Arts Administration and Policy: Courses

MAAAP Graduate Fieldwork allows students to work in part-time, art-related positions in approved organizations and institutions. Students are assigned a faculty adviser, who assists in setting clear objectives for the Fieldwork, makes site visits, and participates in final written evaluation of the project. Participation requires a total of 225 hours, with a weekly minimum average of 15 work hours with the fieldwork organization. In addition, four seminar classes address issues of entering the workforce, and include discussion of fieldwork experiences and a workshop on evaluation techniques. You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration and Policy student to enroll in this course.

This class explores the art exhibitions as an experimental forum for making art. Working towards a `live? presentation of artworks, the class looks at studio practice and process based approaches for thinking about audience interactions and public engagement. Exhibitions take place in many different types of location and can take many forms. From traditional museum displays, to, momentary and temporary or even very casual presentations, from presentations to a wide public to a specifically chosen and closely defined audience and even to an audience of one, human interaction has a way of bringing art objects to life. But what makes an exhibition work? And what about an audience? Thinking through the many questions that arise when making artworks available to a viewer or a public each member of the class will exhibit/present/show/deliver or otherwise work towards sharing their work with an audience. Working through the current studio practice of each student this class will develop a curatorial plan that includes all members of the group. Alongside studio based work the class will including workshops about management, project management, financial planning and communications, building towards a working knowledge exhibition production, and the steps it is necessary to take to bring art objects into `live? contact with an audience.

What are the concerns that drive one's creative practice? How does one set the terms for its future development? This course offers strategies for the evaluation and communication of students' individual practice as artists, designers and/or scholars. Through essential readings, studio projects, and writing, students will generate narratives about how and why they make art. To do so, they will investigate methods (visual, critical, written, and creative) for the reconsideration of their work and of its aims and priorities. Individual mentoring with the faculty member is a central and dedicated component of the class as a means of fostering the self-identification of goals and priorities. Students will also examine historical and contemporary precedents that relate to their own work in order to consider the ways in which their individual explorations can be brought into dialogue with other perspectives. Students participate in broad ranging discussions about the present status and future prospects of art and design through workshops, dialogues, and collaborations both in the class and in SAIC-wide conversations with other Sophomore Studio Seminars. An important function of this course is to build upon these insights in forming a practical plan that helps students effectively map the curriculum and resources of SAIC into their own needs. For more information see http://blogs.saic.edu/sophseminar/

What are the concerns that drive one's creative practice? How does one set the terms for its future development? This course offers strategies for the evaluation and communication of students' individual practice as artists, designers and/or scholars. Through essential readings, studio projects, and writing, students will generate narratives about how and why they make art. To do so, they will investigate methods (visual, critical, written, and creative) for the reconsideration of their work and of its aims and priorities. Individual mentoring with the faculty member is a central and dedicated component of the class as a means of fostering the self-identification of goals and priorities. Students will also examine historical and contemporary precedents that relate to their own work in order to consider the ways in which their individual explorations can be brought into dialogue with other perspectives. Students participate in broad ranging discussions about the present status and future prospects of art and design through workshops, dialogues, and collaborations both in the class and in SAIC-wide conversations with other Sophomore Studio Seminars. An important function of this course is to build upon these insights in forming a practical plan that helps students effectively map the curriculum and resources of SAIC into their own needs. For more information see http://blogs.saic.edu/sophseminar/

In this hands-on course, students learn to curate and operate the four Student Union gallery spaces. Through this process, students actively participate in developing an exhibition concept, writing a proposal, researching artists/artwork, and developing and executing promotional materials through lectures and hands-on experience. The spaces include exhibitions curated, installed, and promoted by students in the class. Students visit profit and not-for-profit galleries in Chicago to observe curatorial, exhibition, installation, and promotional approaches. In addition, visiting curators, gallery founders, and owners are brought to the class to share their experiences with students. Over the course of eight weeks, each student is required to develop an exhibition concept (alone or with a partner), research the concept, write a formal proposal including drawings of installation plans, and participate in the installation of student exhibitions.

