St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts - VLAA

https://www.stlpr.org/news-briefs/2024-08-23/kdhx-settlement-volunteers-st-louis-community-radio-station-lawsuit

KDHX and associate members settle lawsuit, two volunteers' picks to be on board Community radio station KDHX and a group of station volunteers settled a lawsuit Friday ahead of a trial that was set for Tuesday in St. Louis Circuit Court.

Neighbors and friends gathered in The Grove on August 4 for a festive mural project ribbon cutting. Local artists were selected through a competitive Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RACSTL) grantmaking process to create 28 murals — two in each city ward. Photo: Alderman Michael Browning, RACSTL President and CEO Vanessa Cooksey, LOVE Mural Artist Lisa Marie Thalhammer, and Mayor Tishuara Jones

Our summer associate program provides law students with an opportunity to learn about how the law relates to the unique issues raised in the arts and introduces them to pro bono service. A few of the students and their mentor, Scott Miller, met with Will Buchanan, musician/attorney, on July 25. Bottom row (L to R) Z’necia Hall and Madison Kennedy. Top row L to R) Scott Miller, Will Buchanan, and Qikuan (Kevin) Xu.

Thanks to Spine Indie Bookshop & Cafe for hosting yesterday's C.A.F.E. '24 art and music fair. Photo: Mark Pennebecker, owner, and Shayba Diaz Muhammad, our community engagement manager.

The Illinois Arts Council has made sweeping changes in its grant making. Learn more on June 10.

High Noon at the High Low: Ken Konchel will be discussing his black-and-white abstract architectural photography practice on Thursday, June 6.

Sync Your Sound: Techniques and Tips from The Belief Cycle
Saturday, June 1, 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM
High Low Listening Room, 3301 Washington in Grand Center

Dive into music synchronization with pop production duo, The Belief Cycle. Ryan Marquez and Drew Mantia will explain how to tailor your music for TV, films, and commercials. Learn from their past successes through case studies and key decisions that got their music placed. Whether you're new to composing or a seasoned producer, this workshop will give you the tools needed to create sync-friendly music and build relationships with industry professionals.

register: https://vlaa.org/business-edge-registration/

FACT OR FICTION?
Will forming a limited liability company (LLC) reduce your tax bill? Protect your business name? Do LLCs need insurance? Is “Piercing the Corporate Veil” a new Netflix series? Get the answers to these fact or fiction questions (and others) during our next LLC Clinic (Saturday, May 18). Register: https://vlaa.org/llc-clinic-registration-form/

Wow! Stephanie Susie (ARTSCO) drove two hours from Harrisburg, Illinois, to attend Accidental Arts Administrator.

Thanks to Brock Seals for the invitation and to everyone who attended Saturday's Art, Mimosas and Pancakes Prelude Event.

We would appreciate your support today. Your donation will help us provide needed legal and accounting services, host professional development programs, and keep our lights on. Please consider donating now. Thank you!

https://www.givestlday.org/organization/vlaa

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/28/style/pope-visits-venice-biennale-intl/index.html

Pope makes landmark visit to Venice Biennale and proclaims that ‘the world needs artists’ | CNN Pope Francis has become the first pontiff to visit Venice’s contemporary art festival during a trip which saw him visit a female prison and rehabilitate the reputation of a pioneering American nun artist.

https://www.stlpr.org/arts/2024-04-23/the-rep-hires-theater-director-kate-bergstrom-as-its-new-artistic-leader

The Rep hires theater director Kate Bergstrom as its new artistic leader The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis has hired theater director Kate Bergstrom as its eighth artistic director. Bergstrom hopes to emphasize theater as a means to bring together people with different viewpoints.

What will it take to sustain the creative community in the future? Join the panel that we are co-hosting on April 23 (2 p.m. ET), “Sustaining and Empowering the Creative Community Through Copyright,” to find out. Register below for FREE! https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_f2DZCQwxRbecL43lXJjCqw #/registration

Thanks to Mike Murano and everyone else who attended our Intro to Sync Licensing workshop. And thanks to our presenters, Drew Mantia and Ryan Marquez. By popular demand, Part 2 will be scheduled soon.

