Watch Intro Video

What is the connection between Art and Business?

Some could argue there’s probably none… But in fact having the proper business mindset is much more important for an Artist than commonly believed.

In Art, nothing can happen if you cannot afford it. In designing this course my goal is to share the mindset and vision that I have acquired from my experience because I believe that for artists to be successful in their creative efforts, they must deal successfully with the business side of life.

Business Expertise

In his 50 years as an artist, Narcissus Quagliata has negotiated business agreements with hundreds of clients.

These have included individuals, some very high profile, for the purchase of small-format artworks in watercolor and glass; art galleries for representation and exhibitions; and corporations and development companies in the US and abroad.


These agreements entailed the execution of commissioned works, some of them monumental.


Narcissus has negotiated with public art commissions, religious institutions, and even with the Vatican and the office of the Secretary of the Pope, as well as with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of the Italian Government.


The wide variety of clients in the US and abroad, the diverse circumstances in which these negotiations occurred, and the wide range of negotiated amounts, varying from a few thousand to millions of dollars, has given Narcissus Quagliata a unique ability to grasp the business of art from a wide and unique perspective.

What's Included in this Course?

The course has 4.5 hours of pre-recorded lectures on all the relevant areas that artists should know to conduct business successfully and achieve a productive and rewarding career.

  • Full Access to all the recordings*

  • Bonus: Presentations Replay of the 180 min. Session

  • Bonus: Making Art Happen | A conversation with Tim Carey Pre-recorded Webinar

  • Access to Private Facebook Group

  • Access to all future updates from this course*.

Listen to my Students...

Former Students Review Business for Artist

5 star rating

Absolutely Superb!

Sharon Frykman

This is the most informative class that I have ever taken re: living my life as an artist. It was SO affirmative to hear about how Narcissus values the quali...

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This is the most informative class that I have ever taken re: living my life as an artist. It was SO affirmative to hear about how Narcissus values the quality of his own work, his philosophy, his successes, his failures. He is SO authentically who he is!

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5 star rating

Life-Changing Experience

Nicole Milligan

Narcissus Quagliata is not only an exceptional artist, he is an exceptionally talented and generous teacher. During our time with him, he answered our questi...

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Narcissus Quagliata is not only an exceptional artist, he is an exceptionally talented and generous teacher. During our time with him, he answered our questions until we had no more questions to ask. He gave us practical tips regarding work and money (which is always important) but, perhaps more importantly, he passed along invaluable life wisdom and made us all feel that even though being an artist is difficult––it is not impossible. Through his daughter's beautifully filmed videos of his lessons, and his personable Zoom workshops, Narcissus so inspired my partner and I that we embraced not just his advice, but his joie de vie––which is saying a lot as The Milligan Studio is an Irish& American collaborative well-known for our work with the Samuel Beckett Estate. Still, Narcissus' joy is so contagious that we now ask each other, "What would Narcissus do?" And we do it, joyfully. And now we can say that under Narcissus' guidance, we have embraced his philosophy and have won two new commissions––in the space of three weeks. We came away from the workshop truly understanding that we are not alone in our madness of Public Art and that our deep desire to make the world a beautiful, welcoming place is shared by some of the most wonderful people on this planet––including Narcissus Quagliata. We will be forever grateful for this experience.

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5 star rating

Great tools for the present and coming future

Sofía Hernández

I wish I had heard all of Narcissus stories and advice sooner! I would have advanced way faster in my career. But then again, this came at the perfect time t...

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I wish I had heard all of Narcissus stories and advice sooner! I would have advanced way faster in my career. But then again, this came at the perfect time to take it all (and I mean a lot) in and adjust things. I specially loved chapter 5 about cost - value - price, because I struggle most with that and it gave me the tools to navigate the process. I also loved the LIVE classes! Reinforcing what we learned in the videos + hearing everyone's questions being answered gave me new perspective in many subjects. I think this experience was worth every penny invested, it really keeps on giving! Thank you so much Narcissus and the team that made this possible.

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5 star rating

I loved theTitle-exactly to the point

marsha trawick

Very informative, inspirational and full of a life time of wisdom. Should be a prerequisite for all visual art students!

Very informative, inspirational and full of a life time of wisdom. Should be a prerequisite for all visual art students!

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5 star rating

A Wonderful Thought Provoking Experience

Lynn Pass

Narcissus and Staff, Thank you so much for providing us with not only specific information, but also so many real life examples gleaned from your own exper...

