ArtBoost Dallas 2025 features 26 sessions led by more than 40 creative professionals across disciplines—from visual art and music to writing, fashion, and cultural tourism. [Courtesy photos]
The creative economy has clout. Dallas artists and entrepreneurs are about to get a masterclass in how to use it.
The third annual Art Boost arts entrepreneurship conference is presented through what organizers call an “unprecedented collaboration” between the Business Council for the Arts, Southern Methodist University, the Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, KERA, and The Dallas Morning News. SMU Meadows School of the Arts is a key partner and underwriter.
Together, they’re bringing back a conference built for artists who want more than inspiration. Think professional development for working artists—focused on income, purpose, and a career that lasts.
Art Boost 2025 offers tools to help. Workshop titles like Build Your Social Media Plan in 60 Minutes, Create It Once, Sell It Forever, and What to Know Before You Sign That Contract focus on strategies artists can apply now.
Others, like How Arts Entrepreneurship Can Leverage AI and Approaching Grant Writing as Relationship Building, speak to emerging tools and mindsets. Legal and financial sessions help participants avoid costly mistakes.
Big names, practical insights
This year’s theme—Create, Transform, Thrive—centers on sustainable business models. Sessions cover financial planning, legal protections, tax preparation, and branding. The two-day lineup features creatives who have built careers while contributing to culture and community.
Illustrator and lettering artist Melarie Odelusi headlines as keynote speaker. The Dallas-Fort Worth visual artist has collaborated with Michelle Obama and worked with Disney Plus, Martha Stewart Living, and Laura Mercier. Her Friday evening talk, The Business of Impact, explores how artists can build lasting careers while making a difference.
Veteran music producer Christian Chavarría brings 30 years of experience across genres to sessions on pricing and monetization. His credits span Netflix, MTV, Hulu, and campaigns for Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS and Nordstrom.
The speaker list crosses disciplines, including Kristina Kirkenaer-Hart of Visit Dallas on cultural tourism; fashion photographer Mindy Byrd, known for campaigns with Nike and Neiman Marcus, on brand collaborations; and editor Blake Atwood, whose clients include bestselling authors Jefferson Fisher and James Clear, on the literary side.
Visual artists can explore retail partnerships and online marketplaces. Musicians can learn how to turn live performances and digital platforms into income. Writers and performers have access to targeted tracks, with 26 sessions led by more than 40 professionals.
Business skills for creative lives
Jill VanGorden, COO at Business Council for the Arts, said the programming tackles these “critical needs” in the creative community.
In a statement, VanGorden said the conference brings together major media organizations and educational institutions to address the real challenges artists face. 2025 marks the first year ArtBoost has joined forces with Arts Access, an arts journalism initiative by KERA and The Dallas Morning News that aims to expand arts coverage in the region through a lens of equity and access.
Arts & social impact awards
Also new this year, the conference introduces the Arts & Social Impact Awards. In partnership with the SMU Impact Lab, United Way, and Arts Mission Oak Cliff, the awards honor artists who use creativity to strengthen their communities. Winners receive financial support.
The awards reflect a belief that art is a tool for change.
Two categories anchor the program: the Catalyst Award, for artists whose work drives social, political, or environmental change; and the Resonance Award, for those who amplify underrepresented voices and inspire public engagement.
Who’s behind it
SMU Meadows School of the Arts hosts the event and serves as academic partner. KERA and The Dallas Morning News support the effort through Arts Access, their shared journalism initiative focused on equity in the arts.
The Business Council for the Arts leads the collaboration, with support from the Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, SMU’s Impact Lab and Spears Institute, Dallas College, and the University of North Texas.
The conference runs Friday, June 27, through Saturday, June 28, at SMU’s Owens Art Center in Dallas. For more information or to register, go here.
Don’t miss what’s next. Subscribe to Dallas Innovates.
Track Dallas-Fort Worth’s business and innovation landscape with our curated news in your inbox Tuesday-Thursday.
R E A D N E X T
-
North Texas has plenty to see, hear, and watch. Here are our editors’ picks. Plus, you’ll find more selections to “save the date.”
-
Collectively, the 100 privately held companies generated more than $8.5 billion from 2021 to 2023, while growing average sales by 80%. Plano-based data center infrastructure company Maverick Power took the top spot in the annual rankings. Here’s the full list of winners.
-
UT Dallas researcher Dr. Walter Voit transformed Minecraft’s 170-million-player universe into an advanced virtual training ground—for students and for AI agents tested by DARPA. His team’s Polycraft World uses gameplay to turn classroom theory into real-world expertise, covering topics from synthetic organic chemistry to nuclear plants to semiconductor facilities. Their new startup company, Pedegree Studios, has licensed the core technologies from the university to create a scalable digital pipeline for education and workforce development.
-
The Stewpot Art Program serves those experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Dallas. It provides a safe environment and outlet for people to express themselves via art—with 90% of sales going to the artists and 10% benefitting the art program for supplies and field trips for artists.
-
Dallas Innovates, in partnership with the Dallas Regional Chamber, once again is recognizing the most innovative leaders in AI in Dallas-Fort Worth. From visionaries and mavericks to transformers and academics, AI 75’s class of 2025 are the AI pacesetters you need to know now.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content
