Arts administration involves managing organizations and issues related to the arts, including leadership, financial expertise, and understanding public demand. Arts administrators organize and coordinate artistic activities, and may have a background in the arts or business. Qualifications vary, but some may require a degree in business, marketing, or management. Many universities offer graduate degrees in arts management, which include courses in planning, marketing, and managing arts-related activities, as well as exploring ethical and political considerations in the arts.
Arts administration is the administration of organizations and issues related to the arts. It encompasses appreciation and knowledge of the arts, leadership qualities, financial expertise, and an understanding of public need for and reaction to the arts. Administrative occupations in the arts include those related to directing, coordinating, developing, and fundraising for arts programs. Those who work as arts administrators often have a passion for the arts, as well as experience or training in the business and marketing aspects of arts administration.
Arts administrators organize, manage, coordinate, develop and encourage artistic activities. While administrators may be trained in the arts themselves, the duties involved in arts administration are typically those of coordinating, supporting, and developing artists. An executive director of a ballet company, for example, may have a background in ballet, but his main duties may involve hiring dancers, teachers and choreographers and managing the financial and logistical aspects of the ballet company.
Examples of occupations in arts administration are diverse and numerous. A director of a performing arts center, a marketing manager at a museum of modern art, and the president of a music company are examples of occupations in arts management. Specific duties vary from job to job, but all jobs generally require an understanding and appreciation of the specific art form. These individuals must also be well-versed in arts-related challenges and have a sense of the public’s arts demands and opinions.
The qualifications required to work in arts administration vary from job to job. Some people climb the ladder by serving first as an artist and then moving into a managerial role. In the example of director of a ballet company, a dancer might perform for years or decades and then be promoted to a director position when he retires from dance. In other cases, specific skills and qualifications may be required to work in arts administration, such as a degree in business, marketing, management or fundraising experience.
Many universities offer graduate degrees in arts management. These academic programs require successful completion of courses in planning, marketing, and managing arts-related activities. Programs also often explore ethical and political considerations in the arts. The curriculum often includes classes addressing labor issues in the arts related to pay, contracts, and unions. Many arts management programs require a minimum number of internship hours at an arts institution, as well as the successful completion of a master’s thesis on a relevant topic.
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