This interdisciplinary seminar introduces, deepens and extends writing skills and helps to develop concepts that can sustain, guide and propel artistic practice after graduation. Central to the class is the professional completion of two grant applications, followed by a mock jury event that simulates actual jurying procedure. In conjunction with the applications, students write artist statements and develop project proposals. We also discuss how the arts and the public intersect, whether in popular opinion, historic context or professional settings. This includes an assessment of the relations of artists and audiences, artists and administrators and curators, and artists and critics.

Small-scale screening spaces or 'microcinemas' have seen renewed vitality in recent years as sites for exploring new models of moving-image exhibition. A hybrid studies/practicum course, FVNM 3222 examines the microcinema critically, historically and practically. We look at contemporary and historical examples -- French cine-clubs in the 1920s, revolutionary underground screenings in 1960s Argentina, post-colonial mobile cinemas throughout Africa, as well as US film societies from 1940s to today. Students also connect with contemporary microcinemas around the US and organize all aspects of a public microcinema event in the Chicago area -- booking venues, curating work, and generating press.

A career as an artist presents a staggering array of choices. If one choice is fantastic and another is terrible, it?s easy enough to distinguish. But there are other times when you have to pick from a range of good choices OR a range of imperfect ones. And that?s when the decisions seem a bit more challenging. This class considers how you might go about examining your choices and making the best ones for yourself. This is a professional practices class, assisting you as you begin to formulate an intelligent and informed strategy for sustaining a studio practice and navigating the art world. Topics include: Resume writing; artist statements; proposals; grants/residencies; presenting your work--in person through a PowerPoint presentation, or submitted though presentation packet; graduate school; job search; taxes for artists/budget; building a support system; exhibiting your work; creating a website, & (last but not least) how to deal with a wide range of art world related concerns, including but not limited to: rejection, fears, jealousy, & being stuck. The information from this class will range from the most practical---an accountant discussing ?taxes for artists?-- to the range of perspectives shared with us by visiting artists, curators, & gallerists. Throughout this process, the process of clarifying and defining the concerns of your practice is emphasized.

A career as an artist presents a staggering array of choices. If one choice is fantastic and another is terrible, it?s easy enough to distinguish. But there are other times when you have to pick from a range of good choices OR a range of imperfect ones. And that?s when the decisions seem a bit more challenging. This class considers how you might go about examining your choices and making the best ones for yourself. This is a professional practices class, assisting you as you begin to formulate an intelligent and informed strategy for sustaining a studio practice and navigating the art world. Topics include: Resume writing; artist statements; proposals; grants/residencies; presenting your work--in person through a PowerPoint presentation, or submitted though presentation packet; graduate school; job search; taxes for artists/budget; building a support system; exhibiting your work; creating a website, & (last but not least) how to deal with a wide range of art world related concerns, including but not limited to: rejection, fears, jealousy, & being stuck. The information from this class will range from the most practical---an accountant discussing ?taxes for artists?-- to the range of perspectives shared with us by visiting artists, curators, & gallerists. Throughout this process, the process of clarifying and defining the concerns of your practice is emphasized.

This course prepares students to start and manage arts businesses and/or organizations, blending techniques of for-profit and non-profit management so that students can see the similarities and differences between the two types of organizations which comprise the field of arts administration. We survey the entrepreneurial practices of the for-profit sector, as well as the mission-driven operations of the nonprofit sector. Students learn the basics of how to strategically develop a business plan and successfully implement it. Skill Sets Learned include: writing a brief business plan with an understanding of the components and activities that are important to a plan; choosing among the different legal forms for a business, considering which is most appropriate for your business at a particular stage; basic staff management, interviewing, hiring, and directing; designing and implementing a Marketing strategy using the 5Ps approach (Product, Price, Packaging, Promotion, and Place); understanding the basic terminology and documentation for Accounting and Financial Records; familiarity with the basics of Contracts and Intellectual Property so as to protect you and your creative work; understanding of the basic principles of Economics which affect your business; seeking business loans or investors, knowing potential sources as well as terminology and provisions; selecting appropriate business Insurance; and, making prudent business and staff decisions based on appropriate Business Ethics.

