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Thank you for attending the 2024 Business of Art Conference.
Watch here for information about the 2025 Conference.
Watch here for information about the 2025 Conference.
2024 Conference Schedule. Thank you for being a part of this great event!
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Thursday, February 29
5:30 - 7 p.m. Opening and Reception for Octagonal: The All Media Show Octagon Center for the Arts (427 Douglas Ave.) Awards presentation at 6 p.m. |
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Friday, March 1
9 - 11:30 a.m. Pre-Conference Workshop: Photographing Artwork — Clark Colby [This session is optional, a separate fee required.] Octagon Center for the Arts (427 Douglas Ave.) In this workshop, learn the detailed ins and outs of how to photograph your own artwork. Clark will cover 2D and 3D artwork in all media. He will walk through photography using a smartphone and a digital camera, and a variety of lights including natural, studio, and light boxes. If you enjoyed Clark’s presentation during the 2023 Business of Art Conference, this will be an expanded, hands-on learning experience for you. Each participant will get 1-2 final images of one piece of artwork photographed by Clark. Lunch is available to add on for an extra cost. |
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About Clark Colby:
Clark Colby is a lifelong learner that is curious to the core, a photographer by practice and educator by profession. He teaches digital photography at Iowa State University and moonlights as an architectural photographer. |
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Noon - 1 p.m.
Registration/Welcome Join us at Reiman Gardens in the Garden Room. Admittance to the Gardens is included in your registration fee. There will be snacks and coffee, but lunch will not be provided. |
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1 - 2 p.m.
Keynote: Access as a Principle of Art: What Makes Art Inaccessible to You? — Jill Wells In this session, Wells will focus on access as a principle of art. She will discuss shared experiences of inaccessibility issues in life and in the art world, and how these issues impact all of us. As a Harkin Institute Artist Fellow, she will take you back in time to the 2022 Harkin Summit in Belfast, Ireland, where she exhibited an interactive body of artwork focused on making art more accessible by using tactile art elements, science, and technology. With the aim of creating more inclusive and representational modes of working through the arts, this keynote will close with a socially engaging question and answer session. |
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About Jill Wells:
Jill Wells, BFA, CADC (she/her) Artist, Advocate, and Mentor, Wells has firmly situated herself within art and advocacy work. She is best known for her public works investigating intersectional social issues. From 2012-2020 Wells served as a Certified Alcohol and Substance Use Counselor in Iowa. In 2020, she founded Artists X Advocacy Mentorship Program (AXA), bringing awareness to art as a career option, especially for individuals living with disabilities. In 2021, Wells was a TEDx speaker on The Power of Public Art and the lecturing artist for Al-Quds Bard College of Arts and Sciences in East Jerusalem. In 2022 she became the first Harkin Institute Artist Fellow. In 2023 Wells represented Iowa and the United States at the United Nations, Austria, speaking on inclusive public arts. |
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2:20 - 3:20 p.m.
Session A: Building Belonging Through Bridging — Megen O’Toole Relationships are essential to strengthening our communities, particularly in rural places. The rural Iowa communities that prioritize relationships have been able to protect quality of life for their residents even as they lose population. These communities focus on connecting people with different backgrounds and abilities, a strategy that has increased belonging and resiliency. As part of Rural Shrink Smart, a National Science Foundation-funded research project at Iowa State University, this workshop will walk participants through a framework focused on belonging, starting with acknowledging the good about the places people call home, followed by the many ways people can participate in their communities to build relationships and get stuff done in the process. |
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About Megen O'Toole:
Megen O’Toole is a designer and educator, studied Architecture and Industrial Design, and teaches at Iowa State University in the Department of Industrial Design. Prior work in Museum Education for the Des Moines Art Center focused on methods of learning and taught facilitators how to lead others in their own looking thus expanding the role of the museum from purveyors of information to facilitators, listeners, and guides. The critical examination of methodology created a practice oriented approach for her thesis work, sensing arrangement. She continues this work in both her teaching on history and culture and in research work with Rural Shrink Smart, a National Science Foundation-funded research project at Iowa State University, where she is focused on the relational development of community. |
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2:20 - 3:20 p.m.
