On Saturday, January 10th, Professional Development Program (PDP) workshop leaders Colleen Keegan and Ela Troyano traveled to Austin, TX to teach a workshop on Strategic Planning at The Contemporary Austin. The workshop was part of a series generously underwritten by Tequila Herradura, and was attended by 24 talented Austin-based artists, including Herradura Barrel Art Competition artists Eric Port, Jaelah Kuehmichel, VM Fisk, Thomas John Lemanski and Tincher & Maloney. Below are some reactions we heard from workshop participants (and from our workshop partner at the Contemporary).

“Ela and Colleen’s presentations helped me to demystify some of the parts of the job of being an artist that have always filled me with fear and trepidation.  I wish I had taken this workshop ten years ago, but the truth is that this was the absolute perfect thing at the perfect time for me.”
– Jennifer Lane, Participant

“I want to thank Creative Capital for hosting (and Herradura for funding) such a valuable workshop for artists here in Austin. It was a fruitful and pertinent exchange of information that left me feeling empowered & valued. It sharpened my tools for success as an artist in the current climate.”
-Jaelah Kuehmichel, Participant & Herradura Barrel Art Competition Finalist

“This is the best professional development training for artists I know of and I particularly appreciate the involvement of artists who speak from experience and model success.”
-Andrea Mellard, Director of Public Programs & Community Engagement,
The Contemporary Austin

For more information about upcoming Creative Capital Professional Development Program opportunities, and to find out if there are workshops near you, visit our calendar. This weekend, PDP will head to the west coast for Herradura-sponsored  workshops in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Stay tuned for a recap of those events!

Creative Capital is honored to be the charitable beneficiary of the second annual Herradura Barrel Art Competition. With support from Tequila Herradura, we are presenting PDP workshops to artists in seven cities free-of-charge in 2015. Click here to learn more about the program and the participating artists.