The Accelerator

Learn the business side of creative work in our 8-week arts business program. Check back for 2022 dates!

“HELPED ME REDIRECT MY CREATIVE SPIRIT TOWARDS ENTREPRENEURSHIP”

“The Accelerator program was rigorous yet fun. It helped me redirect my creative spirit towards entrepreneurship. Not only was I able to be in the company of a cohort of talented artists—from curators, to dancers, to musicians—but all of the facilitators presented highly informative and engaging content. I’ve kept in touch with my cohort and have even collaborated on two shows.”

Maddy Clifford, MADLines

General Overview

 

Pedagogy

Learn the business side of creative work through interactive seminars and deep-dive labs centered around the Business Model Canvas. You will work in cohort sessions and small group coaching circles, as well as generate short videos of your solutions between sessions. All of these approaches will help you to develop various aspects of business modeling for an arts practice, project, or venture.

 
Cost
  • ​$300 for Individuals and Organizations (if applying as an organization, a max of 3 people can participate)
  • $250 for Intersection Members (if applying as an organization, a max of 3 people can participate)
  • TIP: Individual artists in California may be eligible to apply for CCI’s Quick Grant to cover the cost of this course. Applications due on the 15th every month.
 
What You Get
  • Adaptable business model canvas for your art practice, project, or venture
  • Confidence and clarity on your vision, mission, values, and goals
  • A Certificate of Completion
  • Network of peers in your learning cohort
 
Format

Five seminars & three labs for a total of 8 sessions. All sessions take place virtually over Zoom.

 
Contact

Reach out to Amy Kweskin, Director of Professional Development, at amy@theintersection.org with questions.

 

Schedule
Session 1: Get Inspired
  • Cohort Development
  • Lifestages on the Arts Business/Career Lifecycle
  • Vision + Values = Mission
  • HOMEWORK: Prepare your vision + values = mission
Session 2: Get Focused
  • Share homework
  • Introduction to Business Model Canvas (BMC)
  • BMC: Current as-is story

    • Future to story

  • Goal Setting, benchmarks, success indicators
  • HOMEWORK: Prepare BMC: Future Story with goals
Session 3: Get Noticed
  • Share homework
  • Customer Segments & Empathy Maps
  • Value Propositions
  • HOMEWORK: Prepare BMC: Customer Segments & Value Propositions
Session 4: Get Connected
  • Customer Relationships & Channels
  • Product, program and service offerings
  • Features & Benefits
  • HOMEWORK: BMC Customer Relationships & Channels
  • HOMEWORK: Product, program and service offerings with features & benefits
Session 5: Get Structured
  • Share homework
  • Revenue Streams
  • Cost Structure
  • Your Value
  • Your Capital
  • HOMEWORK: BMC: Prepare Revenue Streams and Cost Structure
Session 6: Get Grounded
  • Share homework
  • Budgeting: Know your project costs and put these into a budget
  • Budgeting: How to create/frame a budget in relation to goals
  • HOMEWORK: Prepare budget
Session 7: Get Funded
  • Share homework
  • Grant Writing Basics: Grant research, write your narrative, develop your budget
  • HOMEWORK: Grant narrative and budget; draft final BMC
Session 8: Get Coached
  • Share homework: grant narrative and budget
  • 1:2:1 coaching – 2, 1-hour coaching sessions per participant; Improve final BMC
  • HOMEWORK: Prepare final BMC
Session 9: Get Started
  • Present final BMC
  • Graduation and certification
Meet the Instructors

Our instructors will vary. In the past our instructors have included:

Yesenia Sanchez

Anthem Salgado

Randy-Rollison

Amy Kweskin

Steven Crane

Pavan Singh

Meet the Alumni

Check out the people and organizations that have invested in their growth:

 

2021 Graduates (Arts Council Santa Cruz County, Tannery Art Center):

  • Mohamed Aoualou

  • Misty Aoualou

  • Noelle Correia

  • Paul DeWorken

  • Monica Galvan

  • Joe Mailloux

  • Abi Mustapha

  • Irene O’Connell

  • Devi Pride

  • Rica Smith de la Luz

  • Jason Joseph Santiago Lacour

  • Jaime Sanchez

  • Asha Tobing

2020 Graduates:

  • Alejandra Ramirez

  • Alina Trowbridge

  • Anna Flurry

  • Catherine Sherman

  • Eric Garcia

  • Christian Cerrito

  • Christine Donley

  • Darcie O’Brien

  • Elizabeth Etienne

  • Liz Harvey

  • Evan Johnson

  • Franchesca Enzler

  • Gisela Insuaste

  • Ileana Tejada

  • Jamin Warren

  • Jaya Griscom

  • Jenny Bitner

  • Julie Douglas

  • Kate Cole

  • Katherine Vetne

  • Leslie Tai

  • Marcia Kailian

  • Tonya Amos

  • Midori Midori

  • Tanya Vlach

  • Rashida Chase

  • Suzy Borhan

  • sya warfield

2019 Graduates:

  • SF Urban Film Fest

  • Collective Action Studio

  • Cathy Lu

  • Anna Lisa Escobedo

  • The Collective (The Cllctve)

  • Eva Piontkowski

  • Priya Narayana

  • The Drawing Room SF

  • Hannah MacKenzie-Margulies

  • Kurt Ribak

  • Daniel Neville

  • Rapid Descent

  • ReVolt Labs

  • TECHNO-TAMALADAS

  • Vibrant Productions

  • Write Now! SF Bay

  • Rosalie Cavallaro

  • XiDao

  • Patrick Malabuyo

  • Aliencranberry Arts

  • Marcos Mion

  • Leah King & Juan Carlos Rodriguez Rivera

  • ANdrew ALBIN

2018 Graduates:

  • Klanghaus

  • Maddy Clifford

  • Celeste Chan

  • Matatu

  • Jazz Education Ensemble

  • Bay Area Dance Collective

  • The Walk Discourse

2017 Graduates:

  • Antic in a Drain

  • Chinese Whispers

  • Colored Ink/Lyrical Opposition

  • Embodiment Project

  • Emerging Arts Professionals

  • Jazz in the Neighborhood

  • Strider Patton

  • Quinan Street Project

  • SF Zine Fest

  • 3rd Space Lab Collective

2016 Graduates:

  • Irish American Crossroads Festival

  • Mi Cultura

  • Arts Ed Matters

  • Eugenie Chan Theatre Projects

  • Alphabet Rockers

  • Awesome Orchestra Collective

  • Mugwumpin

  • Real Time & Space

Interested in bringing our Accelerator

to your community?

 

Our Accelerator has been replicated at California College of the Arts (CCA), Mills College, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, and Arts Council Santa Cruz County.

Email Amy Kweskin, Director of Professional Development, at amy@theintersection.org with ideas.

 

“Pushed my practice to the next level”

“The Arts Accelerator gave me the courage I needed to embrace business knowledge as a vehicle that can elevate, strengthen and push my practice to the next level. I learned alongside other visionary and incredibly talented artists, many of whom I remain in contact with. Intersection offers a support setting that understands and focuses on artist’s needs.”

Astrid Kaemmerling, The Walk Discourse