Session B: The PS1 Weather Report: Notes on What Is and Isn't Working — John Engelbrecht Using the case study Public Space One (going on its third decade of arts organizing in Iowa), John will present a short synopsis of Public Space One’s (PS1) biggest successes and failures and open a forthright dialogue about topics that are often hidden from public presentation and discussions. From personal precarity in the creative field to the ethics of community building with dwindling resources, John would like to posit this time as one of reflection on what it means to aim for resilience in creative practice, ethics in arts non-profit work, and how the two intersect in the public sphere. John may have more questions than answers. |
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About John Engelbrecht:
John Engelbrecht is an artist, arts organizer, educator, and Executive Director of Public Space One (PS1). Since joining PS1 in 2009, he has steadily built the beloved regional arts institution operating locally as Iowa City’s arts hub through securing national recognition (in grants, awards, and accolades in the contemporary arts field), thanks to its innovative programming (residencies, performances, exhibitions, and public projects) and wide-ranging artist network. Under his tenure, the organization has grown from its DIY/DIT roots to owning, occupying, and programming three historic buildings in downtown Iowa City and operating major projects including the Iowa City Press Co-op, the Center for Afrofuturist Studies, the Media Arts Co-op, and the Iowa contingent of MDW. |
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3:40 - 4:40 p.m.
Session A: Leveraging Artistic Assets, Catalyzing Community Action — Vivian M. Cook This session will introduce participants to The EcoTheatre Lab’s community-engaged artistic practice. We approach our work from an asset-based perspective, examining the many assets that exist within our communities and identifying ways to amplify and build on those assets through art. Vivian will share The EcoTheatre Lab's recent initiatives focused on engaging local communities in climate action and will then guide participants through the asset-based process we use to facilitate social and environmental justice conversations. Participants will explore and share ideas for concrete ways that they too can leverage artistic assets to contribute to local action in their own communities. Participants will walk away from the session with the start of an action plan for approaching their own work in more asset-based, community-engaged ways. |
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About Vivian M. Cook:
Vivian M. Cook, originally from the mountains of Arizona, is the Community Engagement Director for The EcoTheatre Lab, Co-Producer for Focal Theatre Lab, a member of the Ames Climate Action Team, and a Regenerative Agriculture Project Manager with the Iowa State University Bioeconomy Institute. Vivian has a B.A. in Performing Arts and French and M.S. degrees in Community Development and Sustainable Agriculture. In her research and practice, she works at the intersection of arts and storytelling, community engagement, and social and environmental justice. Recent projects include serving as producer and host for a new podcast series, The Art of Climate Dialogue: Stories from Iowa and serving as Curator-in-Residence at the Octagon Center for the Arts. |
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3:40 - 4:40 p.m
Session B: At the Intersection: Art, Science, and Nature Embedded in a Biological Field Research Station — Alex Braidwood Artists and scientists are both asking questions about the world; they’re just doing it in different ways. The Iowa Lakeside Lab Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Program creates opportunities for collaboration, exploration, and reflection between artists, scientists, and the Iowa Great Lakes community to pursue new expressions that could only occur within these unique conditions. Located in the northwest region of Iowa on West Okoboji Lake, Iowa Lakeside Lab features educational experiences and research projects spanning more than a century in many fields of study. With the AIR program open to artists working in any medium, the program's culture maintains a vibrancy by inviting national and international artists to work in many different ways at the intersection of art, science, and nature. |
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About Alex Braidwood:
Alex Braidwood is a sound artist, designer, and educator maintaining a practice exploring issues of sustainability at the intersection of art and science. He has lectured, exhibited, and performed around the world and has been an artist in residence in places like an Australian mountain village, a mid-western field research station, and on Isle Royale National Park. Alex is Director of Artist-in-Residence at Iowa Lakeside Lab, Director of Graphic Design Graduate Education at Iowa State University, Artistic Director at Group Creatives, a board member of the Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology (MSAE), the MSAE representative for the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology, and President of the World Listening Project. |
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6 - 8 p.m.
Conference Happy Hour, location TBA Take advantage of the opportunity to meet other conference attendees in a casual environment. We hope to see you there! |
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Saturday, March 2
8 - 9 a.m. Registration/Welcome Join us at Reiman Gardens in the Garden Room. Admittance to the Gardens is included in your registration fee. There will be snacks and coffee, but breakfast will not be provided. |
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9 - 9:30 a.m.
