Photo Credit: Kyle Carpenter

NATIONAL RESOURCES

The following list of national resources includes professional associations, networking entities, nonprofits, and collectives that support specific creative industry sub-sectors, as well as agencies that provide funding or other tangible resources to individuals and enterprises within the creative industries.

Americans for the Arts
Americans for the Arts has a multitude of resources on its website that can be searched by program or topic. Research reports are available for download, as are a variety of newsletters and a database of research reports. They also have a searchable directory of arts organizations, including state and local commissions, which includes contact information.

Americans for the Arts – Arts U
All of Americans for the Arts’ learning resources and professional development opportunities can be found here, available free to members and either free or for a small cost to non-members. Topics include branding, cultural districts, social justice, employee engagement, corporate social responsibility, creative placemaking, public art, engaging audiences, and much more.

Artists U – Making Your Life as an Artist
A free download of Andrew Simonet’s book Making Your Life as an Artist, which includes chapters focusing on planning, mission, money and time.

Artists U
Andrew Simonet’s blog series covers topics including grant applications and innovation in the business side of creative practice, along with though-provoking posts on the field as a whole.

ARTSEDGE
ARTSEDGE, the educational media arm of The Kennedy Center, reaches out to schools, communities, individuals and families with printed materials, classroom support and free digital resources for teaching and learning in, through and about the arts.

Center for Performance and Civic Practice
The CPCP is a national resource for artists and communities working together to build civic health, equity and capacity. The CPCP defines Civic Practice as arts-based partnership work that is developed in service to the needs of a partner organization or agency that does not have an arts-centered mission.

Community Tool Box
This free, online resource for those working to bring about social change promotes community health and development by connecting people, ideas, and resources. Over 300 educational modules and other tools help users learn about community assessment, planning, intervention, evaluation, advocacy, and other aspects of community practice.

Creative Capital
Creative Capital’s blog features posts on upcoming workshops, a series called “Five Questions” which asks professional artists about the business side of their creative practice, and information and tools for a range of creative business topics.

The Field
Founded by artists for artists, The Field is dedicated to providing strategic services to thousands of performing and media artists and companies in New York City and beyond. The Field fosters creative exploration, stewards innovative management strategies, and helps artists reach their fullest potential.

Freelancers Union
The Freelancers Union promotes the interests of independent workers through advocacy, education, and services to ensure that independent contractors receive adequate rights, protections, and professional benefits. Members of Freelancers Union play an active role in leading community initiatives and advocacy campaigns.

Fractured Atlas
Fractured Atlas, a New York-based organization that empowers artists across the country to succeed as entrepreneurs, provides articles, essays, and annotated links to outside articles, videos and other resources written and collected by Fractured Atlas staff. Organized into major topics, they cover big ideas, entrepreneurship, fundraising, legal issues, and more.

CERF+
Founded in 1985 as the Craft Emergency Relief Fund, CERF+ safeguards and sustains the careers of artists working in craft disciplines through its Artists Safety Net programs. CERF+ is at the ready to aid artists working in craft disciplines facing unexpected personal crises and entire communities of artists dealing with the effects of major natural disasters, in addition to offering ongoing education, training, networking, and advocacy.

National Arts Strategies
NAS develops and shares stand-alone and add-on leadership tools as complements to their in-person and community programs. Through publications, teaching case studies, videos and other management tools, they work to fill in critical gaps in the support available for cultural institutions.

NYFA Source
NYFA Source, a program of the New York Foundation for the Arts, is the nation’s most extensive database of awards, services and publications for artists of all disciplines, including dance, folk, traditional, media, performance, interdisciplinary, visual, music, literature, theater, and arts management.

Professional Artist Magazine
The website of this low-cost magazine includes freely available blog postings and articles on business topics that are arts specific, ranging from retirement planning, to museum submission, to insurance.

Self Employment in the Arts

SEA is about helping you, the artist, succeed by connecting and exposing you to resources, artist practitioners, experts in the field, and more through their website, workshops, conferences, and other programs.

Sunshine Artist
Sunshine Artist is a leading magazine for art and craft show exhibitors, promoters, and patrons. Each issues features reviews of art and craft shows of all sizes and descriptions, hundreds of listings with booth fees and application deadlines, and tips to boost your business on the art and craft show circuit.

ZAPP
ZAPP, a service of WESTAF, enables artists to apply online to multiple art shows through one central website. The application process also allows artists to directly upload digital images of their artwork for jury review in a consistent, high-quality format.