We are looking forward to the 2024 Business of Art Conference,
to be held Fri. - Sat., March 3 -4, 2024. Watch for more details!​
About the Conference
The arts and other creative endeavors permeate the fabric of our lives. The arts have been shown to promote physical and mental health, learning, healing — and even to help give meaning to our lives. Arts and culture additionally help drive Iowa’s economy, employing over 25,000 people and contributing $4 billion to the state’s economy.* Yet, artists can find it difficult to sustain their practices.
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The Ames Community Arts Council and the Octagon Center for the Arts are partnering to present the 5th annual Business of Art Conference on March 3 & 4, 2023. We are dedicated to helping artists grow and succeed — and to supporting the impact of art in the world.

This conference is designed to strengthen skills and resources in both formally trained and self-taught creatives. Topics such as: developing a brand; finding a market through an online presence, festivals, galleries, consignment, and/or retail/wholesale sales; searching for funding; and self-care will be considered. In addition to professional development sessions, the conference included networking opportunities throughout the day, giving participants the chance to talk one-on-one with the speakers, other professionals, and each other. Professionals and students in all types of creative work, part time or full time, in all stages of their career are welcome.

Last year’s conference drew nearly 100 professional creatives and students from around the region for a day-and-a-half of information sharing and networking and was met with high praise from those in attendance.

*Americans for the Arts Fact Sheets +Americans for the Arts, Creative Industries, Iowa report, 2017; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2016.
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Participants talking one-on-one with a speaker during the 2020 Conference.
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Participants at a session during the 2020 Conference.
Ash Hanson is the 2023 Keynote Speaker. Learn more about her work with
​The Department of Transformation here.