Calling All Artists! Register Now for The Business of Being an Artist: Wellness for Artists

Join the State Arts Council on November 7 | 2:00 PM

Registration Deadline: October 30, 2024

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts is pleased to share a multipart series of professional learning for artists called The Business of Being an Artist. This series of workshops is free and open to any artist, teaching artist, or folk artist who lives and/or works in the state of New Jersey. Join us for the fall session, “Wellness for Artists.”

When: November 7, 2024 | 2:00 – 3:00 PM

What: When you are thinking about the vitality of your artistic business, it can sometimes be easy to forget the importance of your business’ most valued asset: YOU! During this 60-minute webinar, we will learn about the pillars of health and wellness, while engaging with practical tips for managing stress and burnout. This webinar will provide a foundation of understanding one’s own well-being, while actively engaging participants in a mindfulness practice.

Who: Melanie Franklin Cohn is an artist and arts administrator who believes in the life-changing power of art. Melanie’s life has been shaped by her love of art and artmaking. It brought her to NYC, as an MFA student at SVA, where she began to understand the power of the arts community and its history in social activism, beginning with her exposure to the activism of LGBTQ+ artists during the AIDS crisis of the early 90s. The combination of art, community, and collective organizing energized her work at the New Museum, Staten Island Arts, and the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey. It has led to a legacy of founding programs that focus on directing resources to community art makers so that they can create, amplify their work, empower their communities, and enrich the lives of others. Examples include the Staten Island Arts's Folk Arts program that offered resources to heritage bearers, and art therapy initiatives at the Visual Arts Center, including for formerly houseless veterans in partnership with NJ Veterans Affairs and for formerly incarcerated people re-entering communities. In addition to her arts administration career, Melanie is a certified yoga teacher trained through Sivananda Yoga. She holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts and a BFA from Missouri State University.

Elysian McNiff Koglmeier is Head of Partnerships for Artwork Archive, an online art inventory management system for artists, collectors and organizations. Growing up with a father as an art therapist and a mother who dedicated her career to art education, Elysian has always been passionate about the creative process and the importance of empowering artists and cultural institutions. She has pursued this passion both in the public and private sector. She started her career in museums (Middlebury College Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), ran New England Foundation for the Arts' public art program, served as curator for Brown University and RISD, and contributed to publications such as Art New England, Art Business News, and Public Art Review. A move out west brought her to Craftsy (now Bluprint) in Denver where she produced online art classes and managed partnerships for a startup that created online educational opportunities for enthusiastic makers. She received her BA in History from Middlebury College and her MA in Public Humanities from Brown University. Elysian is also the Board Treasurer for the National Organization for Arts in Health and a member of Children’s Hospital Colorado’s art selection committee.

How: Registration is free but required to access the Zoom link and workshop resources. Registration will close on Wednesday, October 30. No late registrations will be accepted.

If you require accessibility services, please contact Lindsay Dandeo at: 609-984-7020 (NJ Relay711) or lindsay.dandeo@sos.nj.gov. The deadline to request accessibility services is Thursday, October 24.

If you have any questions about this event, contact:

Samantha Clarke: samantha.clarke@sos.nj.gov | 609-984-7019 (Teaching Artists)

Stephanie Nerbak: stephanie.nerbak@sos.nj.gov | 609-292-4474 (Artists)

Sally Van de Water: sally.vandewater@sos.nj.gov | 609-875-4948 (Folk Artists)

Sign up for Opportunities for the Field to learn more about offerings for artists, including the Teaching Artist Community of Practice and The Business of Being an Artist Workshop Series: “Crowdfunding for Artists” (February 2025), “Writing for Artists” (April 2025), and “Networking for Artists” (June 2025).

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created in 1966, is a division of the NJ Department of State and a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Council was established to encourage and foster public interest in the arts; enlarge public and private resources devoted to the arts; promote freedom of expression in the arts; and facilitate the inclusion of art in every public building in New Jersey. The Council believes the arts are central to every element we value most in a modern society including: human understanding; cultural and civic pride; strong communities; excellent schools; lifelong learning; creative expression; and economic opportunity. To learn more about the Council, please visit www.artscouncil.nj.gov.