Here is a listing of artist workshops, grants, and call for arts put out by other Connecticut arts organizations and programs. Many of the listed gallery shows & openings, include the work of our Lyme Art Association (LAA) members.
LAA Members: please contact Jolie at jolie@lymeartassociation.org, if you would like to have the non-LAA gallery exhibit listed below.
Workshops for Artists
Free Professional Development Workshops Online & In Person
The Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) partners with Assets for Artists (A4A) to provide workshops for creative entrepreneurs. Workshops are available to New England artists of all disciplines. All workshops are recorded unless otherwise noted and approved workshop registrants will receive access to the recordings.
Visit A4A’s website to see their workshop schedule: www.assetsforartists.
Upcoming Artists Workshops
Artist Residencies 101 with Yasmine Ameli
Thursday, October 30, 2025 | 2:00 – 4:00pm (Zoom)
Curious about artist residencies? In this workshop, we will go over different art residency models and what they have to offer, from artist communities to DIY and micro-residencies. We will discuss how to assess whether you are in the right season of your life and practice to apply, what residency model makes the most sense for you, and navigating residencies as a full-time worker or caregiver. Participants will leave with resources on where to find open calls, funding opportunities, and application dos and don’ts. This workshop will be discussion based and artists should come ready to journal. There will be time for Q&A.
Yasmine Ameli (she/her) is an Iranian American poet and essayist whose writing has appeared in POETRY, Ploughshares, The Sun, the Southern Review, and elsewhere. A fellow A4A grantee, she coaches creative writers on the business of thriving as an artist.
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Show Biz: Independent Production & Collaboration between Performers and Producers with Daniel Callahan & Mrs. Nerissa Williams Scott
Monday & Wednesday, November 3 & 5, 2025 | 6:00 – 8:00pm (Zoom)
This is a 2-part series. Artists are asked to attend both sessions.
Do you have an idea for a performance you would like to bring to life? In this workshop, performer Daniel Callahan and producer Mrs. Nerissa Williams Scott will discuss the financial, logistical, and administrative aspects of producing a show with a focus on the creative collaboration between artist and producer.
Participants will leave with strategies for independently producing a live performance. Topics will include goal setting, audience engagement, fundraising, budgeting, marketing, communicating with venues, and hiring a production team. This workshop will take the form of presentation + Q&A.
Daniel Callahan is an award-winning transmedia artist, designer and filmmaker. In addition to running his own multimedia production company and art practice, he has taught film and video at Emerson College and The Institute of Contemporary Art.
Mrs. Nerissa Williams Scott is a seasoned professional in the world of live performance, film and media arts, currently serving as the CEO/Owner of TCGT Entertainment, is a faculty member at Emerson College in the Business of Creative Economy Department, and serves as the Treasurer of the Secret Society of Black Creatives in Boston, MA. She is the producer of the hit show Come on In Live: Starring Daniel Callahan.
- Best suited for producers and/or performers considering self-producing a performance. 30 participants max.
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Fostering Relationships with Galleries and Museums with Kristen Becker
Wednesday, November 12 & 19, 2025 | 2:00 – 4:00pm (Zoom)
This is a 2-part series. Artists are asked to attend both sessions.
Gallery and museum relationships are in the midst of a big shift. Access to certain gallery and institutional opportunities seem at once more open and more siloed. In this workshop artists will learn how to seek out and build relationships with gallerists and curators, as well as best practices for communications and the expectations and etiquette of moving through curatorial consideration.
Each session will be a lecture format with 30 minutes for Q&A at the end.
Part 1: Relationship Cultivation: Begins with a discussion of gallerists and curators, what these individuals are like and what opportunities exist through these connections. In this session, participants will receive an overview on how these relationships tend to work, how to set realistic expectations, and how to prepare for studio visits.
Part 2: Communication Strategies: Discusses how to write to gallerists and curators. This session will include an in-depth discussion of email outreach, organizing your website with curators and gallerists in mind, and digital marketing materials such as newsletter and social media.
Kristen Becker is the Founder of KB Art Strategies, a consultancy providing concrete support to a global network of artists, galleries, non-profits, and arts organizations looking to expand the visibility of their projects and connect with their community.
- Best suited for visual artists seeking representation or exhibitions.
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Resource Mapping for Individual Artists with Ana Tinajero
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 | 6:00 – 8:00pm (Zoom)
Oftentimes the most difficult part of being an artist is finding the skills, tools, and connections needed to make your work and share it with the public. In this workshop, participants will begin by surfacing the resources already at their disposal in their larger personal network and consequently outline the pathways to reach the resources not yet secured. Using a collaboratively-minded strategy to resource sharing and exchange, artists will learn how to navigate their surroundings, leverage existing connections, and build a broader community of mutual assistance that nurtures win-win relationships and shared success. Artists at all stages of their careers welcome.
Ana ‘Masacote’ Tinajero is an award-winning Afro-Latin dance artist and performing arts curator who loves engineering spaces for community connection through the arts.
- Best suited for artists of all disciplines interested in or already engaging with their larger creative community. 30 participants max.
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Intro to Taxes for Artists with Amy Smith
Monday, December 8, 2025 | 6:00 – 8:00pm (Zoom)
For decades, Amy Smith has prepared taxes for artists, taught financial well-being workshops, and coached artists one on one. This workshop will cover the basics of taxes for artists, including separating personal and artistic finances, Schedule C filing, self-employment versus employment, and tracking deductions. This workshop will have a particular eye toward artists’ current financial challenges and helping artists navigate updates to tax law. It will not cover specifics of quarterly estimated taxes.
Amy Smith is an educator, professional tax-preparer and the former Co-Director of Headlong Dance Theater, a Bessie-award winning Philadelphia-based dance theater company.
- Suitable for artists of all disciplines.
Register for Upcoming Assets for Artists Workshops Here
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Pre-Recorded Workshops
A4A now offers a small number of workshop recordings for anyone anywhere! We have worked with our trainers to compensate them for having their intellectual property (the workshop) available for one year on our website. That means more knowledge for more people! But pay attention to the expiration date, because the workshop won’t be on the website forever.
WORKSHOP COST FOR ARTISTS IN MA, CT, RI, ME, VT, & NH: FREE
Photographing your Artwork with Mercedes Jelinek
*This is an introductory level course best suited for visual artists.
In this workshop artists learn the basics of photographing and documenting their work, whether for marketing, grant proposals, exhibitions, print media, or personal websites. The session will cover camera essentials (for users of both phone cameras and professional gear) and techniques for photographing various physical mediums, including 2D, 3D, and installation. In addition, this interactive course will include an introduction to digital workflow and archiving one’s images.
Mercedes Jelinek is an artist with 20+ years of professional photography experience. She is based in Brooklyn, NY, and is also on the board of Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, OR.
Recording available until November 7, 2025
Watch Now – Photographing your Artwork
Grants for Artists
No information at the moment. Check back later for updates.
Call for Artists
Arts Center East, Vernon, CT

