Visit Us

Affiliated Institutes

Note: The MA in Art Business program is no longer accepting applications.

The Art Business and Arts Management programs have merged into one Arts Management program that encompasses for-profit and nonprofit organizational structures in all disciplines. This allows opportunities for greater exploration and innovation under a larger tent.

Learn More


The Master of Arts in Art Business is designed for both the aspiring and established professional with a passion for the visual arts and a desire to master the market and management dynamics that drive artistic and commercial values today.

The MA in Art Business prepares you for transformative roles in leading art businesses, initiatives, and organizations. Our focus on market dynamics and entrepreneurship gives you the skills and the knowledge to start your own ventures or build on existing ones. And our extensive network of alumni and professional contacts give you access to the people and resources you will need to make meaningful change in the art world and beyond.

We are the only art business graduate program on the west coast and the only program focused on the Pacific Rim, with courses dedicated to East Asian markets and field study trips to Latin America. We are also the only art business graduate program within a fully accredited, non-profit university, which means we are serving an educational mission as opposed to investors.

Program Highlights

Program at a Glance

UNITS
40 units

ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME*
3 semesters

*Program completion times may vary depending on course registration, units transferred, and time to complete other degree requirements.

COURSES BEGIN
Fall | Spring

DEGREE AWARDED
MA in Art Business

Featured Courses

ARTBUS 300
Art Market Dynamics

Introduces students to the structures and dynamics of international art markets: the people, places, and institutions responsible for the flow of works around the globe as well as by and through which they gain their value.

ARTBUS 318
Looking at and Writing About Art for Arts Professionals

Practice-based workshop dedicated to writing about the art in all genres and contexts, including artist profiles, wall texts, press releases, critical reviews, and news coverage.

ARTBUS 304B
Appraising Contemporary Art

Learn the methodology of personal property appraisal with an emphasis on contemporary art. Explore the duties of a professional appraiser; different types of appraisals, value and valuation approaches, the challenges specific to appraising contemporary works of art.

ARTBUS/ARMGT 377
Curatorial Practice

Learn the function and role of the contemporary curator through a year-long cycle of the hands-on planning, mounting, and managing of a contemporary art exhibition in Los Angeles.

ARMGT 309
Startup Studio

The capstone to the Art Business entrepreneurship sequence in which teams of students develop and pitch ideas for new ventures to panels of investors and arts and culture leaders.

Curriculum

A typical course of study would be:

Fall – Year 1

  • Introduction to Arts Management (4 units)
  • Legal Foundations of the Arts (4 units)
  • Principles and Practices of Fundraising I (2 units)
  • Marketing Management (2 units)
  • Elective (4 units)

Spring – Year 1

  • Finance & Accounting for the Creative Industries (4 units)
  • Capstone A (4 units)
  • Field Study Practicum (0 units)
  • Electives (4-8 units)

Fall – Year 2

  • Capstone B (4 units)
  • Electives (4-8 units)

Field Study

Field study travel provides behind-the-scenes access to artists, art businesses and organizations, and leaders in the field. The trips are designed to accelerate the formation of international networks and ensure familiarity with the complexity of the international arts landscape. All students are required to go on one field study trip.

View recent itineraries:

Past global destinations include:

  • Beijing, China
  • Cape Town, South Africa
  • Hong Kong
  • Mexico City, Mexico
  • Shanghai, China
  • Seoul, South Korea
  • Singapore
  • Taipei, Taiwan
  • Tokyo, Japan
  • UAE: Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Past domestic destinations include:

  • Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Marfa, Texas
  • San Francisco, California
Capstone Sequences

Every Arts Management student completes a capstone sequence, which is the culmination of your degree, synthesizing everything that you have learned throughout the program. It is designed as a bridge to your professional life, serving as a powerful demonstration of the skills you’ve developed at CGU as you enter or continue your work in the arts and cultural field. Each capstone sequence comprises both course work and a final project or deliverable that stems from your own intellectual and creative pursuits.

Students in the Arts Management program may complete their degree requirements through any sequence below.

Faculty

Joshua Goode profile image

Joshua Goode

Associate Professor of Cultural Studies and History
Chair, Cultural Studies (Fall 2022)

Carmine Iannaccone profile image

Carmine Iannaccone

Adjunct Professor of Art

Melody Kanschat profile image

Melody Kanschat

Professor of Practice in Arts Management

Rachel Lachowicz profile image

Rachel Lachowicz

Professor of Studio Art

David Pagel profile image

David Pagel

Professor of Art Theory and History
Roland Reiss Endowed Chair in Art
Faculty Coordinator, Center for Business & Management of the Arts

Jay Prag profile image

Jay Prag

Clinical Full Professor
Academic Director
Faculty Coordinator, Center for Business & Management of the Arts

 

Adjunct Faculty


Leticia Buckley

Chief Executive Officer, La Plaza de Cultura y Artes

Email
leticia.buckley@cgu.edu

Bronwyn Mauldin

Director of Research and Evaluation at the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture

Email
bronwyn.mauldin@cgu.edu

John McGuirk

Interim Vice President at Community Foundation Sonoma County

Email
john.mcguirk@cgu.edu

Alma Ruiz

Adjunct Professor

Email
alma.ruiz@cgu.edu

Robin Sukhadia

Strategist | Organizational Leadership | Major Gifts Fundraising

Email
robin.sukhadia@cgu.edu

Request information about the Art Business program

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.