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Narcissus and Staff, Thank you so much for providing us with not only specific information, but also so many real life examples gleaned from your own experiences over time. This will be invaluable to our own art businesses. One of the things that you’ve impressed upon me, personally, is how emotions and the way the artist projects her ‘essence’ to her audience impact how successful she can be. Knowledge of business practices alone won’t cut it. You’ve impressed upon me that there is a certain kind of alchemy that occurs when there is a combination of: Quality work that intrigues and comes from passion of the artist An openness and personal connection with the audience A sense of self worth and desire to grow A desire to make the client feel they know you and have made a good deal Knowledge of contracts, and business sense I will put into practice what I’ve learned in this course and I’m excited and grateful to be able to continue to share using the Facebook page for students in the class. I also appreciated the zoom format. I learned a lot from the intelligent questions asked by fellow students. Once again, THANK YOU. Sincerely, Lynn Pass

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5 star rating

Business for Artists or A blue Print for Life.

TERRY LITTLE

Narcissus has put his energy into this course that comes across, I feel, to each student that touches their ""whole". It is a beautiful pieces of work. I ...

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Narcissus has put his energy into this course that comes across, I feel, to each student that touches their ""whole". It is a beautiful pieces of work. I hope this will stay up so I can return again and again to review every part of this course. To be honest, I am not an artist. I have seen Narcissus's dome in Taiwan. I also met Narcissus at Bullseye. Just based on meeting him, purchasing his book and my three (3) hours enjoying his dome I wanted to know this artist the man. Taking this course let me do that. I will add the observation that a good synopsis of this course is the film Holy Frit. Thank you Narcissus for everything, Terry Little

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5 star rating

Great Stuff!

Ann Bauman

Narcissus speaks from the heart and shares his experience with us. It is invaluable. Through this course, I have come to have a deeper understanding an...

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Narcissus speaks from the heart and shares his experience with us. It is invaluable. Through this course, I have come to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of myself and my relationship to my work. This course has helped me clarify my goals and boundaries so that I am clear and can express to others the outcomes I want. Thank you, Narcissus!

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5 star rating

A lifetime of experience and wisdom

LouAnn Wukitsch

This was not your typical class. It was more like sitting down alongside a person with decades of experience and being regaled with their wisdom and stories....

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This was not your typical class. It was more like sitting down alongside a person with decades of experience and being regaled with their wisdom and stories. A person doesn't get that opportunity very often from an artist that is considered a master in his field. Narcissus' openness was a tremendous benefit -- he truly just wanted to share what he's learned over the course of his career. Beyond the stories, participants not only gained practical knowledge, but were challenged to use self reflection to set a direction that is most appropriate for them and their art. Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. I wasn't sure what to expect, and was very pleasantly surprised.

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5 star rating

A truly elevated experience by a master artist with an eq...

Deborah Lemont

I am profoundly grateful to Narcissus for all of the information, generosity and experience he shared. From the first installment to the last I found ways to...

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I am profoundly grateful to Narcissus for all of the information, generosity and experience he shared. From the first installment to the last I found ways to refine, clarify and completely redo my way of doing business. Noteworthy was 1)the importance of conveying enthusiasm for your work. Not easy for a reserved personality but if you don’t love it no one else will.2) Attach a greater meaning to the work then the work becomes more powerful—I don’t just make pretty things and I won’t sound like some esoteric nut.3)Presentation—I need to prepare better and time each part.I could go on but this text could get as long as the class. See you on the next class!!

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5 star rating

Truly Inpirational

Sean Alcala

Narcissus does a brilliant job sharing his business knowledge and professional insight through specific experiences. He poetically covers the material to con...

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Narcissus does a brilliant job sharing his business knowledge and professional insight through specific experiences. He poetically covers the material to connect the real world of business with personal discovery, philosophy and psychology. Looking forward to the next course!

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5 star rating

WHAT is a business transaction if you are an artist?

Mary Williams

Oh my goodness! So many "ah ha's" during this segment of the course! I'm terribly shy by nature and have learned over the years to push myself to "get out ...

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Oh my goodness! So many "ah ha's" during this segment of the course! I'm terribly shy by nature and have learned over the years to push myself to "get out there". I recently purchased the co-op gallery that I have been exhibiting at during the past year. I realize now it was subconsciously a BIG step that I needed to take in order to build my network of #1 fans. My vision thus far has been to help my gallery of artists sparkle and reach their full potential. I knew in the back of my mind, that by doing so....it would help me stretch my wings to also sparkle and achieve my full potential too. Narcissus is helping me realize my wingspan is going to be FAR greater than I originally had in mind for myself. :)