Session A: Take a Seat: Chair Yoga for Everyone — Claire Krüesel Chair yoga really is for everyone—whether you've never tried yoga or you're an experienced practitioner, come experience this grounding approach to movement. We'll warm up for the day and open up space (both creative and mental!) through a guided sequence of yoga poses with options for modification and exploration. Expect to start slow and be invited into variations that let you customize your morning movement. (In other words, comfortable stretching is the default, but those seeking more challenge will find it). We'll end with a brief breathing exercise to balance brain hemispheres and leave you feeling centered. You don't need to bring anything but yourself; comfortable clothing helpful but not required. The instructor is trained in Chair Yoga by YogaFit. |
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About Claire Krüesel:
Claire Krüesel has been practicing and teaching yoga since 2008 and is a 200-hour E-RYT through YogaFit. She currently teaches at Ignite Yoga in Ames. Before stepping onto a yoga mat for the first time, she couldn't touch her toes and was very disconnected from her body. She shares this fact hoping to encourage others—you don't need to be flexible to do yoga; that's what yoga is for! Claire’s practice started as a stress release during an intense loss and has extended benefit into every aspect of life: mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical, allowing her to be more energetic and creative. Claire is also a musician, artist, program coordinator, and is dedicated to family. Yoga allows her to be more present in all these endeavors. It is a joy and honor to guide others into exploring the mind-body relationship—while having fun! |
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9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Keynote: Access as a Principle of Business: What We Can Do to Make Art Accessible to More People? — Jill Wells In this session Wells will focus on access as a principle of business and what we can do to make art accessible to more people. In reconsidering the role of the artist, you will explore audience awareness, disability accommodations, ADA exhibit compliance, language, parameters, and creative solutions. As a Harkin Institute Artist Fellow, Wells will share her research from interdisciplinary art workshops with individuals across the disability spectrum. Who is responsible for ensuring accessibility to art? With the aim to create more inclusive and representational modes of working through the arts, this keynote will close with a socially engaging question and answer session. |
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10:50 - 11:50 a.m.
Session A: Methods of Collaboration — Ellen Kleckner Ellen will discuss her approach to collaboration, including topics of project based and long-term collaboration. She will look at contemporary methods of collaboration and diverse ways to create a successful creative network. |
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About Ellen Kleckner:
Ellen Kleckner (she/her) is an artist and educator living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her artistic practice weaves together community engagement, material investigation, and collaboration. She studied Ceramics at the Appalachian Center for Craft (BFA) and Ohio University (MFA). Ellen is the Executive Director of the Iowa Ceramics Center and Glass Studio, a non-profit community art center. |
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10:50 - 11:50 a.m.
Session B: Manage Your Trash, Save Our Future — Lee Anne Willson What happens to the contents of your garbage can? Why does it matter? What are some strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the stuff we throw away? The details depend on where you live, but the basic principles are the same: Reduce, refuse, re-use, repair, recycle, recover. |
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About Lee Anne Willson:
Lee Anne Willson is one of the founding members of Creative Artists' Studios of Ames (CASA), now in its 23rd year of operation. After teaching astronomy for 41 years at Iowa State, she retired in 2014 and joined the Ames Climate Action Team (ACAT). She writes a blog, By the Numbers, for ACAT [www.amesclimateaction.org] and co-hosts a radio program, Climate Matters in Ames, on KHOI radio. Through this work she has become very aware of the importance of how we manage our everyday trash, and of the options and alternatives that are available. |
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Noon - 2 p.m.
Lunch and Craft Activity: Fun with Found Objects — Susan Norris Wanna make something? Wanna break the rules? Grab a cardboard square, some found objects, bits of this and that, and see what happens. Create a playful assemblage by arranging 5-10 small objects on your square. Attach the objects using string and wire. Display your work along with other makers and celebrate our different ways of seeing, being, and making. |
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About Susan Norris:
Susan Norris is a retired public school art teacher who now teaches art classes for kids at the Des Moines Art Center, the Octagon Center of the Arts, and The Community Academy summer learning program in Ames. She exhibited assemblage work at the Octagon’s Work in Progress Exhibit in September 2022 and as part of the Ames Community Arts Council’s Ames Artists' Studio Tour in October 2021. Her most recent work, a stitchery and found object journal of the year 2023, can be viewed on her IG account: @eccentricoldwoman. |
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2 - 3 p.m.
