Avenue Ambition

Are you an artist or crafter ages 12-18 wanting to develop your hobby into a business? Have you wondered what it takes to share your passion for creating with others? Would you like to learn about developing a brand and marketing yourself? Are you interested in a chance at operating a booth at Art on the Avenue 2025*?

Avenue Ambition: Crafting Your Creative Career is a 10-workshop series designed to give you the tools and skills needed to create, market, and sell your work. Teens that attend at least 50% of the workshops and provide a sales/ marketing plan and works to sell will be eligible for a chance to vend at a booth at Art on the Avenue 2025, on Saturday, October 4.*

• May 5: Charting your Journey - Introduction to Art on the Avenue & Program Overview
  • Learn about Art on the Avenue, the requirements for vending eligibility, and how the 10-workshop series will be structured. Hear from one of the co-founders of Art on the Avenue, Pat Miller. Ask any questions you may have and give feedback to the program organizers.
• May 19: Where's Your Roadmap? - The Art of Goal Setting
  • Dani Mise of Mise en Plan, a small business marketing consultant will guide you through setting clear, actionable goals for starting your art/ craft business. We'll explore marketing strategies, developing business plans, and more.
• June 2: More Than a Booth - Building Your Business From the Ground Up
  • Learn how to assess your needs for any event, including booth setup and marketing strategies. We'll discuss the specifics for Art on the Avenue and the Avenue Ambition Showcase on September 22nd.
• June 16: Pricing, Inventory Management, & Market Research, Oh My!
  • Figuring out what you want to make and sell can be the hardest part of any art business. Right after that comes pricing your works, knowing how much inventory you need, and wondering if people will even want to buy them! Financial consultant James Calhoun will be our guide through this complicated process.
• July 7: Recap and Rest Day
  • Missed a workshop and want to catch up on what we've covered? Have specific questions about your ideas or want feedback? Sometimes we need a day to check in with our fellow artists.
• July 21: It's Dangerous to Go Alone - Collaborative Brainstorming
  • Learn how to work collaboratively with fellow artists while fostering your own creativity. Talk about the differences between inspiration, derivatives, and plagiarism.
• August 4: Plans into Actions 1 - Marketing for the Showcase and Beyond
  • You've learned about marketing, now it's time to create an action plan! We'll dive deeper into marketing strategies and come up with a group plan to promote the Avenue Ambition Showcase at the end of the series. We'll also start compiling the list of who will be vending at Art on the Avenue on October 4th.
• August 18: What Happens Next? - Understanding and Defining Success
  • So you've finished selling at an event, but then what? Learn how to critically evaluate your experiences while also celebrating your successes.
• September 8: Plans into Actions 2 - Avenue Ambition Showcase Preparation
  • After months of learning, planning, and creating, it's time to put our work to the test! This practical workshop will cover setting up tables, creating checklists for day-of ease, and tying up loose ends.
• September 22: Avenue Ambition Showcase/ Artist Meet and Greet
  • All teens who attended ANY of the workshop dates will be invited to set up their work for this Vendor Showcase. Open to the public, it will feature teens' work and art organizations from around the area. After the showcase closes, teens and program organizers will convene for an after-action report.