The 2024 Class of Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training – Photo by Tiffany Bessire
PERISCOPE is an annual intensive training opportunity that empowers working artists to see their creative practice through an entrepreneurial lens.
Led by highly experienced instructors from within Nashville’s entrepreneurial community along with break-out sessions facilitated by Nashville’s top arts professionals, Periscope is designed to be a transformative experience for each artist, sparking the moment when their career will really start to take off.
Periscope provides:
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- Training: Working artists receive 9 weeks of professional development training.
- Exchange: Artists share best practices with interdisciplinary peers through small group work.
- Mentorship: Each artist is paired one-on-one with a high-caliber mentor for 6 months.
- Exposure: Year-round opportunities to celebrate the work of alumni artists, plus red-letter visibility at the culminating celebration, the Periscope Pitch + Artist Entrepreneur Showcase.
Support the Periscope Scholarship Fund
Periscope Presenting Sponsor
Periscope Award Sponsors
Periscope Supporting Sponsors
Periscope is a program of the Arts & Business Council developed with the following partners:
WHO: The experience is limited to 25 artists, artisans, makers and creative entrepreneurs of all artistic disciplines in the Greater Nashville region.
WHAT: An intensive curriculum that will explore tools to organize, plan, and sustain a creative career, with the goal of developing an individualized business plan to prepare each artist to take their creative endeavors to the next level.
WHEN: Eight consecutive weeks from March-May 2025 followed by six months of one-on-one mentorship culminating in the Periscope Pitch + Artist Entrepreneur Showcase in September.
WHERE: Training sessions are held in person in Nashville and course materials are shared online through Google Classroom.
WEEK 1: Periscope Nashville Kickoff
Thurs., March 20 | 6 – 8 p.m.
A fun networking mixer with current class members and Periscope alumni. Includes an alumni panel discussion and Q&A.
Thurs., March 27 | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Orientation session with an introduction to goal setting.
Thurs., April 3 | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Analyze your current career position and identify what you need to build the brightest future for your art.
Thurs., April 10 | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Focus on building a compelling unique selling proposition (USP) by learning from audience evaluations.
Thurs., April 17 | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Understanding your work, audience, and business structure to optimize the potential of your creative business.
Thurs., April 24 | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The essentials of building a marketing plan and promoting your work.
Thurs., May 1 | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Walk through the basics of what generates revenue for you, pricing strategies, and long-term business planning.
Thurs., May 8 | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Discover the process of talking about your work in a way that will gain believers and make use of other people’s talents.
Thurs., May 15 | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Use what you’ve learned to refine your business plan and next steps, and get comfortable pitching your creative endeavors to your audience.
Periscope Pitch Preliminaries: June 26 & July 24, By appointment.
Periscope Pitch + Artist Entrepreneur Showcase: September 3, 2025
HAVE QUESTIONS? For artists interested in learning more about the program, application process and important dates, click below to view a recording of our Online Interest Session!
View the Online Interest Session
APPLY: Periscope applications are closed for the Class of 2025 and will re-open January 2026.
NOMINATIONS: Periscope nominations are closed for the Class of 2025 and will re-open January 2026.
COST: There is no fee to apply. If accepted, the program participation fee is on a sliding scale based on income. The program is valued at $2,000+ per participant and has been generously subsidized by the Arts & Business Council’s funders and program partners to be accessible. Program participation fee tiers* are:
- Tier C: $500 per person (More than $48,650 annual gross household income**)
- Tier B: $250 per person (Between $29,190 and $48,649 annual gross household income**)
- Tier A: $50 per person ($29,189 or less annual gross household income**)
*Payment plans are available at all tiers.
**Adjusted gross household income is the total income of all individuals aged 15 and above in a household, minus certain deductions allowable by the IRS. Adjusted gross income appears on IRS form 1040, line 11. There is an additional $4,500 adjustment for your spouse and each dependent in your household. (e.g. In a household with a married couple and one dependent, the income limit would be increased by $9,000 to $57,650.)
Hear from our alumni about their Periscope experience:
Aaron Grayum, Class of 2018
Headshot Photo by Jeremy Cowart.
“I honestly wish I could go through Periscope every year. It was intense for sure, but I took it seriously and loved every minute of it. Being able to learn about the business of being an artist – from instructors who actually understood an artist’s needs – was enlightening. Yes, I expected to learn about writing business plans, finding the right audience, how to price my work – and we learned all of that. But what I didn’t expect was diving deep into discovering the reason why I do what I do. I’m not just in the business of selling paintings, but of giving people hope and bringing something uplifting into their lives.
Another thing I didn’t expect: the diversity of creatives who were in the class with me. Going into it, I kind of pictured being surrounded by a bunch of painters like me. But instead there were painters, photographers, filmmakers, sculptors, writers, actors, dancers and more … all in our little class of 20.
My favorite aspects of the training were easily the small group sessions and the one-on-one mentorship. I loved being able to connect with others and see my career from their perspective. It was totally eye-opening, and a big factor in the success I’ve had since. I highly recommend Periscope for anybody who wants help figuring out how to un-stick their creative business and take it to the next level.”
Photo courtesy Mimi McCarley
Mimi McCarley, Class of 2021
“Periscope provided me with community – As a business owner and as an entrepreneur…the road can feel very lonely. Being surrounded by like-minded individuals who needed the same support that I needed, who were going through similar things, that was an encouragement in and of itself. Regardless of the industry, there are foundational supports that need to be in place for any business owner. So just having access to that information and knowledge was astronomical and impactful for my business.”
Photo courtesy Janelle Faiman
Janelle Faiman, Class of 2021
“The gift of Periscope is that it helped me shape my creative idea into something tangible. The guidance, direction, introductions, and overall business knowledge has transformed my vision into something attainable. I learned so much from the program itself and the mentor relationship that I have built has been truly life changing.”