Session A: Strategies for Funding Artistic Projects: An Artist’s Perspective — Tibi Chelcea So, you have an idea for an artistic project? This is great; it means you have something exciting to share with the world. But securing funding and/or support for your project may be, besides your artistic vision, the critical part of bringing this project to fruition. This session will introduce various ways to secure the resources needed to make projects happen, using real-life examples of creative strategies for securing funding, materials, volunteers, and venues for art projects. |
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About Tibi Chelcea:
Tibi Chelcea takes elements and processes of traditional art disciplines, such as printmaking and drawing, and combines them with parts and operations of digital technologies. His work demonstrates unexpected correlations between old and new technologies, and issues of consumption, serial design, and automated vs. labor-intensive processes are brought to the fore. His works have been exhibited throughout the United States (New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Iowa, and other states) as well as Mexico, Egypt, and Brazil, and has received a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant and an Iowa Artist Fellowship. Tibi was born in Romania and came to the United States to pursue a PhD in Computer Science. He has received several awards, fellowships, and patents in the field of electronic and digital design, which continues to be a major source of inspiration for his art. |
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2 - 3 p.m.
Session B: Artists’ Materials: Responsible Sourcing and Disposal — Linda Hardie Join Linda for a discussion about some eco-friendly things to consider when making your art. Consider what materials are required. Can it be locally sourced? Is it sustainable? What is the impact (on workers and environment) to mine, create, handle the materials? Is there an alternative material? Think about studio waste. Can it be reduced? How does it impact air, soil, ground water? Can the waste material be used to create? Reflect upon how your art is distributed. Let’s consider the impact of shipping. How can shipping be reduced? How can packaging be reduced? How can you re-think the enduring question "Who is your customer?" |
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About Linda Hardie:
Linda Hardie is a studio artist working in ceramics in Ames. She is also active in the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) where she is a member of The NCECA Green Task Force (GTF) [www.ncecagtf.com]. |
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3:20 - 4:20 p.m.
Session A: Iowa Arts Council Resources for Artists — David Schmitz In this interactive workshop, Iowa Arts Council (IAC) staff will present an overview of current IAC grants and programs and will offer practical tips and advice for preparing a competitive application for grant funding. The session will be geared towards individual artists and creatives, though the content will also be relevant to artist-centered organizations. |
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About David Schmitz:
David Schmitz has led the Iowa Arts Council since 2020 and after an earlier role with the council focused on supporting community arts and public art in Iowa. Schmitz' passion for the work stems from his belief in the power of the arts and artists to transform lives and communities. A trained visual artist, Schmitz has more than 15 years of experience in the arts and public administration. Most recently, he served as executive director of the Dubuque Museum of Art and has also held roles with the Des Moines Art Center and the Chicago Artists’ Coalition. Schmitz currently serves on the boards of Mainframe Studios in Des Moines, the Friends of the UNI Gallery of Art, and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. |
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3:20 - 4:20 p.m.
Session B: Drawn Portrait Exchange — Rachel Buse In an attempt to make new connections, participants in this session will draw each other. No experience with portraits necessary. Members of the group will pair up a handful of times to get to know someone new while drawing portraits of each other. |
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About Rachel Buse:
Rachel Buse is an artist currently living and working in Des Moines, Iowa. She is the Creative Director at Raygun and Creative Strategist for Group Creatives. Buse also co-owns Portrait Studio, an interactive drawing exchange between artist and sitter. Portrait Studio was originally created to demonstrate the vulnerability involved in the process of art making. Eleven years after the project’s inception, Portrait Studio remains a potent vehicle for connecting with people through the intimate process of being drawn. |
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4:20 - 4:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks Thank you for being a part of Business of Art 2024. We hope to see you next year! |
Funding for the Business of Art Conference has been provided by the Discover Ames Community Grant Program, the Iowa Arts Council, a part of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, through a Partnership Award, 10-Fold Architecture & Engineering, Brackets Custom Window Coverings, the Ames Writers Collective, the Ames Chamber of Commerce, Morning Bell Coffee Roasters, and the City of Ames Commission on the Arts (COTA). Thank you to our generous sponsors!
