VirtualARC
VirtualARC brings key elements of the core ARC curriculum to life through virtual intensives led by experts in their fields.
Each webinar will normally be a two-hour session, including a 30-minute Q&A at the end. All webinars are free and open to YoungArts award winners and artists from our partner organizations.
Additionally, as part of a select group of arts organizations, we will offer exclusive webinars and Q&As developed by CreativeStudy to YoungArts award winners.
For any questions, please email arcadmin@youngarts.org.
2025 Webinar Schedule
Wednesdays, 6-8 PM ET
Taxes for Creative Entrepreneurs
Elaine Grogan Lutrull, Minerva Financial Arts
Wednesday, February 5 | 6-8 PM ET
Click here to learn more
If it is true that the only certain things in life are death and taxes, this webinar will make navigating one of those things considerably easier. We’ll review federal income tax basics for creative individuals, including common deductions claimed. We’ll also outline how the tax landscape changes based on the type of income an artist earns and highlight key aspects of tax law that impact financial wellness, including deducting interest for student loan payments and saving for retirement. We’ll touch briefly on some state and local income tax issues, and we’ll conclude by reviewing some tips and best practices to keep excellent records. We’ll incorporate your questions throughout the presentation and save plenty of time at the end for an open Q&A.
As part of this webinar, we will:
- Identify records to retain for tax purposes and effective systems for tracking expenses and income.
- Identify ordinary and necessary deductions common to creative businesses.
- Review the overall income tax landscape for common federal and state filings.
In addition, YoungArts award winners can book a private consultation session with Elaine until June 30. Spaces are limited.
About the Speaker
Dr. Elaine Grogan Luttrull (she/her) is the founder of Minerva Financial Arts, a company devoted to building financial literacy and empowerment in creative individuals through education and coaching. Her workshops and presentations have been featured nationally by a long list of arts funders and advocates.
Elaine has experience in both academic and industry settings, and she is a collector of letters and certifications. She holds a doctorate in instructional design leadership, plus active licenses as a Certified Public Accountant with a Personal Financial Specialist designation. She is also an
Accredited Financial Counselor and completed a graduate certificate in Financial Therapy.
Elaine is the author of Arts & Numbers (Agate, B2 2013), she contributes regularly to industry guides and research journals and has served on a variety of non-profit boards. She is based in Dublin, Ohio (Kaskaskia and Hopewell indigenous and cultural lands).
Money Matters: Creating a Financial Foundation
David Thomson, artist and co-creator of The Artist Sustainability Project
Wednesday, February 26 | 6-8 PM ET
Click here to learn more
How do you financially sustain the person within the artist? Do you have questions about creating a financial foundation for yourself and your art? Many artists pursue their practice without being taught the business of their pursuit and more importantly, how to consider themselves beyond the production of art. This webinar will introduce you to the basic financial concepts needed to build a stable financial future, including budgeting, banking, savings, retirement, credit and debt, and concepts of care.
Creating a healthy financial foundation for your personal and professional finances can help give you peace of mind and confidence as you make life and artistic decisions.
Tools and additional resources will be included in the webinar. While this webinar will not constitute financial advice, it will provide recommendations and best practices.
About the Speaker
David Thomson is an interdisciplinary artist who has worked extensively across the fields of dance, music, performance, and theater for over 40 years, working and collaborating with a wide range of artists including Trisha Brown (1987-1993), Ralph Lemon, Sekou Sundiata, Marina Abramović, Yvonne Rainer, Kaneza Schaal, Maria Hassabi, Matthew Barney and Alain Buffard, among many others.
His extensive experience in the field led him to initiate The Artist Sustainability Project with Kate Watson Wallace in 2017, which serves as an ongoing platform that seeks to create and expand discourse surrounding ideas of financial, artistic, and personal empowerment in the arts community. At the heart of this work are larger questions and philosophies around care, community, and resources that feed and support each artist’s ecosystem of sustainability.
David Thomson developed YoungArts’ Artist Resource Collective (ARC) program in collaboration with Emily Waters. He is currently studying to become an Accredited Financial Counselor.
Contracts and Agreements
Henri Benaim
Wednesday, March 19 | 6-8 PM ET
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Contracts and agreements are the foundation of successful collaborations and professional relationships. This webinar is designed to help artists and creatives navigate the essentials of creating, understanding and negotiating contracts with confidence.
You will gain insights into:
- Key components of contracts and how to interpret them
- Common types of agreements in the creative fields
- Negotiation strategies to advocate for your needs
- Avoiding pitfalls and protecting your rights
Whether drafting a simple agreement or reviewing complex legal documents, this session will provide the knowledge and tools to help you build equitable and secure professional practices.
The final 30 minutes will be a Q&A, allowing you to address specific scenarios and gain expert advice tailored to your concerns.
Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance.
Any legal information provided in this presentation is general information about the law. Do not take this presentation as legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney.
About the Speaker
Henri Stéphan Benaim is associate general counsel at Mellon. As a member of the Foundation’s legal team, he advises on matters related to nonprofit law, governance, grant structuring, and legal issues related to advancing diversity and equity in the Foundation’s grantmaking.
