Program Overview

Arts Cheyenne is launching a new program called ‘The Work of Art: Career Development for Artists’. This program is based on the Springboard for the Arts ‘Work of Art’ Program, utilizing resources and training provided to Arts Cheyenne staff.

This program is intended to provide business and career planning, goal setting, portfolio and marketing tactics, and other necessary skills to artists of all disciplines–from those who are starting out, to those who are ready to pivot, to those who just need a refresher.

The coursework will be offered as a full 8-week curriculum with courses scheduled for 2 hours each.

About the Courses

The coursework for ‘Work of Art’ training will be offered as follows:

A full 8-week curriculum, taking participants from the basics of planning and goal setting, to managing day-to-day operations, to a full business plan.
Course materials will be provided as a part of the course curriculum and pricing.

Course topics are:

- - Week 1: Career Planning and Time Management
  - Week 2: Portfolio Development
  - Week 3: Pricing
  - Week 4: Recordkeeping and Legal Considerations
  - Week 5: Marketing & Promotion (This course will be open to additional individual attendees and will feature a guest speaker)
  - Week 6: Engaging Customers and Selling Your Work
  - Week 7: Funding and Grant Writing
  - Week 8: Business Planning

Courses will be offered in-person only for now, but virtual sessions may be added in the future. Each course will last roughly 2-2.5 hours, with course activity including guided discussion, self-planning and reflection, and open conversation within a small group setting. The maximum number of participants per course will be 15.

If a participant requires any particular accommodations, Arts Cheyenne will make every effort to ensure those needs are met throughout the duration of the coursework.

All courses will take place at Arts Cheyenne’s newest facility, the Cheyenne Creativity Center, located at 1620 Thomes Ave in downtown Cheyenne.

Course Schedule:

Course 1: Thursday, March 2, 2023; 5:30-7:30p
Course 2: Thursday, March 9, 2023; 5:30-7:30p
Course 3: Thursday, March 16, 2023; 5:30-7:30p
Course 4: Thursday, March 23, 2023; 5:30-7:30p
Course 5: Thursday, March 30, 2023; 5:30-7:30p
Course 6: Thursday, April 6, 2023; 5:30-7:30p
Course 7: Thursday, April 13, 2023; 5:30-7:30p
Course 8: Thursday, April 20, 2023; 5:30-7:30p

*Please ensure that this course schedule works in your own schedule. Course content is not necessarily repeatable if a day is missed.

Number of attendees accepted for enrollment: 15
Primary Instructor: Desirée Brothe
Where: Cheyenne Creativity Center, 1620 Thomes Ave
Materials: Provided within the cost of the course
Course Cost: $300.00

Registration is open from Thursday, February 10th through Friday, February 24th, 2023. Registration is available for up to 15 attendees. Additional registrants will be waitlisted. All registrants will be notified of course acceptance or waitlist by Sunday, February 26th. Payment for accepted attendees will be remitted at the time of registration.

FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions)

Who is this course meant for?

While open to artists of all disciplines, this course is meant for those who have never done career planning or goal settting for their creative career path. This is a beginner course for those who would like to learn more and understand how to set and reach their creative career objectives.

If you have taken many other career planning courses, especially those specific to creative industries, this course may not be a fit for you. Please reach out if you have further questions regarding how the course might benefit you and your planning.

Why is there a charge for the course?

The Cheyenne Creativity Center is operated on grant funding, donations, and the small amount we earn through our Gift Shop and workshops like these. All proceeds made from our course and workshop offerings go straight back into providing more opportunities in the future.

Additionally, Arts Cheyenne is a 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to provide advocacy, programming, and access to affordable learning opportunities in our community. We hope to offer scholarships in the future for those who need them. Where possible, we pay our instructors unless time has been donated through another agreement. The cost of the course is $300 and covers the cost of the course materials and any additional guest speakers we choose to bring in to enhance the course offerings.

Why is this course only in person?

While our course facilitator is experienced in working with many diverse groups of people, this is our first time teaching a course of this nature. We want to ensure that the course offering meets the needs of our attendees and as such this first group will be a pilot group to help us test the content for our community.

In the future, we plan to broaden the course to be available via a virtual platform, but in short, we want to do this course right, and to create the best experience possible for all attendees.

How will the course operate?

This course follows the Work of Art Training provided to our facilitator by the Staff at Springboard for the Arts. The course follows the workbook provided to attendees closely. This workshop is meant to be a guided intensive planning session for artists to uncover what their goals are and how to reach them.

The 8 week course will meet in person, weekly, for 2 hour course sessions. Additional work will likely be required outside the course to enhance the planning experience. Some sessions will be open to addtional attendees and offer a guest speaker to provide a broader range of knowledge on a particular subject.

What accommodations (for learning practices) can I expect?

Any and all reasonable learning accomodations will be provided to our course attendees. We ask that attendees with specific learning requirements, who have been enrolled into the course, please reach out to us to notify us of their needs in advance of the start date.

Will this course be offered in the future?

Yes! We absolutely intend to offer this course again, with more flexibility for virtual and in-person sessions included. We are undecided if we will offer this course annually or biannually, but will post all information as soon as it’s available!

What are the instructor’s credentials?

Glad you asked. See the ‘About our Instructor’ section below. Any guest speakers included are professionals working in the particular subject area and/or industry related to the course.

About the Instructors

The primary facilitator for the Work of Art training courses is Desirée Brothe. Desirée has a Bachelors in Art Education, over 20 years experience in the visual arts industry, and is owner of her art business, Magpie Creations.

She has been the instigator of many of the mural projects that you’ll find in downtown Cheyenne, creating relationships between artists and property owners, and finding funding where available. She has also helped to facilitate gallery shows, exhibits, workshops, and other arts-related events and activities in both Wyoming and Northern Colorado. Desiree has served on the Arts Cheyenne Board of Directors for 7 years, and was Chair of the Board for three of those years. Currently, Desirée facilitates operations for the Cheyenne Creativity Center as well as those for Public Art in the Cheyenne Community.

Desiree has worked in community, economic development, and non profit industries for 9 years, where she has conducted numerous strategic planning, board training, work planning/goal setting, and meeting management sessions for groups of all sizes and backgrounds.

Helping individuals and organizations find their ‘why’ and how to get there is a strength of Desiree’s. She uses an open and guided facilitation process that allows attendees to find their goals, and helps to create a plan to reach them. Desirée will bring these skills to the ‘Work of Art’ training, where she will assist local artists and course participants in their artistic development.

Guest Speakers/Instructors

Additional guest instructors will be added throughout the coursework as it relates to each session. We are lucky in Cheyenne to have professionals working in all aspects of the creative industry, who are willing to share their knowledge and expertise in an open environment.