Symposium Highlights by Year

Explore how The Business of Art has evolved through keynote insights, expert panels, and hands-on sessions.

Jump to: 2020 | 2022 | 2024

2024: Trust-Based Creativity and Rural Innovation

Themes
This year emphasized trust-based philanthropy, the impact of AI on creative work, and strategies for rural arts leadership. Artists and changemakers explored how emerging technologies and funding models can strengthen community-based creativity, and the essential connection between arts and health.

Keynotes

  • Dr. Tasha Golden (Johns Hopkins International Arts + Mind Lab) spoke on arts, health, and systemic transformation

  • Sean Fenton (Theatre Bay Area) explored performance, equity, and civic impact

Session Highlights

  • The Future of Public Art featured civic leaders from Nevada County, Truckee, Grass Valley, and Nevada City

  • Podcasting, Branding and Digital Tools offered practical insight into self-representation and tech fluency

  • Relax with Tax, Reel Power, Acing an Audition, and Expanding Visions addressed specific creative disciplines

Closing Session
A powerful community-building finale with cultural strategist Daniela Fernández

2022: Creativity in Transition

Themes
Emerging from the pandemic, 2022 focused on artist resilience, creative entrepreneurship, and legal literacy. Sessions supported both early-career and established creatives navigating a shifting arts landscape.

Keynotes

  • Sherri Young (African-American Shakespeare Company) on leadership and inclusive storytelling

  • Julie Baker (Californians for the Arts) on advocacy and structural change

Session Highlights

  • A Writer’s Trajectory and Starting Out in Music profiled creative journeys

  • Fundraising After COVID addressed sustainable nonprofit development

  • Public Art, IP Law and Grant Writing equipped participants with tools to build and protect their work

  • The California Creative Corps hosted its first regional listening session

Vibe Check
Many attendees cited 2022’s networking and intimate conversations as “transformational.”

2020: Launch Year—Bold Foundations

Themes
The inaugural Business of Art Symposium laid the groundwork with a dynamic mix of career development, public art insights, and visionary keynotes. The event created a new platform for arts professionals to gather in rural Northern California on the cusp of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keynotes

  • Peter Blachley (Morrison Hotel Gallery) on creative reinvention

  • Norman Seeff and Charles Hannah in conversation on authenticity, excellence, and storytelling

Session Highlights

  • Design Thinking for Creatives introduced collaborative innovation methods

  • The Anatomy of a Grant Application demystified funding proposals

  • Emergency Preparedness for Creatives was timely and prescient

  • Career in Music, Public Art as a Profession, and Inside the Mind of a Curator attracted cross-disciplinary interest

Special Feature
The “Artist Call” session presented major upcoming opportunities through Nevada County Arts Council, helping creatives activate their practice locally and statewide.