VLAA'S INTRO TO SYNC LICENSING
April 1, 5:00-6:30 PM
Metro Theater Company, 3311 Washington in Grand Center

Uncover the secrets of music synchronization success with pop production duo, The Belief Cycle. Join producers Ryan Marquez (left) and Drew Mantia (right) as they share insights from their numerous sync licensing placements on networks like The CW, MTV, BET, VH1, and more. As Recording Academy members, they'll provide practical tips to make your music stand out to music supervisors. Don't miss this career-boosting learning opportunity.

REGISTER: https://vlaa.org/business-edge-registration/

AI & Copyright: What We Know (and Don’t)
Thursday, March 21 at noon (free)
High Noon at the High Low, 3301 Washington in Grand Center
Presented by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies bring exciting opportunities and daunting challenges to the creative sector. Attorney David S. Kim, a St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts board member and partner at the Stinson law firm, will ask and answer the essential copyright questions raised by court cases and policy advocates. Plus special guest Whit Reichert, actor, will provide a bit of AI “Shakespeare” levity.

Thank you to the STL Tax Counselors volunteers who prepared taxes returns for appreciative artists on February 19 and March 11 and to the St. Louis Artists' Guild for providing space for our clinics.

Thanks for everyone who attended our Copyright and Trademark Clinic. Photo from left: Jackie Aboud (artist), Z'necia Hall and Alexandra Kerr (SLU law students), and Attorney Ben Siders (presenter).

COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARK CLINIC
Saturday, March 9, 9:30 AM to Noon
High Low Listening Room, 3301 Washington in Grand Center
Do you have pressing questions about copyright or trademark? Our speaker is Benjamin Siders, Lewis Rice. Twenty-minute one-on-one consultations with a lawyer will follow his presentation.

Register: https://vlaa.org/llc-clinic-registration-form/

East St. Louis Community Arts Access, a re-granting program run by the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation (JJKF) with funding from the Illinois Arts Council (IAC), awards grants to local cultural organizations and nonprofits offering arts programming. Schools and individual artists are also eligible for funding.

Deadline: March 20. Find the online application form:
https://vlaa.org/grants-to-support-arts-engagement-and-learning-2/
Virtual Grant Writing Workshop: March 5 at 5:30 PM.

Grants to Support Arts Engagement and Learning - St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts East St. Louis Community Arts Access, a re-granting program run by the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation (JJKF) with funding from the Illinois Arts Council (IAC), awards grants to local cultural organizations and nonprofits offering arts programming. Schools and individual artists are also eligible fo...

https://bnnbreaking.com/lifestyle/joes-cafe-in-st-louis-triumphs-zoning-exception-saves-local-music-venue

Joe's Cafe in St. Louis Triumphs: Zoning Exception Saves Local Music Venue Discover how community support and a successful appeal saved Joe's Cafe from closure, ensuring the continuation of its beloved Thursday concert series.

Thanks to everyone who attended Exploring Mural Contracts and to our presenters, Simiya Sudduth and Matt Belz.

We were pleased to participate in the SCALE entrepreneurship conference for art students, which was hosted by SLU. Kevin Ginty (below), one of our Upstart college outreach speakers, was on the career paths panel. Michelle Hand and Sue Greenberg made presentations on personal finance and record keeping.

https://www.stlmag.com/culture/music/smino-city-sc-partner-for-homegrown-music-program/

Smino, CITY SC partner for Homegrown music program Five local artists have been chosen to receive mentorship from Smino and performance opportunities through St. Louis CITY SC.

https://www.stlpr.org/arts/2024-02-21/in-unison-celebrates-30-years-of-bridging-the-black-church-and-the-concert-hall

IN UNISON celebrates 30 years of bridging the Black church and the concert hall For 30 years, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s IN UNISON Chorus has taken the music of the Black church to the symphony hall. On Friday, it celebrates its anniversary at the Stifel Theatre with gospel singer BeBe Winans. The chorus has covered a large part of the Black experience through gospel ...

EXPLORING MURAL CONTRACTS
presented by St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts

February 26, 5:00-6:30 PM
Metro Theater Company, 3311 Washington in Grand Center

Simiya Sudduth, whose creative practice includes painting murals, will show examples of their work and explain how well-crafted agreements can avoid misunderstandings. Then Matt Belz, Clayton Plaza Law Group, will review a model mural commission agreement.

REGISTER:
https://vlaa.org/business-edge-registration/

Thanks to Ellis Brodsky and everyone else who attended Record Keeping for Freelancers and Self-Employed Creatives. And thanks, as always, to Metro Theater Company (MTC) for providing space for our workshops.