A concise answer: an arts practitioner is someone who plays a necessary, active role in the creation, presentation, or distribution of artwork. This broad term includes artists but also many other professionals who contribute to making art happen, such as producers, stage managers, technicians, editors, designers, curators, translators, agents, dealers, and community-based practitioners. In short, practitioners are the people who enable the artistic process and its reach, not just the creators themselves. If you need a precise definition tailored to a specific context (funding, education, or a particular sector like performing arts versus visual arts), I can tailor the definition and provide examples from that context.