Previously, Henri was an associate in the Estate Planning and Tax Exempt Organizations practice at Milbank where he represented clients in complex estate planning, charitable planning, and art related matters. He began his professional career in the contemporary art world as the director of an internationally recognized art gallery in Beijing, China.
He holds a BA cum laude in literature and East Asian studies from Yale University and a JD from Columbia Law School where he was a Kent Scholar.
Business Structures and Fiscal Sponsorship Q&A
Alex Glancy and Michael Francis
Wednesday, March 12 | 6-8 PM ET
This webinar will be held on two occasions. You only need to register for one session.
Click here to learn more
Finding the right business structure is essential to building a supported and protected artistic practice. This webinar will guide artists and creatives through the fundamentals of business structures—from sole proprietorships to LLCs—and explore the various types of fiscal sponsorship, highlighting their impact on your artistic work.
Whether you’re addressing these topics for the first time or seeking clarity to take the next step, this session offers practical tools and expert insights to help you make informed decisions about your artistic and financial future.
Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance.
Any legal information provided in this presentation is general information about the law. Do not take this presentation as legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney.
About the Speakers
Alex Glancy specializes in transactional business law, including corporate, securities and intellectual property law, with a mission-driven approach. Her clients include startups, impact investment funds, creatives, cooperatives and nonprofits.
Alex is a partner and founding attorney at her firm based in Los Angeles. Core principles of their practice include serving as a community resource and building sustainable relationships. To expand access to legal information for creatives, Alex has collaborated with The Artist’s Contract, Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC), and the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI). She has presented at CalArts, Otis College of Art and Design, CCI, UCLA, and the California Center for Cooperative Development.
Alex graduated from Harvard Law School. She holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from Northwestern University in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (MMSS) and Anthropology.
Michael Francis (he/him) has spent 20 years in non-profit and commercial theater as a multi-hyphenate theater administrator specializing in fundraising, general management, talent representation and producing. He has recently finished a tenure as Business Manager (a.k.a. a tentacle) at Octopus Theatricals, an award winning theatrical production company, and currently serves as the Producing Director of Producer Hub, both founded by Mara Isaacs. Notable projects, Dianne McIntyre’s In The Same Tongue, Theatre for One, Theater Mitu’s Utopian Hotline, On Beckett starring Bill Irwin, And So We Walked amongst others. He spent 12 years as a team member of Fiasco Theater. Michael spent a decade as a part of the staff of Leading Artists, Inc. a boutique talent agency in NYC.
Grant Writing and Budgeting
Emily Waters and David Thomson
Wednesday, April 2 | 6-8 PM ET
Click here to learn more
Unlock the tools to craft compelling grant proposals and build effective budgets in this practical webinar designed for artists and creatives. Learn how to articulate your vision, align your goals with funder priorities and create budgets that tell a clear story of your project’s needs. Whether you’re new to grant writing or seeking to refine your skills, this session provides strategies to strengthen your applications and increase your funding success.
About the Speakers
Emily L. Waters is a seasoned arts administrator and currently the Senior Director, Innovation & Impact, at YoungArts. Prior to this role, Emily was the Senior Program Associate in Arts and Culture at the Mellon Foundation, where she oversaw the dance portfolio, as well as other national initiatives. She also worked at American Ballet Theatre in the development and executive offices. In 2022, she was awarded the Bessie Angel Award for her advocacy on behalf of the dance field. She serves on the boards of Collage Dance Collective and Pentacle.
Emily began her career as a professional dancer, performing with Philadelphia Ballet (formerly Pennsylvania Ballet) and the Royal Danish Ballet. After transitioning to arts administration, she was awarded a BAM Professional Development Program Fellowship through the DeVos Institute.
Emily holds a BA in performing arts from St. Mary’s College of California and an MS degree in nonprofit management from Columbia University.
David Thomson is an interdisciplinary artist who has worked extensively across the fields of dance, music, performance, and theater for over 40 years, collaborating with a wide range of artists, including Trisha Brown (1987-1993), Ralph Lemon, Sekou Sundiata, Marina Abramović, Yvonne Rainer, Okwui Okpokwasili/Peter Born, Maria Hassabi, Matthew Barney and Alain Buffard, among many others.
In 2017, he co-initiated The Artist Sustainability Project with Kate Watson-Wallace to expand the practice and discourse of financial, artistic, and personal empowerment. At the heart of this work are questions and philosophies around care, community, and resources that feed and support each artist’s ecosystem of sustainability.
David Thomson developed YoungArts’ Artist Resource Collective (ARC) program in collaboration with Emily Waters. He holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from SUNY Purchase. He is currently studying to become an Accredited Financial Counselor.
Business Structures and Fiscal Sponsorship Q&A
Alex Glancy and Michael Francis
Wednesday, April 23 | 6-8 PM ET
This webinar will be held on two occasions. You only need to register for one session.
