St. Augustine Artists are getting Down to Business

Successful Business & Accounting Basics Workshop offered by SJCC

St. Augustine, Florida – The Business and Accounting Basics workshop for artists and art organizations on July 21^st was a great success. Back by popular demand, this workshop was organized by the St. Johns Cultural Council and offered for free to anybody in the art world looking to launch or improve the organization of their business. As before, Ms. Louise Anderson gave a comprehensible overview of the subject that many artists avoid or approach with reluctance.

Ms. Anderson is a CPA with Carr, Riggs & Ingram LLC, an accounting and business advising firm with offices in St. Augustine and Gainesville. She provides consulting and tax services to small businesses and individual clients in the Northeast Florida area. She has a formidable list of credentials and her clients benefit from her educational approach to accounting and consulting. 

Ms. Anderson told her audience that she “could talk forever because I find the subject fascinating,” which showed, as she answered all in-depth art questions from individual artists with ease, pre-empting a few with “I am not an artist, I so wish I was.” 

She mostly explained the differences between the various business models to choose from and kept the information concise. She gave short definitions of Sole Proprietorships, Single-Member and Multi-Member LLCs, C-Corporations versus S-Corporations, how to establish each of them, and what the advantages and disadvantages are for artists. She briefly touched on the taxation regulations for each model and gave some helpful tips and links for recordkeeping and accounting. The most important take-away for the audience was to “Keep track! Documentation is critical. Keep all receipts!”

One of the many attendees, Ms. Sally Paulson, was very pleased with the information she received in the workshop. She wrote to Ms. Hala Laquidara, the Business Development Coordinator for the SJCC and diligent organizer of the workshops, “I certainly appreciate the workshops you have been putting together for artists. Today was the third one I was able to attend. I always go away from the sessions rejuvenated and full of ideas from what the speakers have addressed.” She said she is looking forward to the next workshop offered by SJCC.

Stunning Completion of Courtyard Beautification Project

Volunteers - Karen Coker third from right

July 2018

 

Stunning Completion of Courtyard Beautification Project

The Cultural Arts Center at Saint Augustine Beach.

St. Augustine Beach, FL - The St Johns Cultural Council (SJCC) did a phenomenal job transforming the front area at the Cultural Arts Center at Saint Augustine Beach (CAC@StAB) to an inviting courtyard. The recent upgrades and enhancements were a great success. The bold initiative of the “Courtyard Beautification Project” was enthusiastically headed by Karen Coker, a board director with the SJCC. Funds for this commendable endeavor were raised by the SJCC through fundraising events, donors, and private donations.

 

Sally Ann Freeman, an award-winning Master Gardener with the University of Florida and Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), suggested the seaside friendly plants. The landscaping compliments the commemorative bricks that were used ten years ago as the initial fundraiser for the first renovation of the building in 2001. St. Johns County UF/IFAS Master Gardeners is a volunteer-driven program that benefits the citizens of Florida. Among the many excited volunteers from the community were eight students from The Florida School for the Deaf and Blind Garden Center, headed by teacher, Jenny Henningsen Palmer, who eagerly helped with digging, planting, mulching, edging, carting materials around, and driving to and from supply stores.

 

The St. Johns Cultural Council assumed the building in 2000 from the City of St. Augustine Beach as a project to restore the building for use as a non-profit arts center. Beginning in 2001, funded by grants from the Florida Division of Historical Resources and individual and corporate donors of over $800,000, extensive restoration and rehabilitation of the exterior and 5,000 sq ft of the interior was accomplished. In 2007, The Dance Company, a local non-profit dance school, became the first anchor tenant, and The Art Studio joined tenancy in 2015.  Further renovations will provide space for more local arts and events for the community as well as visitors.

Come visit this beautiful and inviting art haven to enjoy the arts and the beauty of the building, or you can breathe in the salty ocean air while contemplating its history in the delightfully relaxing, new courtyard: you won‘t want to leave.

The St. Johns Cultural Council began renovations in 2001 with the help of these sponsors, donors, and volunteers:

St. Johns Cultural Council, sponsor and member volunteers

Karen Coker, St. Johns Cultural Council

Florida School for the Deaf and Blind Garden Center, volunteers

Southern Horticulture, plants and trellises

Philip McDaniel, CEO St. Augustine Distillery Company, sponsor

The Division of Historic Resources, sponsor

Craig Thompson, architect

Len Weeks, contractor

Michael and Teresa Radzinski, sponsor donors

St. Augustine Beach Public Works, sprinklers

Sally Ann Freeman, Master Gardner

Home Depot

And the many volunteers who spent hours planting, watering, and beautifying!

About St. Johns Cultural Council

The St. Johns Cultural Council is a 501 © (3) not-for-profit agency. The mission of the council is to promote St. Johns County as a premiere arts destination where the lives of both residents and visitors are enriched through arts and culture.

For additional information call (904) 808-7330 or visit www.stjohnsculture.com. St. Johns Cultural Council is on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/St-Johns-Cultural-Council/

Business & Accounting Basics for Artists

Louise Anderson, CPA

Lecture by Louise H. Anderson, CPA

Back by popular demand, this workshop is geared toward artists and art organizations looking to launch or organize their art business. Louise Anderson, a certified public accountant, will present this lecture and will address how to choose the right business structure for your art company, creative partnership, or cooperative. She will speak about tax returns, tax on sales, and tax deductions. Louise will also provide information on handy, online accounting tools and tips for your art business.

Louise is a CPA with Carr, Riggs & Ingram LLC, an accounting and business advising firm with offices in St. Augustine and Gainesville, and she provides consulting and tax services to small business and individual clients in the Northeast Florida area. She writes articles for various publications and is a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA). Louise is also active in her service and leadership in the community. Not only was she the past President of the Rotary Club of St. Augustine, but she is also a board member of the Betty Griffin House, Flagler Hospital Health Service Board, and First Coast Technical College Education Foundation.

Louise has the heart of a teacher, and her clients benefit from her educational approach to accounting and consulting. She will be an extremely valuable source for all your practical business information. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your knowledge about business, taxes, and accounting to improve your art business. We highly encourage all artists and art organizations to attend this exceptionally effective workshop!

For more information:

www.stjohnsculture.com/news-announcements/business-accounting-basics-artists

For more Business & Accounting information:

904-471-3445 
www.cricpa.com