Vivian Dean

The Art Entrepreneurship Speaker Series at Missouri Western State University will continue at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 8 with Dean Vivian’s talk titled “Figure Out the Numbers: Taxes for Artists.” The 90-minute seminar is free and open to the public.

Vivian will review the details of what self-employed artists need to know to file their taxes. A graduate of Webster Conservatory and a working actor for 35 years, Vivian joined Actor’s Equity in 1981, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in 1983 and the Screen Actors Guild in 1995. He was a representative of his peers in Equity for eight years, and in his 18th year of serving on the AFTRA National Board and the SAG-AFTRA Joint Board of Directors. He was also recently elected as one of the 11 member-trustees for the multi-billion-dollar AFTRA Health & Retirement Fund.

In 1985, Vivian began helping his fellow artists with their taxes and finances. He currently serves 300 clients, and in 2009 was designated a Subject Matter Expert by the State of Missouri regarding the arts and taxes.

Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.