This course prepares students to start and manage arts businesses and/or organizations, blending techniques of for-profit and non-profit management so that students can see the similarities and differences between the two types of organizations which comprise the field of arts administration. We survey the entrepreneurial practices of the for-profit sector, as well as the mission-driven operations of the nonprofit sector. Students learn the basics of how to strategically develop a business plan and successfully implement it. Skill Sets Learned include: writing a brief business plan with an understanding of the components and activities that are important to a plan; choosing among the different legal forms for a business, considering which is most appropriate for your business at a particular stage; basic staff management, interviewing, hiring, and directing; designing and implementing a Marketing strategy using the 5Ps approach (Product, Price, Packaging, Promotion, and Place); understanding the basic terminology and documentation for Accounting and Financial Records; familiarity with the basics of Contracts and Intellectual Property so as to protect you and your creative work; understanding of the basic principles of Economics which affect your business; seeking business loans or investors, knowing potential sources as well as terminology and provisions; selecting appropriate business Insurance; and, making prudent business and staff decisions based on appropriate Business Ethics.

This course will provide students with hands on experience of working with SAIC's special collections, the Video Data Bank, the Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection, the Roger Brown Study Collection, the Fashion Resource Center and others. Dialogues with professional staff will reveal the artistic, conceptual and philosophical issues, the physical constraints and practical opportunities contained in each unique collection. Students will design projects that respond specifically to the missions, challenges and ongoing needs of one or more collection.

Artists usually don't think in a linear manner -- there are no specific steps to making art and certainly no rules. Business, on the other hand, is relatively specific -- there are ways to do things and there definitely are rules to follow that are both legal and financial. It's probably easier to teach an artist how to make a business plan than teach someone with an MBA how to make. However, there are many times in business when that intuitive/creative/non-linear capacity is exactly what is required to make the right business decision. A union of the two approaches is optimal. This is high-functioning right brain and left brain integration. When an artist gains business skills, the possibilities multiply, both for entrepreneurial ideas and for the understanding of how the business of the art world itself operates. This is a pragmatic, real-world, hands-on course taught by an artist and a lawyer, giving students the basic skills for thinking about life after art school in all of its varied potentials. Artists who have either been successful in a business or who have creatively used their business smarts to actualize a conceptual idea will share with the class how they did it. This is a course that will benefit students' careers and their understanding of how business smarts are an essential tool for functioning in the 21st century art world.

The Art Fair and the Biennale have grown to become arguably the two most significant mechanisms of the international art market for the dissemination and distribution of art works across national and cultural boundaries. This course has two main objectives: first, students analyze and discuss the trajectory of the art fair and the biennale taking into account historical precedents, cultural contexts, economic factors and the players who have dominated these arenas. Topics covered will include globalization, soft power diplomacy, nationalism, cultural rehabilitation, Art Chicago (a local history), the ?Miami? effect, cultural capital, urban regeneration, the rise of the curator and the economic collapse of 2008. Second, through hands-on engagement students consider practical issues involved with the production of an art fair or any large-scale public art event, such as a biennale. By conceiving and planning (a fictional) art fair or biennale as a class, students scout locations, create a prospectus for exhibitors, sponsors and partners, mock up a website, and prepare a marketing plan and budget. The group work culminates in a mock presentation to a jury of the fair's potential stakeholders at the end of the semester. Topics covered include globalization, soft power diplomacy, nationalism, cultural rehabilitation, Art Chicago (a local history), the 'Miami effect', cultural capital, urban regeneration, the rise of the curator and the economic collapse of 2008.

Regional Roots, Global Branches is a cross-cultural collaboration between artists in Chicago and India exploring sustainable horticulture -- as a model. This class will organize a symposium for the fall of 2013; students will explore ideas of collaborative initiatives and the process of conceptualizing, launching, and sustaining such projects. Students will be responsible for organizing the symposium and creating an online journal showcasing each participant?s project with interviews and documentation.

In the first semester, Arts Administration students will attend monthly colloquia in which a topic related to the field is discussed and analyzed. Presentations are made either by faculty members or guest lecturers. The aim of these sessions is to provide students with a critical and discursive engagement with contemporary arts-related issues and late breaking news.

In this course theories and practices of strategic marketing, and approaches to effective written and oral communication for arts administrators are examined. Marketing topics include: consumer behavior; definition of both actual and potential arts consumers; market segmentation; market research; planning, pricing and distribution of the art 'product', including the development of marketing plans. An array of descriptive, analytical, and critical writing styles will also be covered: eg writing reports, proposals, and press releases, and writing for arts publications. Effective public speaking will also be discussed and practiced. You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration student to enroll in this course.