Click here to learn more
Finding the right business structure is essential to building a supported and protected artistic practice. This webinar will guide artists and creatives through the fundamentals of business structures—from sole proprietorships to LLCs—and explore the various types of fiscal sponsorship, highlighting their impact on your artistic work.
Whether you’re addressing these topics for the first time or seeking clarity to take the next step, this session offers practical tools and expert insights to help you make informed decisions about your artistic and financial future.
Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance.
Any legal information provided in this presentation is general information about the law. Do not take this presentation as legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney.
About the Speakers
Alex Glancy specializes in transactional business law, including corporate, securities and intellectual property law, with a mission-driven approach. Her clients include startups, impact investment funds, creatives, cooperatives and nonprofits.
Alex is a partner and founding attorney at her firm based in Los Angeles. Core principles of their practice include serving as a community resource and building sustainable relationships. To expand access to legal information for creatives, Alex has collaborated with The Artist’s Contract, Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC), and the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI). She has presented at CalArts, Otis College of Art and Design, CCI, UCLA, and the California Center for Cooperative Development.
Alex graduated from Harvard Law School. She holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from Northwestern University in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (MMSS) and Anthropology.
Michael Francis (he/him) has spent 20 years in non-profit and commercial theater as a multi-hyphenate theater administrator specializing in fundraising, general management, talent representation and producing. He has recently finished a tenure as Business Manager (a.k.a. a tentacle) at Octopus Theatricals, an award winning theatrical production company, and currently serves as the Producing Director of Producer Hub, both founded by Mara Isaacs. Notable projects, Dianne McIntyre’s In The Same Tongue, Theatre for One, Theater Mitu’s Utopian Hotline, On Beckett starring Bill Irwin, And So We Walked amongst others. He spent 12 years as a team member of Fiasco Theater. Michael spent a decade as a part of the staff of Leading Artists, Inc. a boutique talent agency in NYC.
Intellectual Property, Copyright and Trademark
Alex Glancy
Wednesday, May 14 | 6-8 PM ET
Click here to learn more
Protecting your creative work is essential for sustaining a successful artistic practice. This webinar offers a comprehensive introduction to intellectual property, focusing on copyrights and trademarks. You’ll gain an understanding of key concepts, such as:
- What copyrights and trademarks protect
- How to register your intellectual property
- The rights and responsibilities associated with ownership
- Strategies for protecting your work from infringement
Designed for artists and creatives of all disciplines, this session will demystify the legal landscape of intellectual property, empowering you to safeguard your creative assets.
The final 30 minutes of the webinar will be dedicated to an interactive Q&A, allowing you to address your specific questions and challenges.
Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance.
Any legal information provided in this presentation is general information about the law. Do not take this presentation as legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney.
About the Speaker
Alex Glancy specializes in transactional business law, including corporate, securities and intellectual property law, with a mission-driven approach. Her clients include startups, impact investment funds, creatives, cooperatives and nonprofits.
Alex is a partner and founding attorney at her firm based in Los Angeles. Core principles of their practice include serving as a community resource and building sustainable relationships. To expand access to legal information for creatives, Alex has collaborated with The Artist’s Contract, Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC), and the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI). She has presented at CalArts, Otis College of Art and Design, CCI, UCLA, and the California Center for Cooperative Development.
Alex graduated from Harvard Law School. She holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from Northwestern University in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (MMSS) and Anthropology.
Income Strategies for Artists
Allison Wyper, Rhizomatic Arts
Wednesday, May 21 | 6-8 PM ET
Click here to learn more
Looking to reshape your artistic financial life? Most artists rely on a mix of earned and contributed income sources to support their creative goals, and that mix can change over time as opportunities change. Join us to explore potential earning possibilities beyond the conventional realms of art sales and commissions. We’ll dive into the world of consultancy, membership models, collaborations, and rentals – innovative avenues to amplify your income from expertise. We’ll consider how resource pooling, sharing spaces, tools, and equipment can contribute to our mutual capacity and sustainability. We will help you weigh the pros and cons of grants and side gigs, so you can decide where to focus your energy while staying true to your creative mission.
About the Speaker
Allison Wyper is a California-based performance artist, consultant, and arts entrepreneur with 20 years of experience providing administrative, marketing, and production support for individuals and organizations. She specializes in thoughtful professional development program design and facilitation, one-on-one coaching, and collaborative website design. She founded Rhizomatic Arts (@rhizomaticarts) in 2014 to help creative people work independently, not alone. Allison is a Master Facilitator of the Business of Art curriculum created by the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI), for whom she oversaw publication of the 3rd Edition of The Business of Art: An Artist’s Guide to Profitable Self-Employment (2020) and facilitated 17 Business of Art bootcamps from 2017-2024. She is the author of CCI’s Business of Art Facilitation Guide (forthcoming).
ARC Partner Organizations
We believe in the power of community and the value of sharing resources. To amplify the impact of our programming, we have partnered with the following organizations, emphasizing the importance of mutual support and the sharing of vital information with other artist communities.
