Join The Working Artist Conversations with Crista Cloutier

ArtPlacer and The Working Artist are partnering to bring you something special: a three-part, live conversation series on how to build a sustainable art career, by The Working Artist founder Crista Cloutier.

Join us via Zoom for a monthly session of dynamic conversation, with a Q&A and take-home exercises to start putting the learnings to use. Plus, an exclusive Facebook group to share resources, ask questions, and meet other artists committed to growth.

Mark your calendar for these dates:

• Wednesday, August 19, at 2 pm ET. See it in your timezone.
• Wednesday, September 16, at 2 pm ET. See it in your timezone.  
• Wednesday, October 21, at 2 pm ET. See it in your timezone.

During the sessions, you’ll gain a clearer sense of who your work is for, how real opportunities actually happen, and how to share your work with confidence. Crista will draw on more than three decades of experience as an artist, gallery owner, curator, and mentor to walk you through the real, often-overlooked path to a thriving creative career.

Whether you’re just starting or looking to reconnect with why you make art in the first place, this series will help you see your career and your audience in a whole new way. Don’t miss it!

Save your seat

Can’t make it live? No worries. Each session will be recorded and available in ArtPlacer Academy so you can watch and rewatch whenever it works for you. Sign up to ArtPlacer and start your 14-day free trial today!

Crista Cloutier, founder of The Working Artist, brings more than three decades of experience to this three-part conversation series on building a sustainable art career.

Meet your speaker: Crista Cloutier

Crista Cloutier is an artist, writer, and the founder of The Working Artist. She’s helped thousands of artists in more than 85 countries build creative careers that actually last. With more than three decades of experience in the art world, she’s seen it from every angle: the creative side, the business side, as an artist, and as a mentor.

LinkedIn named her an Influencer in the Contemporary Art World. She’s a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in the UK, her archives live at the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art, and in 2025 she received the Gold Medal from the French Academy of Arts.

Her whole approach comes down to one idea: you don’t need to become someone else to build a successful career. You need to become more fully yourself. Crista lives in the South of France and is currently writing her first book, The Artist’s Flight Manual: From Feather to Wings of Success.

This three-part webinar will give you a new perspective on your art career and the tools to take it wherever you want it to go. Don’t miss it!

What you’ll learn in this webinar

This series has three parts, each focusing on a specific side of the artist’s path, and building on the last. By the end, you’ll see your career and your audience completely differently.

You’ll also get access to the attendee-only Facebook group for the series to keep the conversation going with Crista and other artists between sessions.

Session 1: Your Audience Is Closer Than You Think.

Your audience isn’t something you build. It’s something you discover. Some artists build thriving careers. Others struggle. It’s not about talent; it’s that most artists never realize their audience is already closer than they think. Crista will break down why, with stories straight from the art world.

You’ll walk away knowing:

• Why finding your audience is easier than you’ve been led to believe.
• The overlooked people who often become an artist’s greatest champions.
• A different way to think about collectors, supporters, and opportunity.
• The first clues that reveal the deeper purpose behind your work.
• One simple challenge to begin seeing your audience in a whole new way.

Mark your calendar:

Wednesday, August 19, at 2 pm EST. See it in your timezone.

Session 2: Stop Looking For More People. Start Finding Your People.

Most artists think they need more followers, more collectors, more visibility. Crista says: not so fast. Real opportunities don’t come from reach, they come from relationships. In this session, she’ll share stories from her own career, showing how curiosity and genuine connection opened doors she never expected and how you can do the same.

You’ll walk away knowing:

• Why finding your people matters more than finding more people.
• The unexpected places where your audience is already waiting.
• Why opportunities travel at the speed of relationships.
• A simple shift that can change the way you build your art career.
• One practical challenge to help you begin finding your people before the next conversation.

Mark your calendar:

Wednesday, September 16, at 2 pm EST. See it in your timezone.

Discovering your audience and sharing your work with them are key pillars of a successful art career. In this conversation series, we’ll dive deep into both and how ArtPlacer’s tools can help you do it.

Session 3: Why Your Art Matters.

Someone, somewhere, may need exactly the work only you can make. A lot of artists shy away from putting themselves out there because it feels like self-promotion. It’s not. In this closing conversation, Crista gets personal, sharing stories about the quiet, often invisible ways art changes lives. It’s a reminder that your work might reach someone you’ll never meet, and that it matters anyway.

You’ll walk away knowing:

• Why your work matters more than you probably realize.
• How one courageous act of sharing can change a life.
• The unexpected ways artists shape one another across generations.
• Why your own story may be the key to finding your authentic voice.
• One final reflection to carry with you long after the series ends.

Mark your calendar:

Wednesday, October 21, at 2 pm EST. See it in your timezone.

Ready to change how you see your career and your audience? Save your seat for The Working Artist Conversations, live August 19, September 16, and October 21, 2026.