Teleseminars focus on career skills for rural Ontario artists

CARFAC Ontario is launching an exciting new pilot project focusing on the professional development needs of rural artists. With an excellent track record of workshops delivered in urban areas, CARFAC Ontario saw a need for similar workshops for rural artists. The innovative solution that CARFAC Ontario has developed to reach artists in a range of regions around the province is to present valuable professional development topics as teleseminars.

Also called teleconferences, teleseminars are workshops that are delivered entirely via telephone. Participants are provided with a toll-free phone number and a password in order to access the workshop. Artists can dial in from any location to take part in the workshop. Supplementary materials such as handouts are provided prior to the workshop. This form of delivery requires only a telephone line, and ensures that the learning opportunities are available to artists even in areas where high-speed internet is not available. The teleseminars are made possible through the generous support of Torys LLP, a Toronto-based international law firm.

These practical workshops will cover important subjects that artists need to understand to manage the business side of their careers, including: legal issues; marketing and promotion; writing grant applications; and financial management. Participants will gain knowledge and skills that directly relate to the business of managing their careers as self-employed artists, and are appropriate for artists at all stages of their careers.

The workshop series will commence on April 1, 2008. Artists will be able to register for individual topics, or may enroll in the complete series for more comprehensive training. Workshops are offered during the week, with each series comprised of multi-evening, two-hour sessions. Each series will cost $120 for members of CARFAC Ontario, or $150 for non-members, which includes the textbook Information for Artists. If artists choose to take all four series of classes, the cost will be $300 and $375, respectively. Discounts will also apply to any combination of two or three classes. Artists can register toll-free by calling 1-877-890-8850.

CARFAC Ontario (Canadian Artists’ Representation / le Front des artistes canadiens) is the association of professional visual and media artists in Ontario. We have worked for forty years to promote the material and moral welfare and rights of visual artists, including legal, economic, and physical health. We believe that artists, like professionals in other fields, should be paid for their work and share equitably in profits from their art practice. The work of CARFAC Ontario is to develop policies, publications and services that assist artists, galleries, curators, art patrons and anyone with an interest in creating a society that supports visual and media artists. CARFAC Ontario is actively governed by working, professional visual and media artists. As artists, we understand the needs of artists and have developed services and programs to assist artists at every stage of their careers. For further information about CARFAC Ontario visit www.carfacontario.ca.