Professional Development for Artists

Driving Lessons is an ongoing series of professional development workshops that prepares artists to succeed in their career and artistic practice through skill-building exercises with guest speakers and professionals.

Summer 2026 Sessions

Artists in Leadership: A Civic and Creative Workshop
Your creativity belongs in civic life and this workshop will show you why and how.
Communities need leaders who listen, tell stories, build coalitions, and imagine something better. Those are artist skills. Dr. Quanice Floyd and Tom Tresser will guide participants through the civic landscape: where decisions get made, who makes them, and how to earn a seat at the table. Through a culture-wars history exercise, a Leadership Assets Inventory, and a mock candidate rally, participants will see how creative practices translate directly into civic leadership. PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
Art Practice as Care: Tools for Sustainable Creative Work
Burnout isn't a personal failure, it's a pattern. This workshop creates space to examine it.
Led by curator and psychotherapist Gabrielle Banzhaf, this full-day workshop helps artists recognize their own patterns, understand their limits, and make clearer decisions about work and life. The day moves through burnout recognition, capacity mapping, boundary-setting, and navigating uncertainty through guided exercises and peer discussion. Participants leave with concrete tools: a Burnout Timeline, a Capacity Map, and practiced Boundary Scripts. PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Thanks to the support from Elevar Fund, the workshops will be $15 each to cover catered snacks and a happy hour beverage for the in-person session at SWELL.
PDF OF DRIVING LESSONS COURSE BOOK
Driving Lessons Resources (Past Classes):
For inspiration on writing your own Artist Statement, read

Powerpoint Presentations for Reference

Forget something? Feel free to visit the powerpoint presentations to freshen up on that book recommendation you missed!
Some additional resources from friends and Partners:
Contact information on your instructors:
Karla Boldery, kboldery@lamegamedia.com
Mayra Casas Jackson, mjackson@irlawcenter.org
Cal Cullen, cal@wavepoolgallery.org
Anissa Lewis, anissa.lewis@gmail.com
Morgan Rigaud, morgan@brysonestates.com
Maria Seda-Reeder, maria@wavepoolgallery.org
William Serrano-Franklin, william.serrano@cincinnati-oh.gov
Bryan Wright, bryan@cincinnaticompass.org