In this course theories and practices of strategic marketing, and approaches to effective written and oral communication for arts administrators are examined. Marketing topics include: consumer behavior; definition of both actual and potential arts consumers; market segmentation; market research; planning, pricing and distribution of the art 'product', including the development of marketing plans. An array of descriptive, analytical, and critical writing styles will also be covered: eg writing reports, proposals, and press releases, and writing for arts publications. Effective public speaking will also be discussed and practiced. You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration student to enroll in this course.

Effective management requires knowledgeable and thoughtful preparation and use of financial information. This course focuses on the most critical financial management concepts and skills. Topics include: principles of financial management and control; budget preparation; financial management and strategic planning; allocation and recovery of indirect costs; preparation and analysis of financial reports; and coping with cutbacks. Quantitative analysis is emphasized. Students develop the confidence and ability to produce budgets, set prices and undertake other financial tasks required of administrators.

This course is designed for MA or MFA students who are interested in designing, developing and producing multidisciplinary art projects using their own work and/or the work of others. The course will be a lab-like intersection of courses in arts administration, studio/performance practice, art history and cultural policy, in which participants will grapple with the complexity of merging practical skills with personal vision in real-time. Specifically, the course will be a combination of lecture, discussion and practice, using realproject case studies and hands-on project development of students' own ideas. Participants will develop and merge skills in: incubating project ideas, developing strategy, writing, fund raising, marketing, collaborating, managingrelationships and producing. This course is ideal for students who intend to create and produce an 'event' as part of their thesis work.

This course is designed for MA or MFA students who are interested in designing, developing and producing multidisciplinary art projects using their own work and/or the work of others. The course will be a lab-like intersection of courses in arts administration, studio/performance practice, art history and cultural policy, in which participants will grapple with the complexity of merging practical skills with personal vision in real-time. Specifically, the course will be a combination of lecture, discussion and practice, using realproject case studies and hands-on project development of students' own ideas. Participants will develop and merge skills in: incubating project ideas, developing strategy, writing, fund raising, marketing, collaborating, managingrelationships and producing. This course is ideal for students who intend to create and produce an 'event' as part of their thesis work.

MAAAP Graduate Fieldwork allows students to work in part-time, art-related positions in approved organizations and institutions. Students are assigned a faculty adviser, who assists in setting clear objectives for the Fieldwork, makes site visits, and participates in final written evaluation of the project. Participation requires a total of 225 hours, with a weekly minimum average of 15 work hours with the fieldwork organization. In addition, four seminar classes address issues of entering the workforce, and include discussion of fieldwork experiences and a workshop on evaluation techniques. You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration and Policy student to enroll in this course.

Law, Politics And The Arts provides the student with an understanding of the legal system and the political process as they relate to the arts. The first part of the course is a survey of the American legal system and laws affecting arts organizations. The second part of the course explores the philosophical foundations and the practical experience of the relationship of government and the political process to the arts. You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration student to enroll in this course.

This course will examine the dynamics of the art market and how collectors, museums, galleries, insurance companies, and the IRS attach value to art objects in diverse contexts. The class will include discussions with experts from these areas. Emphasis will be on collection care, what drives a work of art?s value, authentication processes, the presence of forgeries in the market, provenance, use of Catalogues Raisonnes and elements of valuation.

This course critically traces an archeology of postmodern cultural production, display, criticism, and radical political intervention by examining paradigmatic modern cultural institutions in general, and museums in particular. Analyses of modern socio-cultural politics according to Foucault and Benjamin will provide a basis for a critical examination of the cultural economies of which modern museums are the key agents and the materializations. Increasingly, the work of these authors has been taken up and deployed by contemporary cultural historians and theorists as a means of gaining critical perspectives on the complicated relationships between capitalism, urbanism, colonialism, consumerism, and, in the more critically adventurous cases, sexism, racism, and classicism.

