Arts Management

This introductory survey provides an overview of management principles and entities common in both the nonprofit and commercial sectors, preparing students for upper-level courses in the arts management program. Topics include arts business goals and planning, history of arts management, leadership and organizational structure, programming, marketing and public relations, funding and finance, volunteerism and advocacy, and arts and entertainment law.

Credits: 4

A student-centered course in which teams collaborate to explore the creative process by envisioning a nonprofit performing or visual arts organization, conceiving it from mission statement to the first body of work. As projects progress, students develop innovative and critical thinking skills while applying basic principles of arts management to sustain their ventures in today’s cultural environment.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: AMG1100 Or CAM1100

To do more than survive in a competitive economy, artists and their managers must learn business strategies for the financial side of their profession. Students are introduced to the basics of budgets, financial management, and accounting concepts that translate into usable information with practical significance for financial decision-making.

Credits: 4

The ability to communicate effectively is frequently ranked by business leaders worldwide as the most important skill for achieving success. This course develops the written, presentation, and interpersonal skills needed to advance career and business objectives in arts management. Assignments build familiarity and practice in internal and external communication tools and tactics common for informing, engaging, and influencing diverse stakeholders.

Credits: 3

PREREQ: AMG1100

Communicating the power of the arts to enhance the lives of individuals and transform communities is central to the success of artists, arts managers, and arts educators. Students explore U.S. cultural policy, law, social values, and market forces affecting the arts and entertainment industry as they develop a theoretical framework and advocacy skills to support arts participation as a fundamental human right.

Credits: 3

PREREQ: AMG1100 Or CAM1100

In this service-learning course, students design, plan, implement, and manage a mentoring program in art education for middle or high school students. Activities include designing and developing a curriculum, creating and curating artwork, and managing and evaluating the program. Includes an eight-week residency at a local middle or high school, culminating with a public presentation of artwork created by the students.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: AMG1100

An introduction to fund development for growing and sustaining businesses in the arts. Topics include prospect research, proposal development, special events, corporate sponsorship, capitalization, and internet-based fundraising. Students also examine the history of U.S. arts and cultural philanthropy. Guest speakers and case studies give students an opportunity to apply concepts and techniques to real-world arts organizations.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: (AMG1100 Or CAM1100 ) And (AMG2200 Or ECO2085 )

How does someone become an indie filmmaker? Students learn what it takes to produce their own work for film. Topics include building and maintaining healthy collaborations, pitching a script, cultivating investors, casting/staffing, budgeting, marketing, outreach and strategic communications, audience development, distribution, festivals, and crowd-funding platforms. Guest indie producers share their trade secrets for success.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: AMG1100

An introduction to fundamental legal and business concepts that affect artists and arts managers, with emphasis on copyright protection and infringement. Students study and analyze artist agreements, amendment protections for symbolic and literal speech and the limits to those protections, the basics of contract law and statutory protection for artists, and the terms and nature of business relationships, plus other important areas of the law that affect the arts community.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: AMG1100 Or CAM1100

How to create a successful exhibition from concept to realization. Students are introduced to different models in traditional and nontraditional settings. Projects include an in-depth study of the making of an exhibition at the Neuberger Museum of Art and a full exhibition proposal for a nonprofit gallery space. Designed for anyone considering a career in visual arts management.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: AMG1100

Provides students with an understanding of the occupations and career paths associated with managing creative artists, structures and processes in talent management, and strategies for developing and maintaining an artist/manager business relationship. Geared toward students with an interest in launching an agency or working within an existing firm, and toward individual artists with an interest in self-management.

Credits: 3

PREREQ: AMG1100 And AMG3170

Provides an overview of fundamental marketing concepts and strategies relevant to promoting artists, events, and creative products. Topics include market research, audience development, traditional advertising, digital campaigns, public relations, branding, strategic partnerships, and grassroots initiatives. Using real-world examples and current communication tools, students develop foundational knowledge of the theory and practice of arts marketing.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: AMG1100 Or CAM1100

To succeed in this digital world, arts and entertainment marketers must be skilled in the use of technologies designed for creating, editing, archiving, and sharing the images, videos, live streams, and audio content consumed across social and traditional platforms. Working in virtual teams, students use innovative mobile apps, develop digital portfolios of unique content, and create original websites to feature their work.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: AMG3520 Or AMG3610

Students learn the fundamentals of operating commercial art galleries, including curating, artist contracts, and developing client relationships. Additional topics include connoisseurship, detecting fakes in the secondary (antique) art market, and the current regimen of high-profile art fairs. Texts, class discussions, and practical assignments are applicable to a wide variety of visual arts–based careers.

Credits: 3

A close study of important trends in the evolving field of visual arts management and the art market. Students develop curatorial skills for exhibiting and contextualizing artists and their artworks. The problems of the secondary market are also examined, in particular the current crisis in attribution and the problem of forgery.

Credits: 3

PREREQ: AMG1100

An introduction to the concept of and processes involved in strategic and business planning for arts organizations. Students review examples of completed plans and work on developing, from initiation to completion, a plan in class.

Credits: 4

PREREQ: (AMG1100 Or CAM1100 ) And (AMG2085 Or ECO2085 And AMG2200 ) And (AMG3100 And AMG3520 )

A hands-on approach to creating social media marketing campaigns. Topics include Facebook, Twitter, blogging, YouTube and viral videos, SEO (search engine optimization), SEM (search engine marketing), and virtual realities, as well as integration strategies and tactics. Viral theories, trends, and case studies are also explored.

Credits: 4

Prepares students for their senior project by strengthening analytic, writing, and research skills, as they develop an understanding of and proficiency in case-study business analysis. Students define an entity or industry suitable for study, develop strategies for formulating thesis statements and questions, and prepare an outline and bibliography for a case study in arts management.

Credits: 2

PREREQ: (AMG1100 Or CAM1100 ) And AMG2200 And AMG2300

The most successful arts-based enterprises require collaborations with public and private sectors in diverse fields, including healthcare, education, community development, and social justice. To find relevance in an increasingly competitive world that demands evidence and results, students learn how to structure projects that transcend the insular art world and strengthen the places where people live, work, and play.

Credits: 3

PREREQ: AMG1100

Individuals are increasingly seeking cultural experiences that are transdisciplinary and thematically constructed. In this course, students explore the curatorial process. How collaborations and partnerships are forged is also examined. Taught by an expert in the field, the course may include visits to other cultural institutions as well as the Performing Arts Center on campus.

Credits: 4

A survey course that reviews economic and financial aspects of the film, music, performing arts, sports, radio, and broadcasting industries.

Credits: 4

Examines U.S. copyright law as it relates to the practice and management of the arts. Students gain a concrete understanding of the rules and regulations that govern the protection of creative work, while exploring broader questions of cultural policy. Covers copyright in music, visual art, dance, literature, video games, fashion, and social media

Credits: 3