Panel topics, panelists announced for the second biennial OHIO ARTrepreneurship Summit

On Jan. 28, the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts and the Ohio University Center for Entrepreneurship will present the second biennial OHIO ARTrepreneurship Summit. Beginning at 9 a.m., this event, which is free and open to the public, will include numerous panels, keynote speeches and networking opportunities for students involved in business, the arts or an intersection of both.

Panelists and speakers will help students learn how to visualize themselves as successful creative practitioners, how to use entrepreneurial thinking and tools to support themselves and serve communities in and through the arts and meet artists and entrepreneurs of all stripes who will share their business model, artistic practice and answer questions.

Liz Pahl, assistant director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, as well as a co-chair of the summit, is particularly excited about the opening keynote speech from Sara Hartmann, program director of Creative Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

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“She talks about…financial anxiety, and specifically in this case it’s in the arts, but from a fundamental level she talks a lot about our own myths about money and what we’re taught and how we view money, and so it’s just really eye-opening for anyone,” Pahl said. 

Hartmann’s keynote speech will take place at 9 a.m., followed by six panel discussions and a closing keynote speech from Stephanie Matthews, executive director of A Tribe for Jazz. One of the two concurrent 11:45 a.m. panels will be “Building Your Art Practice in Urban Arts Centers vs Rural or Suburban Communities,” moderated by Jessica Fox, senior assistant director of Recruitment for the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts.

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“I love being (involved in) a panel for events like this that draw together the community and the arts,” Fox said. “...I think it’s a really important part of what we do in the arts, and having the ability to have a conversation around…what happens in those communities - big cities, small cities - is really vital to every artist's career.”

Not only will students be able to gain artistic skills by attending the summit, but they will also be given the chance to grow as entrepreneurs.

“Anyone who views themselves as an entrepreneur will learn something, especially artists,” Pahl said. “Sometimes it’s hard for artists to view themselves as a business or as an entrepreneur, but if you ask anybody who is selling their art, they are their own business and they are an entrepreneur so…learning business skills can help them immensely.”

Pahl believes students will also benefit from the chance to connect with potential mentors. Fox agrees the moderators, alumni and presenters will have wisdom to offer students.

“People attending will gain a lot from being around people that have been in the industry for a while,” Fox said. “It’s always really impactful and inspiring. I think coming with an open mind and listening to something that might not be in your discipline.”  

Those interested can RSVP and see the full schedule at https://www.ohio.edu/fine-arts/ohio-artrepreneurship-summit.