Tools for Creators

On this page, you will find recorded workshops, toolkits, and other resources to support professional artists.

The Mississippi Arts Commission welcomes your input to help determine future session themes for individual artist workshops. Click the button below to be directed to a single-question survey where you can indicate your level of interest or suggest a new topic that appeals to you. You can also reach out to our program staff directly via email: grants@arts.ms.gov.

Session Topic Survey

Ask A Publisher: The Process of the Book

In our latest webinar as part of the Ask a Professional series, Lisa McMurtray, Acquisitions Editor at the University Press of Mississippi, talks about the process of publishing a book from proposal to publishing. Click here to download a PDF of the presentation.

Ask a Professional: Artist Bios and Statements

In our latest webinar as part of the Ask a Professional series, Amy Beth-Rice, a Memphis-based Arts Educator, discusses Artist Bios and Statements.

Ask a Professional: Healthcare Marketplace

Did you miss our latest webinar in our Ask a Professional series, Ask A Professional: Healthcare Marketplace? Watch it now! This webinar took place on Thursday, September 28. Attendees of this webinar learned about navigating marketplace health plans and insurance. Bob Williams, Director of Life and Health Actuarial with the Department of Insurance, hosted this session.

Ask an Influencer: Let’s Discuss Social Media

Check out our latest webinar in our “Ask A Professional” series, Ask an Influencer: Let’s Discuss Social Media, hosted by social media influencer and arts educator Landon Bryant!

The webinar touched on creating social media content, working with influencers, and other aspects of social media that artists and arts organizations need to know.

Ask a Grant Writer: Before You Hit Submit

Check out our webinar in our “Ask A Professional” series, Ask a Grant Writer: Before You Hit Submit, hosted by Bob Arnold! The webinar discussed some of the essential elements of grant writing. The webinar focused on revising, editing, and proofreading.

Bob Arnold will lead this session. Bob is the Director of Grantsmanship Services for Community Works Consulting, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit consulting firm. Before joining CWC in 2022, he served as the Associate Director of Development for the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, where he was responsible for the museum’s entire grants portfolio, including more than 20 annual grants and several multi-million-dollar capital grants. With a nonprofit fundraising career spanning more than 17 years, Bob has extensive experience managing all aspects of the grant lifecycle, from project design and prospecting to grant writing, reporting, and evaluation.

Ask an Accountant: Record Keeping 101

Are you covering your costs as an artist? If you’re unsure, this webinar is for you! Joyce Martelli (Fiber artist, CPA) discussed the basics of tracking arts income and expenses. She covered the ‘why’ behind keeping this information and shared tools to help with the process.

This recording took place on January 26, 2023. For more information, call 601-359-6030.

Joyce Martelli is a fiber artist and lives in Rochester, New York. Joyce’s art journey began with Music, and she is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire in Music Education. After teaching for several years, she returned to school to obtain an Accounting Degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology and became a Certified Public Accountant. Since then, she has been able to combine her love of teaching and financial ability to support nonprofit organizations and small business owners. Joyce is in the Rochester CPA’s Hall of Fame and is recognized for her work with non-profits and teaching small groups to help them understand the financial side of their business.

Workshop: How Much Should I Charge?

Ask A Lawyer: Copyright & Small Claims Court

This session was led by Andrew Coffman, attorney at the law firm Phelps Dunbar based in Tupelo, MS. Coffman is a commercial litigator with a focus on intellectual property. He is committed to helping businesses protect their brands, confidential information, patents, trademarks and copyrights. The goal of this workshop is to provide artists (painters, sculptors, musicians, writers, and other creators) with the information to determine their best path forward engaging in administrative procedures related to intellectual property including ways in which they can make claims easier, faster & cheaper to process.

Marketing and Public Relations Guide

The Mississippi Arts Commission strives to provide helpful tools for artists and arts organizations across Mississippi. Below is a link to our Marketing and Public Relations Guide, which offers a wealth of information, from how to write a press release to handling media interviews.

We are reworking the PR guide to better align with current industry standards. Thank you for your patience.

Emergency Preparedness

If disaster struck, would you, your work, and your studio be prepared?

LEARN MORE >

Ten Steps to a Career in the Arts

Use the document linked below to learn more about pursing a career in the arts, gaining worthwhile skills and experience, and how to set yourself up for a successful career in the creative sector.

Careers in and through the Arts

Toolkits & Resources