Resilience: Sustaining Staff in Times of Crisis
  • Becoming A Certified Business
  • Building Access to Public Art Placemaking
  • The Business of Public Art
  • The DC Permitting Process
  • The District's Landscape for Artists
  • How To Develop an Art Exhibition and Pop Up
  • How to Develop Your Next Public Art Project: From RFP to Completion
  • Keeping Community Connected: Virtual Technology Roundtable
  • Leadership Coaching: Become the Leader that You Want to Be
  • Legal Issues for Artist Live Streaming
  • Methods and Materials Workshop - An Arts Conservation Perspective
  • New Realities: Navigating E-Commerce in the Arts 
  • Public Art as Community Development
  • Tools for Entrepreneurs

Top banner: 
Bruce Willen with Neighborhood Design Center + Tim Scofield Studios, Chairs, 2020.
CAH Civic Commission, Playable Art In partnership with DC Office of Planning. This project was through an Art Place America Grant, and the DC Public Library. Anacostia Neighborhood Library, 1800 Good Hope Road SE.