On Saturday, September 15, Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts (TALA) and Fresh Arts team up to offer a workshop and free Q&A session for creative professionals.
From 12pm to 2pm, the organizations will host the Workshop: Taxes for Artists event. Lead by accountant Michelle M. Stanton, the workshop will focus on alleviating tax woes and fears. It aims to provide “clear, manageable information and guidance” to help navigate the tax code. Michelle, a CPA with over 25 years of experience and a TALA board member and volunteer, will cover a range of topics from breaking down business structures to record keeping to step-by-step instructions for completing tax forms. Afterwards, TALA will host their Free Legal & Accounting Clinic from 2pm to 5pm. These sessions are one-on-one 15 minute consultations with a TALA-affiliated lawyer, or accountant, or both to ask personal legal questions and receive immediate answers. If further attention is necessary, the TALA volunteers can schedule a follow-up meeting.
Like the Houston Arts Resource Fair held this past July, these events are aimed directly at the pervasive questions confounding and often times stagnating creatives: how to balance their creative efforts with their accounting and legal issues. Houston has always had a thriving arts community, and maintaining that community is the job and mission of nonprofit associations like TALA and Fresh Arts.
About the Organizations
Fresh Arts, formed by the recent merger of the Fresh Arts Coalition and Spacetaker, promotes arts awareness, support, and networking opportunities as well as advocate for building community participation and collaborative efforts in Houston. Their workshop and program events draw artists from across the city seeking educational information and services.
Since 1979, TALA has provided pro-bono legal and accounting services to a wide spectrum of working artists and designers. As a nonprofit, they assist artists across the state of Texas, handling more than 350 cases annually. Their legal and accounting sevices range from IP Licensing to individual tax returns, even arts-related tenant issues. To receive assistance, all you have to do is become a member.
In addition to their events, TALA is looking for feedback on how to better cater to and serve the design community specifically. For questions or recommendations on topics you would like addressed at the event, please leave your comments below.
Event Information
The Workshop: Taxes for Artists event will be held at Spacetaker ARC on Winter Street. Advance registration tickets are $15, or $5 for Fresh Arts Members. Day-of tickets are $20, or $10 for Fresh Arts members.
The Free Legal & Accounting Clinic with TALA will also be held at Spacetaker ARC. To reserve a session, attendees are asked to RSVP via e-mail to rsvp@fresharts.org by September 13.
These events are sponsored by Fresh Arts, TALA, and AIGA Houston.