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The Teacher

Narcissus Quagliata

Narcissus Quagliata is considered one of the most significant contemporary artists in glass. He has defined a new pathway for the art of glass and is best known for his spectacular artworks in public spaces, which have drawn worldwide attention. The Dome of Light: Wind, Fire, and Time is the largest illuminated glass dome in the world. It is situated in the Central Station of the newly built Kaohsiung Rapid Transit metro system and is a landmark that has now become a tourist destination in Southern Taiwan. His captivating glass dome for the entry rotunda of the basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, designed by Michelangelo on the Roman ruins of the Baths of Diocletian in Rome, is well known for the use of light within the space to make manifest the movement and alignment of celestial bodies. His fine artworks in glass and his watercolors of the Archetypes and Mediterranean Treasures have been collected worldwide in museums and private collections. Most notably, these works are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum in New York; De Young Museum in San Francisco; Oakland Museum in California; Chrysler Museum in Newport, VA; Museo de la Granja de San Ildefonso in Segovia, Spain; and in the Southeast Cultural Foundation in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Full Course Curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome to the course!

    • A welcome message from Narcissus - [Don't skip this part]

    • How to use this course

    • Before we begin...

  • 2

    Chapter 1 - Establish your complete overarching vision for your life's creative activity

    • Establishing your complete overarching vision for your life's creative activity

    • Please don't forget to join the discussion!

    • Some comments and some homework.

    • Establish a complete overarching vision for your life’s creative activity.

    • Becoming a Magnet

  • 3

    Chapter 2 - Magic and Business

    • Magic and Business

    • Magic and Business

    • The art of Business – The art of seduction

  • 4

    Chapter 3 - What is a business transaction if you are an artist?

    • WHAT is a business transaction if you are an artist?

    • What is a business transaction if you are an artist?

  • 5

    Chapter 4 - Failure

    • Failure

    • Failure

  • 6

    Chapter 5 - Artworks: THE COST – THE VALUE – THE PRICE

    • Artworks: THE COST – THE VALUE – THE PRICE keep these values present all the time.

    • The Cost, the Value and the Price

  • 7

    Chapter 6 - Your Image

    • Your Image

    • Your Image

  • 8

    Chapter 7 - The importance of Body Language

    • The importance of Body Language

    • The importance of your body language

  • 9

    Chapter 8 - Clients

    • Clients

    • Clients

    • Reading the situation

    • Working with architects

    • Working with private and public institutions

    • Public art commissions

  • 10

    Chapter 9 - Issues of trust in business and client relationships

    • Issues of trust in business and client relationships

  • 11

    Chapter 10 - Contracts

    • Contracts

  • 12

    Chapter 11 - Negotiating, it´s an art form

    • Negotiating, it´s an art form

  • 13

    Chapter 12 - Leverage in Negotiations

    • Leverage in Negotiations

    • Leverage in Negotiations

    • UPSCALING – GROWING ORGANICALLY

    • WORKING WITH A STUDIO

    • CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

  • 14

    NEW Bonus Chapter! Presentations

    • NEW! Replay of Bonus Class about Presentations

    • A Taste of Paradise | Skylight and Chandelier in the foyer of a private residence in Newport Beach, California.

    • A Taste of Paradise | Sketches, Watercolor, Model and Photos

    • Macau Dome Project | Presentation

    • Macau Dome Project Estimates

    • Grace Cathedral Contract | The Gift

    • Grace Cathedral | The Gift

    • The Color of Time is Blue | Proposal

    • The Color of Time is Blue | Conceptual Presentation

    • PRESENTATIONS AND PROPOSALS

  • 15

    Bonus! Please join the Private Facebook Group to continue the conversation...

    • To join just follow the link while logged in to Facebook

  • 16

    Bonus! Making Art Happen | A conversation with Tim Carey

    • Making Art Happen | A conversation with Tim Carey

  • 17

    Bonus! The Business Life of an Artist | A conversation with Kathy Jordan & Orfeo Quagliata

    • The Business Life of an Artist | A conversation with Kathy Jordan & Orfeo Quagliata

Pricing options

We offer 2 payment options for your convenience.

Details

  • Fully Online Platform

    Immediately after enrolling you will receive an email with your login details to access the pre-recorded lessons.

  • Access the 12 Chapters Immediately

    The 12 Chapters of the Course will be immediately available to you. Additionally, there is a Special Bonus Chapter on Presentations.

  • Discussion and Q&A

    Narcissus will be answering questions posted on the platform regularly as an extra layer of support.

Questions?

Share your email with us to get more information or help.

* Full Access to All Recordings and Class Materials for up to 36 months after your enrollment. **LIVE Sessions will be Scheduled in Advance, and with a limited number of attendees for teaching purposes. All LIVE sessions will be recorded and uploaded to the platform for later streaming.

Refund Policy: This class is the product of Narcissus Quagliata's 50 years of experience and success as an artist. Since the course includes unique pre-recorded video access, once you log in your purchase is not refundable. The live class access may be exchanged for a later session, as long as you send notice one week prior to the date of the event, and only if a later session is available.