Like other careers, being a successful visual artist requires identifying goals, marketing skills, social navigation, political acumen, business savvy and strategic approaches. It also requires a knowledge and awareness of myriad interdisciplinary pathways that allow artists to intersect and connect with diverse fields, communities, technologies and current social communication networks.

This workshop-structured course provides a practical overview of the working lives of practicing artists, exploring the visual art ecosystem that supports and platforms emerging artists. Students will be exposed to the landscape of the visual arts, navigating non-profit art centers and commercial galleries; examining the roles of curators, critics, and art dealers; accessing alternative venues and institutional frameworks; application to foundations and residencies; and the reiterating importance of the individual artist at the center of this ecosystem.

The course is oriented towards the practical, with the goal of developing presentation and communication skills. Guest speakers include leading curators, critics, gallerists and exhibiting artists of international renown.

The Board of the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation has awarded the SMFA a $55,000 grant to support Professional Practices for Artists, a course that equips students from both undergraduate and graduate programs with the critical skills necessary to manage their careers as visual artists. This is the fourth grant awarded by the foundation in support of the course. Professional Practices for Artists was originally funded in 2002 as part of the Foundation's Marketplace Empowerment for Artists program, which seeks to empower artists with the tools to help them to succeed in their field.