“The Future of Black Artists in Kentucky 2017: Building New Connections for an Arts and Culture Renaissance” is a program on how to have a creative life in Louisville. As serendipity will have it, African-American sculptor Ed Hamilton recently told LEO Weekly (“A Q&A with artist Ed Hamilton, creator of the Lincoln Memorial” on leoweekly.com) sage advice on that subject: “For those of you who wish to become future artists, remember that nothing comes easy, and an art career is not for the faint of heart … yet it can be the most rewarding thing that you have done in your life.” Presented by Roots & Wings, Bridge Kids International and IDEAS xLab, the short-and-long-term goals of the conference are to give the necessary tools to performing and visual artists so they can do what they want to do. My favorite topic is “No Such Thing as a Starving Artist,” a how-to-do manual for making a living as an artist. The program is also creating an African-American Arts and Culture plan, just in time for the Greater Louisville Arts Master Plan. Advice will come from the Circle of Elders composed of African-American arts and cultural leaders from Kentucky.