Kincaid & Associates is hosting the fourth annual Business of Artistry Forum tonight to give artists the tools they need to run a successful business and protect their intellectual property.

The hour-long forum will be at Ironclad Brewery at 115 N. Second St. starting at 6:30 p.m.

There will be a panel of speakers including Jerry Coleman, director of the Cape Fear Small Business Center at Cape Fear Community College; Rhonda Bellamy, executive director of Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County; Akysia Resper, trademark and copyright attorney with Kincaid and Associates and Chad Wouters, CPA with Earney & Company.

The event will provide information to artists on ways to market their work, have a business and accounting plan and network with other artists.

The idea for the forum started when Mitzi Kincaid, owner and attorney at Kincaid & Associates, would go to art shows and see people taking photos of art and furniture.

“I would ask the artist does this worry you, and they would say ‘Yeah, but I don’t know what my rights are,’” Kincaid said. “These artists deserve to make a living because they are a major part of our vibrant community.”

Among the items to be addressed at the event includes some legalities artists should consider.

“We will discuss how to protect work from a legal perspective. Do you need to be an LLC, or a corporation? Do you need to pay taxes? do you need to collect sales tax?” Kincaid said.

Jerry Coleman, who has participated in the panel all four years, said the forum aligns with the goal of the small business center.

“Our art community is a fantastic large part of the port city, they have vibrant small businesses,” Coleman said. “Here in the small business center that is what we do; we help small businesses start and grow.”

For artists hoping to start or continue to run their business, Coleman recommends having a plan of action, including understanding the product offering and the target customer, having a marketing and finance plan and not letting the creative process take over.

“Artists have all this creativity, which is fantastic, but many spend most time creating but not on the business side, so we talk about time management,” Coleman said. “It’s a good idea to have time set aside on a daily basis for marketing the budgeting, and time spending on the creative side of the business.”

The Wilmington business community is impacted by artist-owned businesses, he said.

“It creates that whole cultural vibe with music, art and film,” Coleman said. “A big part of what makes Wilmington so great is the cultural element that artists provided.”

The free forum will include free snacks and a cash bar from Ironclad Brewery.

Kincaid hopes to expand the event to Charlotte, Raleigh and Asheville to continue providing free information to artists, she said.