Boot Camp for Artists October 12, 2009

CounterPULSE Presents Boot Camp for Artists
with Jessica Robinson
Intensive skills for raising money and attention
Mondays, October 12-November 16, 6:30-9:30pm
Whether you're a choreographer who's self-producing for the first time, a director who's ready to expand your company, an experienced artist looking to brush up on skills, or a performer looking to get a part-time job in arts administration, this crash course will give you the skills you need to kick-start your career.
The bootcamp includes 27 hours of instruction, plus in-person presentations by local editors and funders. Your art deserves the investment!
Session I-- Getting the Money
(Grantwriting & Fundraising)
Oct. 12 & 19
How to talk about your own work so that you can raise money for it.
How to talk to funders and find grants that are appropriate for you.
Step-by-step guidance on grantwriting, including creating a budget, getting letters of recommendation, and selecting work samples.
Overcoming your fear of the Individual Donor Letter.
How to throw a successful fundraising event.
Finish this session with a completed Zellerbach proposal and samples of successful grant proposals.
"Nowhere else could you get this valuable information without spending the better part of a decade accumulating bits and pieces through trial and error. The information we obtained in a few weeks was priceless." -- Dwayne Calizo, Co-Director, Experimental Performance Institute; Executive Director, Mama Calizo's Voice Factory
Session II—Getting Attention (Marketing & Publicity)
Oct. 26 & Nov. 2
Secrets to a great press release.
When to send out your press release and who to send it to.
Who to call, when to call them, and when to leave them alone.
Creating inexpensive and beautiful posters and postcards.
Effective word-of-mouth publicity and creative marketing.
Putting together a press kit and a press file.
Finish this session with a completed press release and samples of successful press releases.
"As an emerging artist producing my first full-length show, my sense of know-how, capability, and efficiency have been fostered by the hands-on interactions and highly engaged nature of this workshop."-- Sarah Day, Co-Director, Shah & Blah Productions
"Even after two post graduate degrees and various workshops over the years, this is without a doubt the most useful course I have ever taken to help me further my artistic goals." -- Kim Harmon, Performance Artist
Session III—The Show (Production)
Nov. 9 & 16
How to find a venue, read a contract, and get a good deal.
Building a dream production team and a realistic budget.
How to talk to technicians and understand basic lighting design.
How to invite presenters and other "important people" to your show.
Options for effectively handling tickets, reservations and house staff.
Overall career planning strategies for artists.
Finish this session with a working understanding of a theater and sample contracts, timelines, light plots, and more.
"This course is rich and wide ranging in offering an overview of the art world and how to navigate it. It also helps me to appreciate and be in solidarity with other artists in the community. A friend of mine said that to be an artist, you need to 'take the art world as a second language', and I am so grateful that I have found this course—this is it!"-- Iris Clearwater, Collaborative Sculpture & Film Artist
"Ms. Robinson is a powerhouse in the San Francisco arts scene." -- Eric Koziol, Media Artist
Cost: $250 for the series ($200 for CounterPULSE Fiscal Sponsees)
$225 if registered before September 15th
Space is limited, advanced registration is required.
Register at Brown Paper Tickets
Jessica Robinson is the Executive Director of CounterPULSE, a nonprofit that provides support and low cost resources for emerging artists, serving as an incubator space to create socially relevant, diverse, community-based art. She has written dozens of successful grant proposals, hundreds of press releases, and advised artists in all disciplines on the "how-to's" of self-production.
About Boot Camp for Artists with Jessica Robinson:
"Jessica is among the most concise, thorough, and enthusiastic presenters I have ever met. The information she shared was based on years of diligent experience. Her generosity in offering it so freely truly feels like an honor and a gift. This is information that is vital to any self-producing artist, and no one else is teaching it. With the skills and information I received in class, the scale of what I am capable of as a self-producing artist has grown exponentially. I can envision an infrastructure and potential for my company that I could never have seen with such detail (never mind enacted) at the beginning of class." -- Daniel Bear Davis, director/choreographer/performer
"Who else shares the secrets of how they got where they are? It's radical community-based organizing to help artists get the skills to navigate the art world. Jessica does an amazing job sharing a lot of information in a short period of time, and making it all personally relevant to each student's situation." -- K. Quilo Matzen, Change of State Performance Project
"Jessica Robinson is a force to be reckoned with! She makes the business side of the arts clear and accessible and less daunting. There is something to be gained at any point in your career. Jessica Robinson and the tools she teaches in this course promote a professionalism that does not compromise the spirit of the arts." -- Janine Trinidad, Dancer/Choreographer, Arts Administrator
"This is the only course in the Bay Area that addresses all areas of self-production and gets you off and running in three weeks with a set of goals, both long and short term, that you have the confidence to complete." -- Leigh Riley, Choreographer, The Riley Project
"I learned more in 3 days that in many years of self-producing art. It's a must do for anyone interested in creating art for his/her community" -- Ernesto Sopprani, Marketing Director, SF Boylesque
"I have attended no less than four art institutions for higher learning and NONE of them even approached this essential training. It is INVALUABLE" -- Emily Park, interdisciplinary performance artist, Ethaerial Arts
"This course is super-packed with information including priceless personal tidbits you can't find without spending 7 years (as Jessica has done) learning and building relationships. I can't imagine spending $250 better on my career." -- Laura Bishop, dancer/choreographer, Executive Director, 418 Project

Official Website: http://www.counterpulse.org/bootcamp.shtml