A master's thesis is required for completion of the master's degree in arts administration. The thesis should demonstrate a student's ability to design, justify, execute, evaluate, and present the results of original research or of a substantial project. In this class students work closely with an MAAAP program advisor, and meet frequently with other MAAAP participants in groups and in individual meetings. The thesis is presented, in both written and oral form, to a thesis committee for both initial and final approval. You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration and Policy student to enroll in this course.

A master's thesis is required for completion of the master's degree in arts administration. The thesis should demonstrate a student's ability to design, justify, execute, evaluate, and present the results of original research or of a substantial project. In this class students work closely with an MAAAP program advisor, and meet frequently with other MAAAP participants in groups and in individual meetings. The thesis is presented, in both written and oral form, to a thesis committee for both initial and final approval. You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration and Policy student to enroll in this course.

This interdisciplinary seminar introduces, deepens and extends writing skills and helps to develop concepts that can sustain, guide and propel artistic practice after graduation. Central to the class is the professional completion of two grant applications, followed by a mock jury event that simulates actual jurying procedure. In conjunction with the applications, students write artist statements and develop project proposals. We also discuss how the arts and the public intersect, whether in popular opinion, historic context or professional settings. This includes an assessment of the relations of artists and audiences, artists and administrators and curators, and artists and critics.

MAAAP Graduate Fieldwork allows students to work in part-time, art-related positions in approved organizations and institutions. Students are assigned a faculty adviser, who assists in setting clear objectives for the Fieldwork, makes site visits, and participates in final written evaluation of the project. Participation requires a total of 225 hours, with a weekly minimum average of 15 work hours with the fieldwork organization. In addition, four seminar classes address issues of entering the workforce, and include discussion of fieldwork experiences and a workshop on evaluation techniques. You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration and Policy student to enroll in this course.

Creative Industries discourses posit artists? work as model of entrepreneurism in support of a greater realm of design that produces value-added commodities through information technologies. Developed in the late1990's after cultural critique had identified pedagogical, social and political uses of the arts throughout the 70?s and 80?s, this move completes a full turn away from the traditional 'art-for-art?s-sake' framework indicative of high culture, towards an understanding of culture as resource. Valuations of art worlds, works and practices shift depending on the framework evoked, leading to market, community and resistance inflected rhetorics. This seminar will attempt to untangle the strands.

In this hands-on course, students learn to curate and operate the four Student Union gallery spaces. Through this process, students actively participate in developing an exhibition concept, writing a proposal, researching artists/artwork, and developing and executing promotional materials through lectures and hands-on experience. The spaces include exhibitions curated, installed, and promoted by students in the class. Students visit profit and not-for-profit galleries in Chicago to observe curatorial, exhibition, installation, and promotional approaches. In addition, visiting curators, gallery founders, and owners are brought to the class to share their experiences with students. Over the course of eight weeks, each student is required to develop an exhibition concept (alone or with a partner), research the concept, write a formal proposal including drawings of installation plans, and participate in the installation of student exhibitions.

This interdisciplinary seminar introduces, deepens and extends writing skills and helps to develop concepts that can sustain, guide and propel artistic practice after graduation. Central to the class is the professional completion of two grant applications, followed by a mock jury event that simulates actual jurying procedure. In conjunction with the applications, students write artist statements and develop project proposals. We also discuss how the arts and the public intersect, whether in popular opinion, historic context or professional settings. This includes an assessment of the relations of artists and audiences, artists and administrators and curators, and artists and critics.

In the classroom and in the field, students develop and design exhibitions for three different types of spaces: museums with walls, non-traditional interpretive spaces, and pop-up installations. We explore the relationship between people, objects and space in these environments, leading to a reframing of what it means to exhibit. The course also analyzes theoretical and practical aspects of exhibition design, including construction aesthetics, community engagement, and the politics of display. Over the course of the term, we partner with a local cultural institution to produce an actual exhibition.

Graduating students develop a career plan in this class, while acquiring and applying the skills needed to promote and exhibit their work. Through a critique process, we focus on developing and then implementing an exhibition proposal, taking on practical questions that precede exhibition production and addressing critically the selection of work for public display. Students also produce professional communications materials, including visual documentation, cover letters, press releases and resumes, while exploring opportunities for the exhibition and distribution of their work.

