Overview
- Degree Level
- Undergraduate
- Degrees Offered
- Bachelor of Arts
- Department
- Visual and Performing Arts
- school/college
- College of Arts and Sciences
Arts Administration focuses on preparing students for careers in managing and leading arts organizations. This degree prepares students to contribute effectively to the management and sustainability of arts organizations, whether they choose careers in museums, theaters, dance companies, galleries, archives, music/film venues, festivals, orchestras, foundations, arts councils, or other cultural institutions. Students in the Arts Administration major will be prepared for careers or graduate programs in various roles within arts organizations, including arts management and administration, program coordination, marketing, fundraising, and advocacy. Graduates will contribute to the sustainability and growth of arts institutions and play a vital role in promoting cultural enrichment within their communities. The degree takes advantage of the Philadelphia area’s rich range of cultural resources to equip students with tangible skills necessary for them to succeed in this vibrant and growing field.
Explore a broad overview of mid-to-late 20th century and contemporary art through the lens of exhibition making. You will study a comprehensive proposal for a thematic group exhibition. Topics include the evolution of gallery and exhibition contexts, installation design, the rhetorical impact of artworks on each other, the role of the given physical site and layout on the works displayed, and the exhibition as a mode of interpretation and research.
You will undertake focused, in-depth study through a seminar with applied learning of a practicum. Over the semester, you will work with other students to create an exhibition in one of the campus galleries. In the first half of the course, you will study the art you are tasked with exhibiting through assigned readings, independent research, field trips, and guest speakers.
Explore the relationship between art making and entrepreneurship with an active focus on self-discovery. You will learn using a seminar format. Classes consist of group discussions, lectures, projects, independent work (readings/videos), guest speakers, and field trips. You will work with an online syllabus and website, including electronic versions of all readings/texts, links to artists, writers, theorists, galleries, business people, films, videos, case studies, and other online content; accounting and marketing software, e-commerce, social media, etc.
Study topics related to arts and culture leadership and management. Course content focuses on practical skills necessary for careers as professional artists, curators, administrators, and leaders of arts and culture organizations. Explore administrative principles, program development, practical applications, and trends in the current arts and cultural environment. You will work with principles of nonprofit management and structures, concise business writing, grant writing, demographics research, fundraising, arts education, ethical practice in community-based arts programs, marketing, communications, and leadership styles.
Experience stage management through this course, which is divided into pre-production, rehearsal period, tech/running, and maintenance of production segments. Explore the different venues of theater, from small storefront theater to large regional theaters. Although the emphasis is on management practices for theater venues, there is an element of the practical, day-to-day “nuts and bolts” in the stage management process.
Students also take courses that provide practical experience, including internships and apprenticeships, to give students exposure to the challenges and opportunities of managing arts and culture organizations. This hands-on experience is crucial for building skills and networking within various arts industries.
Students may consider a double major in this and another major. This degree also situates students well to pursue MFA or MBA programs at the graduate level.
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