Presented by Myca Raquel Consulting and Deep Vellum Bookstore & Publishing Co.
The Working Artist Workshop
Six Wednesday evenings at Deep Vellum. Eight Dallas County artists. Each artist leaves with a finished grant application, a professional toolkit and a place in a May showcase.
- Program fact
- Jan. 13 to Feb. 17, 2027
- Program fact
- Wednesdays, 6:30 to 9 p.m.
- Program fact
- Deep Vellum, Deep Ellum
- Program fact
- $49 program fee
Dallas built a billion-dollar arts economy. Its newest artists are still wondering where they fit.
In 2023, Dallas arts and culture generated $1.27 billion in taxable sales, the largest metro total in Texas. In 2018, the Dallas City Council adopted a cultural plan that named equity and direct support for artists as citywide priorities. For an artist in year one or two, the path to that money is steep: the region's largest funding programs are built for nonprofits and established organizations, and the grants open to individuals reward applicants who already know how to write them.
Emerging artists in Dallas have watched the webinars and saved the posts. What they need now is the finished application, the polished bio and the funding calendar that turn preparation into paid work. This workshop builds those things, in the room, in six weeks.
$1.27B
Dallas arts and culture taxable sales in 2023, the largest metro total in Texas
$15,000
Median income from an American artist's primary job
57%
Artists worried about affording food, housing, utilities or medical care
61%
Share of artists' primary jobs that are part-time
Sources: Texas Cultural Trust, 2025 State of the Arts Report; NORC at the University of Chicago, National Survey of Artists, 2024; City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, Dallas Cultural Plan 2018.
Who should apply
- You live in Dallas County.
- You are 18 or older.
- You are in the first two years of your working practice, in any medium.
- You are applying as an individual artist.
- You have a project idea, even an early one.
- You can attend all six Wednesday sessions.
Any medium. Every medium.
What you'll leave with
Tangible. Reusable. Ready to submit.
01
A completed grant application
Ready to submit to a real funder you identify during the program.
02
A project proposal template
A reusable document you can tailor for any venue, funder or partner.
03
A 12-month funding calendar
Every deadline relevant to your medium, mapped out.
04
A brand kit
Your artist statement, short and long bios, and pitch language, all in your own voice.
05
A place in the May showcase
A public exhibition where every artist in the cohort shares their work with the Dallas arts community.
06
Seven collaborators
The cohort becomes your first professional network, across mediums.
The six weeks
Three arcs, two sessions each. Every session ends with something you built.
CLARITY
Voice and Vision
Wed., Jan. 13
A conversation on building a multi-hyphenate creative practice
Wed., Jan. 20
Write your artist statement and bios, and create an artist landing page or refresh your website
Working session
STRATEGY
Funding and Grant Writing
Wed., Jan. 27
How to fund your creative practice
Wed., Feb. 3
Grants, Growth and Getting Paid: develop a grant and monetization strategy
Working session
LAUNCH
Brand Kit and Showcase Prep
Wed., Feb. 10
Brand and public visibility: build your brand kit
Wed., Feb. 17
Craft your brand identity with messaging and visuals. Myca will record a one-minute interview with each artist to use for social media or grant submissions.
Working session
May 2027
The showcase.
Every artist in the cohort shows their work at a public exhibition and has the chance to sell it. For most of the group this is the first time their work is in front of a Dallas audience beyond their own circle, and the first time they talk about it and price it out loud.
It is where the six weeks become public. Your work is on display, it is priced, and it can leave the room with someone who wants to own it.
All sessions run 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Deep Vellum, 3000 Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75226. Guest speakers will be announced soon.
Meet the speakers
Working artists, funders and brand builders who know the Dallas arts ecosystem from the inside.
Jan. 13 | Voice and Vision
Jan. 27 | Funding and Grant Writing
Feb. 10 | Brand and Public Visibility
How to apply
- 1Complete the application by Dec. 5, 2026.
- 2Myca and Madison review every application.
- 3Selected artists hear from us by Dec. 15.
- 4The cohort begins Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2027.
Questions
The program fee is $49.
Artists in roughly the first two years of a working practice, in any medium. If you're unsure whether you qualify, email us before you apply.
All of them, including visual art, writing, film, photography, music, performance, craft and interdisciplinary work.
No. Bring an idea. The sessions shape it into a proposal and an application.
No. In week four you draft a real application with guidance in the room.
Attendance at all six sessions is required, because each one builds on the last. If January and February don't work for you, watch for future cohorts.
This cohort is for individual artists only.
Eight.
A public exhibition in May 2027 where every artist in the cohort presents their work. Date and venue will be shared with the cohort.
Email Myca at sayhello@mycaraquel.com or Madison at madison@deepvellum.org.
Your hosts
Deep Vellum Bookstore & Publishing Co. is a nonprofit publisher, bookstore and literary arts center in Deep Ellum, founded in 2013. Its home at 3000 Commerce St. hosts readings, book clubs and events throughout the year, and Condé Nast Traveler named it one of the 20 best independent bookstores in the country.
Myca Raquel Consulting is a Dallas branding and marketing firm founded by former journalist Myca Raquel Williamson, MBA. MRC blends behavioral science and storytelling to help service firms, startups and nonprofits build trust and grow. Williamson has also served as a funding panelist for the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture.