Studio Visits and the Art of Relationship Building with Whitney Bradshaw

A studio visit can open doors, shape careers, and spark long-term collaborations, but only if you know how to approach it. Studio visits are more than a presentation of your work; they are the beginning or deepening of a professional relationship. In this webinar, practicing artist and contemporary art curator Whitney Bradshaw draws on over 20 years of experience conducting and participating in studio visits from both sides of the table to demystify the process and make it work for you. 

Participants will learn strategies to attain studio visits, prepare with intention, communicate their work clearly, and navigate the conversation in a way that builds genuine, lasting connections. The workshop will also address what to do after the visit: how to follow up thoughtfully and sustain momentum without feeling awkward or transactional.

Designed for artists at any stage, this session balances practical guidance with real-world insight. The final 30–45 minutes will be dedicated to open Q&A, so bring your specific questions, challenges, and experiences for a candid, meaningful discussion.

About the Instructor

Whitney Bradshaw is an artist, activist, educator, curator, former social worker, and documentary film producer whose practice is dedicated to healing and empowerment while boldly confronting the social systems that marginalize and oppress. She is the creator of OUTCRY, an ongoing social practice project that has been exhibited widely across the United States, with solo shows at Atlanta Contemporary, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, the DePaul Art Museum, Villanova University Art Gallery, Moreau Galleries at St. Mary’s College, the 21c Museum Hotel Louisville, Wave Pool Contemporary Art Fulfillment Center and more. Her photographs are held in prominent collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the DePaul Art Museum, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, the Hall Art and Technology Foundation, and the Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell Collection, and have been featured in Ms. Magazine, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, NewCity Magazine, the LA Times, and Vogue. In Fall 2023, Whitney was named one of NewCity Magazine’s “50 Chicago Artists’ Artists.”

Both Whitney and OUTCRY are the subject of a short documentary film titled "OUTCRY: Alchemists of Rage" directed by Clare Major and produced by Frankly Speaking Films. The film premiered at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco in June 2024 and was shortlisted for the International Documentary Association's Best Short Film Award of 2024.

Whitney currently serves as curator at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City, Indiana, following earlier roles as chair of the visual arts conservatory at the Chicago High School for the Arts, curator of the esteemed LaSalle Bank Photography Collection, later the Bank of America Collection, and adjunct professor of photography at Columbia College Chicago. Before her curatorial and educational career, she worked as a social worker supporting survivors of sexual abuse and assault, families of children with disabilities, and adults with disabilities.