Artist as Entrepreneur Institute

The Artist as an Entrepreneur Institute (AEI) is an artist-focused course of study designed to assist all artists of all disciplines, by cultivating and advancing their business skills.

Designed to help artists operate in the marketplace more effectively, the AEI course curriculum covers all aspects of wwweloping an artistic business. It helps artists identify and wwwelop their personal brand, wwwelop strategies for communicating with their target market, raise capital and identify a variety of tools for protecting their work legally. To date, 104 local artists have graduated from this program.

The Artist as an Entrepreneur Institute was founded in 2003 by the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC) and the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE). CPAC and COSE were both interested in helping artists to build viable small businesses in the community. All of the organizations’ research showed that artists, both in Cleveland and nationally, had very little assistance in learning the business skills they needed to start, grow and maintain healthy businesses. And so the partners came together to create a comprehensive training program.

In addition, the Broward Cultural Division and the South Florida Regional Planning Council offer an Artist Micro Credit Program – a community-based, revolving loan program created to respond to a broad range of artists’ needs, i.e. purchasing equipment, completing a project, or taking advantage of an opportunity. Loan applicants are reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received. Designed to assist Broward-based practicing, professionals, and emerging artists (of all disciplines) to advance their work and careers, these loans may help with projects that are not capable of being funded from other conventional sources. On a funds-available basis, the program can provide up to a maximum of $5,000.

For more information on upcoming workshops for artists and the Artist as an Entrepreneur Institute. Interested persons may register online at www.broward.org/arts and click on “Workshops.” For additional information, contact James Shermer, grants administrator, Broward Cultural Division at 954-357-7502, E-mail: .