Craft Lab Workshop Series
Illuminate the business of making.
The Craft Lab Workshop Series is a free, professional development program offered exclusively for ACC members. Conversations are also recorded and made available to members to view at their convenience.
From engaging conversations featuring movers and shakers in the craft industry to presentations on practical skills and methods, ACC’s Craft Lab workshop series offers educational programming for practicing artists at every career stage. Learn directly from experts on topics as wide-ranging as photography, financial tools, and marketing for artists.
2025 sessions.
ACC members can view Craft Lab videos any time.
Craft Lab is a free, professional development program offered for ACC members. Conversations are also recorded and made available to members to view at their convenience. Not a member? Join today.
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Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Pricing Strategies for Artists
with Elaine Grogan Luttreull
As artists and designers consider the business side of their creativity, the art of capturing and describing value through a holistic pricing strategy becomes (almost) as important as the creativity itself. Four factors—cost, competition, customers, and competencies—affect the price for a creative entrepreneur’s work or time, and we’ll explore the science (and the art) behind each one. We’ll end with some conversational tools to talk about the true value of the work negotiation-style.
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Tuesday, February 11, 2025
PR for Artists: How to Pitch Your Story to the Media
Facilitated by Sara Hussey (with Karen Olson and Dave Schimke from American Craft)
PR expert Sara Hussey, joined by Editor in Chief and Senior Editor of American Craft magazine, Karen Olson and Dave Schimke, will walk attendees through a step-by-step guide to public relations for small craft businesses. The workshop will include an intro to Public Relations, its benefit to your business, how to find the right media to contact, how to craft a media pitch as well as discuss influencer collaboration strategies. Participants will walk away with a deep understanding of the power of PR and a step-by-step process for crafting and delivering a pitch to the media.
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Tuesday, March 11, 2025
The Fundamentals of Grant Writing
Facilitated by Betsy Altheimer
In this practical and supportive workshop, you’ll learn how to bring your unique artistic vision to life through compelling grant applications. This session will help you understand the essentials of grant writing and will make the process approachable and manageable. We will talk about making grant writing feel like an extension of your craft.
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Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Business Structures for Artists: Thinking Beyond Sole Proprietorship
Facilitated by Hannah Cole
In this workshop longtime artist and tax pro Hannah Cole, of Sunlight Tax, will clarify the different options, and the pros and cons of each, so you can tailor your decisions for your unique needs. We’ll focus on the difference between a legal entity and a tax entity, the tax implications, and the level of complexity and expense that each type of entity involves. You’ll leave knowing what you need to cover first, and which entity decisions can wait until later, and you’ll know which questions to ask in order to determine your best option.
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Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Contracts, Agreements, and Licensing for Artists
Facilitated by Navin Ramalingam
Join intellectual property attorney Navin Ramalingam, to learn the ins and outs of contracts, agreements, and licensing for artists and entrepreneurs. In this workshop we will cover key topics like: Contracts 101, Types of Agreements for Artists, including Common Artist Agreements, Intellectual Property and Licensing Essentials, and much more!
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Tuesday, July 8, 2025
From the Artist’s Perspective: Engaging Your Audience with Meaning
Facilitated by Sarah Hussaini
This workshop will explore the psychology behind social media and the power of storytelling to grow an engaged audience. We’ll discuss setting goals and boundaries for your digital presence, while analyzing sources of inspiration and learning to create authentically from them.