Rising Tide: 
Social Resources for Artists

September 25 - December 11, 2026
Fridays at 11am PT / 2pm ET
on Zoom
Tuition: $650
(Limited spots at reduced tuition - more details below)
Registration closes September 20, 2026

Rising Tide is a program to help visual artists build meaningful relationships in support of their career goals.

Register
 

When it comes to being successful, most artists have heard someone say, "It's who you know."

Because of this, an artist's network is one of their greatest assets. It connects them with resources, power, and opportunities to share, validate, and sell their work.

Rising Tide is a class series that combines research, theory, and real-world experience to help artists grow their social networks. The curriculum (designed by an artist for artists) addresses the common challenges many artists face in garnering meaningful relationships, and offers a path forward.

Schedule:
All classes are Fridays at 11am PT / 2pm ET

September 25 - It’s Who You Know: Social Capital in the Art World (2 hours)
October 9 - The Art World's Relationship Economy (75 minutes)
October 23 - Knots (75 minutes)
November 6 - Bridges (75 minutes)
November 20 - Ladders (75 minutes)
December 11 - Sustaining and Expanding Your Network (2 hours)

In 6 classes, artists will receive information-packed presentations about tapping into the social resources that will provide value to their path. Artists will learn why social capital is crucial to an art practice, and how to build social capital in a way that feels authentic. We won’t discuss boilerplate, corporate networking advice but will explore how to create meaningful relationships in the art world that will garner opportunity, solidarity, visibility, and support. Artists will learn how to nurture allies and supporters, connect with partners, build an audience, and form partnerships with gatekeepers.

Participants will receive a Rising Tide Workbook with weekly assignments that will turn ideas into steps they can take today. Each class will dedicate time for discussion to increase the group's collective knowledge.

Testimonials

Hear what other’s have to say about Rising Tide:

  • Most of the achievements in my career felt like a mystery to me that I could not replicate. Like many artists, I find the concept of networking gross. Rising Tide helped me to figure out how I could make connections in ways were actually authentic to me and *gasp* might actually be enjoyable. This program also provides the accountability and structure to do it. There was so much great research and insights taught in each class, and a workbook with actionable prompts, that I know will be referring back to. The biggest thing for me was that Rising Tide helped me develop a sense of agency to proceed in my career on my own terms.

    - Anonymous

  • In recent years I have struggled with how to move my career forward in an ever evolving art world. Rising Tide helped me identify that what I perceived to be abstract challenges actually had quite tangible solutions. The course led me to take a close look at my community and, through Virginia’s intentional and robust curriculum, make a plan for a future with more positive outcomes. I have a renewed sense of hope for how to approach relationships and extend the reach of my work. This was not simply a few weeks in an online course; Rising Tide will have a lasting impact for years. 

    - Alexandra W.

  • As an artist, I have spent years focusing on making the strongest work I could, believing that the work itself would naturally find its audience. Rising Tide fundamentally changed my understanding of how careers are built. Virginia Broersma offers a thoughtful, generous, and practical framework for developing authentic professional relationships without compromising your integrity or your artistic vision.

    Rather than teaching networking in the conventional sense, Rising Tide helped me understand the importance of cultivating genuine connections, identifying opportunities to contribute to my community, and approaching the art world with greater intention and confidence. I left every class with practical tools that I could immediately apply, and I continue to think about the ideas long after the course has ended.

    For any artist who is serious about building a sustainable career, Rising Tide is an extraordinary investment. It has had a lasting impact on how I approach my professional development and my place within the broader art community. -

    Karen H.

  • Moving to LA from NYC was a shock. Community was harder to approach and took longer to build, so when I found the Rising Tide class, I was eager to see what solutions were offered. Virginia's course offers real and step-by-step approaches to navigating social interactions in the art world. It also provides context for these connections and why they are so important to an art career in the US. My favorite homework assignment was the CV audit! From that, I could see how much I have done in the past came from community and networking, and that encouraged me to continue to foster those ties and create new ones as well. I especially liked our group and how we are already showing up at each other's shows and events.

    - M

What’s Included:

  • Six (6) classes with a lecture and discussion (zoom)

  • Access to recordings for missed classes

  • Rising Tide Workbook 

  • Access to a private and supportive cohort

  • Up to two (2) half-priced meetings with Virginia ($150 value)

 
 

  • To make this workshop accessible to artists at different financial circumstances, I offer a small number of discounted spots alongside the standard tuition. These spots are intended for artists for whom the full price would be a meaningful financial hardship and are reserved for those who genuinely need them.

    If you're able to pay the standard rate, your registration helps make reduced-price spots available for artists who might not otherwise be able to participate. Thank you!

    • $650 (Standard Tuition)

    • Discount Rate: $500 (4 spots available)

    • Solidarity Rate: $325 (4 spots available)

    Funding: Many cities offer professional development grants. California residents can apply for up to $600 in funding through the CCI Quick Grant (deadline is the 15th of every month)

    • Social Capital - and why it matters for artists

    • Different types of relationships and how they support an artist’s career

    • How to build an audience

    • Cultivating referrals, references, and allies

    • How to build relationships with Gatekeepers and Institutions

    • Exchanging favors, shifting social norms and other soft skills

    • So much more!

    • Want to cultivate relationships that will provide opportunities or their career

    • Want to make connections in a way that feels aligned with their values

    • Are uncomfortable with traditional ideas of networking

    • Want to keep the momentum going in their career, and take it to the next level

  • About the Instructor:

    Virginia Broersma has been exploring pathways forward in her own art career for the past 20 years and she has found many gaps in the support structures available to her as a working artist. In 2018 she founded The Artist’s Office where she keeps her ear to the ground about the current challenges artists face and offers support addressing some of these gaps. Rising Tide was developed from these conversations.

    Virginia brings to the table her research from social science, neuroscience, psychology, sociology, economics, professional networking, and the lives of artists.

 
 
 
 
 
 

About the name - Rising Tide:

In a time of disconnection, polarization, and virtual relationships, remembering how to connect meaningfully with one another is on the top of many folks’ minds. The benefits of this program are not only for individual artists, but also for their immediate community and for the wider art field.

Strong communities have a tightly bound social fabric, woven from myriad overlapping networks that build resilience. Just as a rising tide will lift all boats, this program has the potential to elevate the entire field. The name serves as a reminder that this endeavor is not self-serving, but a community practice.

 

Who is The Artist’s Office?

The Artist’s Office is operated by Los Angeles-based artist Virginia Broersma. It was born out of a recognition of the need many artists have for business and administrative help while identifying her own aptitude for spreadsheets, proofreading and calendar management. These organizational compulsions paired with a colossal accumulation of resources form the bedrock of the Artist’s Office.

As the Artist’s Office, Virginia works with artists to identify and pursue opportunities such as grants, exhibitions and residencies, while also offering knowledge growth, project planning and peer support.

Part of her work involves engaging with the systems and opportunities available to artists to better understand if and how they are failing to meet the needs of artists on a macro level. Virginia is particularly interested in supporting artists from underrepresented racial/economic/age/ability/gender groups with a goal of achieving parity in terms of visibility, recognition and market value in the art world of the future.

Virginia’s studio is located in the Fashion District in Los Angeles and she lives in Long Beach, CA. Her work can be seen on her website.

Download CV