Graduating students develop a career plan in this class, while acquiring and applying the skills needed to promote and exhibit their work. Through a critique process, we focus on developing and then implementing an exhibition proposal, taking on practical questions that precede exhibition production and addressing critically the selection of work for public display. Students also produce professional communications materials, including visual documentation, cover letters, press releases and resumes, while exploring opportunities for the exhibition and distribution of their work.

A career as an artist presents a staggering array of choices. If one choice is fantastic and another is terrible, it?s easy enough to distinguish. But there are other times when you have to pick from a range of good choices OR a range of imperfect ones. And that?s when the decisions seem a bit more challenging. This class considers how you might go about examining your choices and making the best ones for yourself. This is a professional practices class, assisting you as you begin to formulate an intelligent and informed strategy for sustaining a studio practice and navigating the art world. Topics include: Resume writing; artist statements; proposals; grants/residencies; presenting your work--in person through a PowerPoint presentation, or submitted though presentation packet; graduate school; job search; taxes for artists/budget; building a support system; exhibiting your work; creating a website, & (last but not least) how to deal with a wide range of art world related concerns, including but not limited to: rejection, fears, jealousy, & being stuck. The information from this class will range from the most practical---an accountant discussing ?taxes for artists?-- to the range of perspectives shared with us by visiting artists, curators, & gallerists. Throughout this process, the process of clarifying and defining the concerns of your practice is emphasized.

What motivates an artist to make art? Moreover, why do artists continue making art? This course explores both contemporary and historical contexts, and their implications for future developments in creative production, dissemination and ideology. This seminar is constructed to be both a practicum and a think tank, in which students investigate and analyze their own production. You will explore these ideas in a series of critiques and writing assignments, bringing practical and theoretical approaches together to further define your knowledge and expertise, with a focus on context, philosophy, history, methodology and presentation of art and artists in the 20th century and beyond.

This course prepares students to start and manage arts businesses and/or organizations, blending techniques of for-profit and non-profit management so that students can see the similarities and differences between the two types of organizations which comprise the field of arts administration. We survey the entrepreneurial practices of the for-profit sector, as well as the mission-driven operations of the nonprofit sector. Students learn the basics of how to strategically develop a business plan and successfully implement it. Skill Sets Learned include: writing a brief business plan with an understanding of the components and activities that are important to a plan; choosing among the different legal forms for a business, considering which is most appropriate for your business at a particular stage; basic staff management, interviewing, hiring, and directing; designing and implementing a Marketing strategy using the 5Ps approach (Product, Price, Packaging, Promotion, and Place); understanding the basic terminology and documentation for Accounting and Financial Records; familiarity with the basics of Contracts and Intellectual Property so as to protect you and your creative work; understanding of the basic principles of Economics which affect your business; seeking business loans or investors, knowing potential sources as well as terminology and provisions; selecting appropriate business Insurance; and, making prudent business and staff decisions based on appropriate Business Ethics.

This course prepares students to start and manage arts businesses and/or organizations, blending techniques of for-profit and non-profit management so that students can see the similarities and differences between the two types of organizations which comprise the field of arts administration. We survey the entrepreneurial practices of the for-profit sector, as well as the mission-driven operations of the nonprofit sector. Students learn the basics of how to strategically develop a business plan and successfully implement it. Skill Sets Learned include: writing a brief business plan with an understanding of the components and activities that are important to a plan; choosing among the different legal forms for a business, considering which is most appropriate for your business at a particular stage; basic staff management, interviewing, hiring, and directing; designing and implementing a Marketing strategy using the 5Ps approach (Product, Price, Packaging, Promotion, and Place); understanding the basic terminology and documentation for Accounting and Financial Records; familiarity with the basics of Contracts and Intellectual Property so as to protect you and your creative work; understanding of the basic principles of Economics which affect your business; seeking business loans or investors, knowing potential sources as well as terminology and provisions; selecting appropriate business Insurance; and, making prudent business and staff decisions based on appropriate Business Ethics.