Walkways & Riverway Exhibit at Arts Center East
October 25 – November 29, 2025
Call for Art: WALKWAYS & RIVERWAYS: The outdoors is alive with wonder and beauty. From the winding scenic path, we stroll to the majestic rivers that elegantly carve their way through our landscapes. There is always a rich tapestry to take in when observing nature. This exhibit celebrates the intricate details of the natural world that we often take for granted and invites us to take a closer look at the walkways and riverways we see every day.
Submission Deadline: Friday, October 3, 2025
Juror: Andre Rochester
Submit your artwork online: https://artscentereast.org/exhibits/#artist-opportunities
Arts Center East, Vernon, CT

Walkways & Riverways at Art Center East
Call for Art: A juried exhibition celebrating the intricate details of the natural world
Submission Deadline: October 3, 2025
Juror: Andre Rochester
Submit your artwork online:
https://

FIRST STREET GALLERY
Call for New Artist Members 2025
Find out more about membership benefits, costs and the application process by visiting: Membership First Street Gallery
FIRST STREET GALLERY has a small number of openings for new artist members. The Gallery is a nonprofit artist-run gallery located in the heart of the Chelsea art district in New York City. We invite both in town and out of town artists to apply for membership. Since 1969, we have been committed to the belief that artists themselves are best qualified to impart direction to every phase of their creative work. The Gallery represents a diverse group of emerging, mid-career, and established visual artists, working in a wide variety of media and styles. Members participate in an annual group show, have regularly scheduled solo exhibitions and enjoy many other benefits, including representation on the Gallery’s website and on the art-marketing website, Artsy. Our robust social media, publicity and communications programs ensure that your work will reach an extensive group of contacts, including editors, critics, curators, collectors, artists, galleries and art enthusiasts. Exhibiting artists receive ongoing support from our full-time Gallery Administrator, from the planning stages through the run of their show. Artists retain 100% of their sales in Gallery exhibitions. We are currently waiving the initiation fee for new members. We encourage interested artists to apply at this time.
Find out more about membership benefits, costs and the application process by visiting: Membership First Street Gallery
Questions? Call or write the Gallery (Gallery Hours: Wed.-Sat. 11am-6pm). Phone: (646) 336-8053 | Email: info@firststreetgallery.org