Program Features
Arts Management On Site
Learn from arts professionals and practitioners outside of Los Angeles in other global centers, such as Mexico City, Cape Town, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
Curatorial Training
During a series of three courses called “Curatorial Practices,” co-taught by Alma Ruiz and Irene Tsatsos, you will experience each stage of planning for, creating, and executing an exhibition.
An excerpt from the Foundations of Curating course syllabus:
What is a curator? What does a curator do? A broadly defined figure, the curator has become a selector and interpreter of the art in an exhibition. In museums, the curator conceives of the exhibition thesis; plays the role of producer, manager, educator, and organizer; and is responsible for wall text and labels, catalog essays, and other exhibition support content. The curator may be called upon to help with fundraising, to interact with the public and the press, and to lecture and conduct seminars. As the curator’s role expands so do the skills required to meet new challenges. This course takes students through the full life cycle of mounting and managing an exhibition, using as a textbook Adrian George’s The Curator’s Handbook, slide presentations by faculty of relevant exhibitions, and visits to and from professionals at area museums.
Arts Management Practicum
The capstone of the program, the Arts Management Practicum puts you in the field. You work as a consultant with local and regional cultural institutions in positions that are often paid. You will analyze an institution’s workings and missions and report on your findings and recommendations. Recent consultations include:
- Grand Park
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Ford Theatres
- Pasadena Arts Commission
- Center Theatre Group
The Master’s Project
Students in the Arts Management degree program may choose to complete their degrees with a Master’s Project rather than the consulting practicum. As is the Master’s Project for the Art Business degree, this is a project of your own design, and it is often directly related to your intended career path upon graduation. It can be completed individually or in small teams.
This course covers the principles of entrepreneurship (e.g. managing process, value creation, teams, and growth) as well as various different entrepreneurial models (e.g. the lean startup, the “non nonprofit,” the “innovator’s dilemma”), all with an eye towards generating ideas for new ventures. Following a research-based approach, you are asked to identify opportunities, customers, and markets for new products, services, businesses, organizations, and initiatives.
Alumni Spotlight
Learn the ins and outs of the museum world in our interview with Victoria Gerard ’15, the Vice President of Collections and Special Exhibitions at the Bowers Museum.
