Empowering our community

beyond its limits

A woman stands in front of a colorful wall decoration of various fruit illustrations, including strawberries, oranges, pears, and blueberries, with some text in a different language.

“I enjoyed the Social Media talk a lot, especially as someone who is kind of averse to social media. I liked that Kim (Robinson) reframed social media as a canvas, and as a tool you can use however you like to make it feel authentic to you.”

  • Miranda Cohen, Miranda Cohen Makes

Tools of the Trades supports and reinforce shared knowledges, innovation, and learning to create a stronger community

A smiling woman with long dark hair, wearing a coral dress, white cardigan, and a pearl necklace, holding an orange notebook in her right hand.

"Getting into Galleries" was extremely helpful as a visual artist who has shown a lot in galleries but has not entered more market-driven spaces with the intent to sell. The workshop leaders were extremely skilled, and I came away with a 20-word pitch that I will actually use…I connected with a few people that I knew and also met several folks whom I plan to follow up with. It was great to see the folks I knew in that context because it allowed me to talk about my work and my professional plans in a focused way, because of the focus of the conference. ”

  • Stephanie Bursese, Philadelphia-based artist

“I definitely benefited from this event!  The topics and presenters were interesting and useful!   I made connections with other creators and received a lot of important information that directly impacts my business as a creator.”

  • Artkina Celestin, Mo' ArtCee

Colorful jewelry set including bracelets and earrings with circular designs, decorated with multicolored thread and beads, displayed on a wooden surface.

“I appreciated that several points in several discussions addressed creative business values and meaningful quality of life issues, like connecting with consumers based on a shared value system to drive sales and support, or considering the coaching we do for ourselves as aligned with what we would do for others. In my own work, it is the connection that matters and reminds me that it's not necessary to struggle, and those things guide my choices and improve my quality of life, which in turn improves my ability to continue to create


I also really appreciated the financial discussion and tools tailored to creative businesses. This is something that I've found small business programs and mentors often are ill-equipped to serve.”

  • Jess McPherson, Jess McPherson Arts & Consulting

A woman with long dark hair wearing a black blazer and a red knitted scarf standing against a red brick wall. She has a torn piece of brown painted wood with a small screw attached on her blazer's shoulder.


“I think it was well-structured.  Having two days of programming remotely is a great way to bring accessibility, and the videos are helpful resources afterwards.  Having the in-person day on the third final day is appropriate, because then attendees have had a chance to meet the presenters/mentors through the virtual environment and have a better sense of how to connect in person.”

  • Lia Huntington, Brick & Wire

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