Learn German: Der Direktor kommt nebst allen Artisten an. - The director is arriving along with all the performers.

Both take the dative case, but nebst is much more formal and translates closer to "along with" or "including." It is used to show that something is an addition or an accompaniment to the main subject, rather than an equal partner in the action.

If multiple people are arriving, why is the verb singular (kommt) instead of plural (kommen)?

Because the grammatical subject is only the singular noun der Direktor. Unlike the conjunction und, nebst is a preposition. The phrase nebst allen Artisten is just a prepositional object adding extra information, so it doesn't change the verb's conjugation to plural.

Does Artist mean "artist" like a painter or sculptor?

Usually not! Artist is a classic false friend for English speakers. In German, it refers specifically to a circus performer, acrobat, or physical entertainer. If you want to talk about a fine artist like a painter, you would use the word Künstler.

Why does the noun end in -en in allen Artisten?