The true art of arts administration is an intelligent elasticity: an ability to respond to art, artist, and intention, to adjust platforms for expression as needs outgrow and circumvent them, and to remain always nimble, ethical, conversational, and visionary enough to navigate the frontiers where status quo meets change.
Our Students:
Have hailed (to date) from North America, South America, Central America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Arrive with backgrounds in visual arts, dance, music, theater, cultural studies, art history, social sciences, law, philosophy, political science, education, social services, hospitality, urban studies, youth activism, social justice, social entrepreneurship, and more.
Often work full-time jobs during their studies. They can be found at arts and cultural institutions throughout Chicago, and in leadership positions across the school and the museum, including the Office of Civic Engagement, the Sullivan Galleries, and Special Collections. To facilitate students' learning alongside work lives and cultural engagement, we schedule as many required classes and activities as possible in the evening.
Have created wide ranging theses and thesis projects, such as Adaptive Capacity: Necessary Components & Strategies for Contemporary Non-Profit Arts and Cultural Organizations, New Imaginations for the Role of the Museum Trustee, Following the Crowd: Understanding Donors Through Virtual Fundraising, Working at the Line: Three Studies of Arts Administration at the U.S.-Mexico Border, Balancing Dichotomies: Visioning an art administration paradigm for India, Racing Culture: Exploring Race, Inclusion and Equity in Arts Institutions, A Parallel World: Hip Hop Dance in China, Transferability of East Asian Arts Festivals in Rural Areas: Community Revitalization Through Creative Placemaking in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan, Creative Social Enterprise in Scotland: An Exploration of how Glasgow's Creative Social Enterprises Contribute to the Social Economy, and Rethinking Radio: Storytelling as Civic Activism.
