Announcing the 2018 class of Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training

The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville announces its Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training Class of 2018. Comprised of promising artists of varying disciplines, Periscope is a dynamic, year-round professional development opportunity that helps accomplished artists take their careers to the next level of sustainability and growth by looking at their artistic practice through an entrepreneurial lens.

The class is chosen through a competitive application process. Applicants were scored by panels of community reviewers including leading curators and critics in Nashville’s arts scene, representatives from program partners such as the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Southwest Airlines, and a number of Periscope program alumni.

Periscope, now in its fifth year, saw a record number of application requests from across the Greater Nashville area. In addition to making the selection process more competitive, the number of requests attests to the growth of Nashville’s creative community and the need for programming dedicated to building creative businesses.

“The response to this year’s application cycle was overwhelming,” said Jill McMillan, Executive Director of the Arts & Business Council. “We’re thrilled that this program, built from innovative cross-sector relationships with our program partners, continues to serve the creative community in such a necessary way.”

The 2018 Periscope class is: Aaron Grayum (visual art), Amanda Lomax (photography/visual art), Amanda Downs (visual art), Audry Deal-McEver (visual art), Cailin Manning (dance and film), Diane Marsella (visual art), Elaine Slayton Akin (mixed media), Georganna Greene (visual art), Jennie Schut (visual art), Jesse Hale (multidisciplinary), Joseph Patrick (photography), Lindsey Stewart Sherrod (fashion), Mark Schlicher (sculpture and film), Melba Williams-Kirk (film), Michael Ewing (visual art), Rashad Rayford (poetry and performance), Regina McCord (interdisciplinary), Sarah Shearer (visual art), Stephie Goings (music performance) and Thaxton Waters (visual art).

Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training is a partnership with the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, Metro Nashville Arts Commission, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Mayor’s Office of Economic & Community Development and Southwest Airlines.

The class starts on May 17 and continues through July 5, meeting once weekly. Following the training portion, artists are matched one-on-one with high-caliber mentors to help them prepare for the Periscope Pitch in September and further develop their business strategies.

Please join us in congratulating these outstanding creatives!

For more information about Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training, email info@abcnashville.org or call 615-460-8274.