This course prepares students to start and manage arts businesses and/or organizations, blending techniques of for-profit and non-profit management so that students can see the similarities and differences between the two types of organizations which comprise the field of arts administration. We survey the entrepreneurial practices of the for-profit sector, as well as the mission-driven operations of the nonprofit sector. Students learn the basics of how to strategically develop a business plan and successfully implement it. Skill Sets Learned include: writing a brief business plan with an understanding of the components and activities that are important to a plan; choosing among the different legal forms for a business, considering which is most appropriate for your business at a particular stage; basic staff management, interviewing, hiring, and directing; designing and implementing a Marketing strategy using the 5Ps approach (Product, Price, Packaging, Promotion, and Place); understanding the basic terminology and documentation for Accounting and Financial Records; familiarity with the basics of Contracts and Intellectual Property so as to protect you and your creative work; understanding of the basic principles of Economics which affect your business; seeking business loans or investors, knowing potential sources as well as terminology and provisions; selecting appropriate business Insurance; and, making prudent business and staff decisions based on appropriate Business Ethics.

Artists usually don't think in a linear manner -- there are no specific steps to making art and certainly no rules. Business, on the other hand, is relatively specific -- there are ways to do things and there definitely are rules to follow that are both legal and financial. It's probably easier to teach an artist how to make a business plan than teach someone with an MBA how to make. However, there are many times in business when that intuitive/creative/non-linear capacity is exactly what is required to make the right business decision. A union of the two approaches is optimal. This is high-functioning right brain and left brain integration. When an artist gains business skills, the possibilities multiply, both for entrepreneurial ideas and for the understanding of how the business of the art world itself operates. This is a pragmatic, real-world, hands-on course taught by an artist and a lawyer, giving students the basic skills for thinking about life after art school in all of its varied potentials. Artists who have either been successful in a business or who have creatively used their business smarts to actualize a conceptual idea will share with the class how they did it. This is a course that will benefit students' careers and their understanding of how business smarts are an essential tool for functioning in the 21st century art world.

This class will explore how art-world and market interactactions are defined and how they operate today. By working from details and current situations, from the pragmatism of the back room to the flamboyance and theatricality of the sale room, examples will be used to draw out current definitions and their antecedents. This class will provide an opportunity to better understand the spheres of art and commerce, and how they come together through networks that not only position the artwork as a tangible asset but also instrumentaize the artist as an activator, and as a commodity.

This course will use hands-on creative experimentation to compare and contrast existing management frameworks, and explore how arts-based models can integrate into management practice. Give the dramatic changed taking place in society, the economy, and technology, organizations need to engage in more spontaneous, innovative ways of managing. Students investigate how an increasing number of companies are including artistic processes in their approaches to strategic management and leadership.

This course examines cultural policy issues within arts organizations and society. A central objective of the course is to develop student understanding of the mission and operation of different arts organizations in the context of society's structures and needs. Cultural policy at the National Endowment for the Arts, along with other national models, will be critically analyzed. The philosophical foundations of the nonprofit sector, and the developments that have taken place there in recent times, will be examined. The educative role of the arts, and how this can be effectively integrated with an arts organization's program will be addressed through case studies. Alternative organizational models will be introduced, to encourage new thinking in the development of organizational missions. You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration student to enroll in this course.

This course examines cultural policy issues within arts organizations and society. A central objective of the course is to develop student understanding of the mission and operation of different arts organizations in the context of society's structures and needs. Cultural policy at the National Endowment for the Arts, along with other national models, will be critically analyzed. The philosophical foundations of the nonprofit sector, and the developments that have taken place there in recent times, will be examined. The educative role of the arts, and how this can be effectively integrated with an arts organization's program will be addressed through case studies. Alternative organizational models will be introduced, to encourage new thinking in the development of organizational missions. You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration student to enroll in this course.

In the first semester, Arts Administration students will attend monthly colloquia in which a topic related to the field is discussed and analyzed. Presentations are made either by faculty members or guest lecturers. The aim of these sessions is to provide students with a critical and discursive engagement with contemporary arts-related issues and late breaking news.

This course provides an overview of fundraising-public funding, proposal and presentation preparation, with an emphasis on the development of a funding plan for an organization. Planning includes corporate, individual, public funding opportunities in addition to events, communication and the use of technology in fundraising.

