No Artist Left Behind

We have an ambitious goal: no student majoring in an arts discipline at a St. Louis area university or college graduates without exposure to basic legal and business matters. By providing guest speakers, free easy-to-understand guides and affordable professional development for faculty members, we will help students make the transition from the academic environment to their artistic careers.

Guest Speakers

Four working visual artists — Sukanya Mani, Liz Sullivan, Andy Cross and Anukriti Sud — are now available to speak to university and college classes throughout the metropolitan area. The artists discuss their experiences and careers, show samples of their work, provide a basic introduction to copyright, contracts and financial matters and describe VLAA's services. Students receive free copies of Copyright Basics, Anatomy of a Contract and Artist as Bookkeeper. To book a speaker, call 314/863-6930. (photo: Benjamin Trevor Photography)

 

 

 

Professional Development

For many artists, negotiating is sheer misery. But negotiation skills are critical to a successful career. With skill and practice, artists can learn how to communicate more effectively and how to strengthen important business relationships. Our two-session interactive workshop uses the train-the-trainer model to prepare faculty members to teach college students basic negotiation skills.

No Artist Left Behind is funded, in part, by a Boeing/Arts and Education Council Collaborative grant.

"“Because artists need to constantly juggle the elements of form, concept and communication in their commercial output, they often overlook the more practical considerations other businesses take for granted. Understanding the broader issues of tax responsibility, contractual agreements and copyright protection can make all the difference in the success of an independent contractor with an aesthetic bent.”
John Troy, professor, Lindenwood University

 

"No Artist Left Behind is a phenomenal resource for students who wants a successful career in any media. We in the St. Louis region are luckier than we know to have VLAA right here!"
Bill Barrett, professor, Webster University

 

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The arts community counts on us and we're counting on you.