The Professional Artist Podcast: Art Business Transformations
The Professional Artist Podcast: Art Business Transformations
Podcast Description
If you want to make it in the art world, talent is key - but so is mastering the business side. The Professional Artist Podcast is where fine artists meet commerce.
Co-hosts Miguel L. Mayher and Cristina Demiany guide visual artists through an audio gallery, exploring how to show and sell your art, land commissions, apply for artist grants, art licensing, and much more. This is where you begin growing your art career.
Miguel L. Mayher is the Director of Education at the Professional Artist Association. Previously, he worked with Google Arts & Culture striking partnerships with national museums. He is also a Global Economic Symposium Young Fellow and a One Young World ambassador.
Cristina Demiany is a Senior Art Business Coach. She formerly served as Senior Program Manager at Sotheby’s Institute of Art and as Executive Director of the National Children’s Chorus.
The Professional Artist Association is a global organization dedicated to providing real-world education for visual artists, including painters, sculptors, and fine art photographers.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on vital topics for visual artists, including strategies for showcasing and selling art, navigating art commissions, applying for grants, and understanding art licensing. Episodes include insights on building gallery relationships and leveraging digital platforms to create diverse income streams.
If you want to make it in the art world, talent is key – but so is mastering the business side. The Professional Artist Podcast is where fine artists and commerce meet.
Co-hosts Miguel L. Mayher and Cristina Demiany guide visual artists through an audio gallery, exploring how to show and sell your art, land commissions, apply for artist grants, license your art, and much more.
This is where your art career begins to grow.
Miguel L. Mayher is the Director of Education at the Professional Artist Association. Previously, he worked with Google Arts & Culture, striking partnerships with national museums. He is also a Global Economic Symposium Young Fellow and a One Young World Ambassador.
Cristina Demiany is a Senior Art Business Coach at the Professional Artist Association. She formerly served as Senior Program Manager at Sotheby’s Institute of Art and as Executive Director of the National Children’s Chorus.
The Professional Artist Association is a global organization dedicated to providing real-world education for visual artists, including painters, sculptors, and fine art photographers.
In this episode of The Professional Artist Podcast, Professional Artist Association member and contemporary sculptor Lisa Roet is featured by the Professional Artist Association (https://professionalartist.com/join), the world’s fastest-growing global community for committed fine artists.
Lisa is an Australian artist whose work examines the shared DNA and emotional terrain between humans and primates. Working across monumental public sculpture, film, installation, and research-based practice, her art asks urgent questions about biodiversity, evolution, and what it means to be human—making complex ideas visible at a public scale.
For more than three decades, Lisa has built an international career outside the traditional gallery system. Her projects are frequently realized through grants, institutional partnerships, and cross-sector collaborations, requiring long-term vision, rigorous research, and sophisticated logistical planning.
In this deep dive, Lisa offers a rare and transparent look at what it takes to sustain large-scale, public-facing art. She breaks down how artists can navigate funding bodies, structure partnerships that protect creative control, and balance artistic risk with the practical realities of production.
This episode offers essential insight for artists interested in public work, ambitious projects, and alternative career models—showing how research-driven practice, strategic collaboration, and persistence can support a long-term, impactful art career beyond the gallery system.
“ You have to be careful with understanding how markets are working… who your client base is, being genuine with yourself and being careful with your practice while at the same time taking risks.”
— Lisa Roet
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:32 Importance of Research in Artistic Practice
04:10 The Influence of Jane Goodall on Lisa’s Work
08:10 Creation and Concept of “Golden Monkey”
12:38 Challenges of Large-Scale Public Art
16:44 Overview of Business and Income Streams
20:52 Navigating Funding Applications
23:35 Lessons Learned from the Art Market
25:42 Balancing Risks and Integrity in Art Practice
26:22 Conclusion
Access the members-only full unabridged conversation here:
https://hub.professionalartist.com/c/deep-dives-vault/lisa-roet
Links to artworks discussed:
- Her artworks can be seen in the YouTube version of this podcast here.
Resources:
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology: https://www.rmit.edu.au/
McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery: https://mcclelland.org.au/
Serpentine Galleries: https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/
Connect with Lisa
- Website: https://www.lisaroet.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisaroet/
Learn more about The Professional Artist Association:
- Join 50,000+ artists getting Free advice & inspiration:
- https://professionalartist.com/podcast/#join-free-artist-letter
- Join ≈1,000 committed artists around the world for less than $1, £ or € a day: https://professionalartist.com/join
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/professionalartistaccelerator
Free training and resources:
- Free training on how to find art buyers without a big following: https://professionalartist.com/find-your-next-3-fine-art-collectors/?utm_source=PODCAST&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=2025-06
- Free insider report on how Painters, Sculptors, and Fine Art Photographers make their art income stable and consistent: https://professionalartist.com/report/?utm_source=PODCAST&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=free_report
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