MAAAP Graduate Fieldwork allows students to work in part-time, art-related positions in approved organizations and institutions. Students are assigned a faculty adviser, who assists in setting clear objectives for the Fieldwork, makes site visits, and participates in final written evaluation of the project. Participation requires a total of 225 hours, with a weekly minimum average of 15 work hours with the fieldwork organization. In addition, four seminar classes address issues of entering the workforce, and include discussion of fieldwork experiences and a workshop on evaluation techniques. You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration and Policy student to enroll in this course.

The MAAAP Management Studio provides intensive opportunities for engaging in the management practices that are vital to the success of students after graduation. Students work in Management Studio over the course of two or three semesters for a total of 9 credits. This project-based environment integrates skill building in the areas of marketing, organizational management, project management and fundraising/development. Students also develop individual strategies and approaches to managing change/adaptation; supporting and engaging creativity; leading complex environments; building and understanding networks and connectivity; navigating teamwork, collaboration, self-organization, and problem-solving; and developing innovation practice skills. Project environments will move in and out of the classroom, and the organizational structure will be adaptive to each particular project. Students develop well-rounded general skill sets, and additional depth in chosen management skill areas.

The MAAAP Management Studio provides intensive opportunities for engaging in the management practices that are vital to the success of students after graduation. Students work in Management Studio over the course of two or three semesters for a total of 9 credits. This project-based environment integrates skill building in the areas of marketing, organizational management, project management and fundraising/development. Students also develop individual strategies and approaches to managing change/adaptation; supporting and engaging creativity; leading complex environments; building and understanding networks and connectivity; navigating teamwork, collaboration, self-organization, and problem-solving; and developing innovation practice skills. Project environments will move in and out of the classroom, and the organizational structure will be adaptive to each particular project. Students develop well-rounded general skill sets, and additional depth in chosen management skill areas.

Roger Brown's art making activities and collections were influenced by and responsive to the material culture of places in which he lived. In this seminar the different aspects of Brown's life will be teased out, through direct contact with paintings and archival materials alongside visits to his Chicago home and remote inspections of the other collections in New Buffalo MI and La Conchita CA. Each week the class will encounter a different painting by Roger Brown and investigate its content. A close inspection of the paintings, and related archival materials at the Roger Brown Study collection, will be supplemented with visits to museum and private collections.

From art acquisition and de-acquisition to exhibition planning and design, this course will examine a wide range of contemporary art consulting practices. Students will be exposed to an overview of the industry, as well as practical information regarding the work of art consultants. Additional topics include: setting up a business, collection management, artists' commissions, budgeting, facility planning, and artist advocacy. The class will include lectures, guest speakers, and a three-part course project that will engage students in the development of an art program project for a hypothetical client, such as a corporation, private collection, or law office.

An examination of connoisseurship and the handling of original works of art in museums, commercial galleries, corporate settings, and alternative space galleries.

Thesis 1 is designed to provide the student with the skills necessary to generate research questions, critically evaluate research studies, construct research design, and generate viable thesis proposals. This will be accomplished through lecture, discussion, activities, and the students developing a research proposal of their own design. The focus will be on applications-based research and the development of a thesis proposal to complete studies in the MAAA program. It will also involve the study of institutional research methods such as program evaluation, needs assessment, market surveys, and descriptive market and quasi-experimental techniques as appropriate. The overall concern is that students develop thesis proposals which promise to yield original research of value to the field. You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration student to enroll in this course.

Thesis 1 is designed to provide the student with the skills necessary to generate research questions, critically evaluate research studies, construct research design, and generate viable thesis proposals. This will be accomplished through lecture, discussion, activities, and the students developing a research proposal of their own design. The focus will be on applications-based research and the development of a thesis proposal to complete studies in the MAAA program. It will also involve the study of institutional research methods such as program evaluation, needs assessment, market surveys, and descriptive market and quasi-experimental techniques as appropriate. The overall concern is that students develop thesis proposals which promise to yield original research of value to the field. You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration student to enroll in this course.

In Spring 2012 students will work on the Graduate Exhibition ('MFA show') as part of a curatorial team. Directly aligned with one of the guest curators, they will assume responsible positions for a section of the overall show. Students will benefit from conceptual discussions, hands-on training, and participation in this overall scheme of curators, graduate assistants, faculty, staff, and participating artists in this major exhibition. By instructor consent only.