A wide shot of a ceramics studio, featuring students working with pottery wheels and other tools.

Kenneth L. Smilovitch

Lecturer

Bio

BCom, 1985, McGill University, Montreal; MBA, 1990, Richard Ivey School of Business, Ontario. Experience: Director, Duman Entrepreneurship Center; Project Manager, Aboriginal Human Resource Council; Marketing Director, McGill University Executive Institute; Economic Development & Tourism, Arts Division, Government of the Northwest Territories; Marketing, Desrosiers Dance Theatre; Media Planner, Ronalds-Reynolds Advertising. Boards: Steering Committee Member, Youth Employment Services; Evaluation Committee member, Unfunded List. Awards: NWT Arts Council; Canada Council for the Arts; Conseil des arts et des lettres du Quebec. Recordings: Drawing Down the Moon; Catch the Light Like Water; Surface Tension. Artist Residency: Residential Guitar Masterclass, France.

Personal Statement

I am a performing artist, administrator, and educator with a background in management, entrepreneurship, and marketing. I hold a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University with a concentration in marketing and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario, where I was president of the Business and the Arts Society. I was a mentor for a National Science Foundation/Museum of Science and Industry innovation incubator that employed arts-based learning to foster creative thinking, critical analysis, and problem solving. I am also an evaluation committee member for the Unfunded List providing detailed, candid and critical feedback for grant proposal candidates.

Current Interests

Arts-based learning is a growing area increasingly adopted by innovative organizations and can provide new employment opportunities for emerging artists. My experience in this field and my background in performing arts, mentorship, marketing, and entrepreneurship provide me with a unique perspective and pragmatic approach to art and management. While we often hear about what the field of management can provide to artistic practice, I am equally concerned with what artistic processes can bring to the field of management and excited about sharing this perspective with SAIC students.

Recording

Drawing Down the Moon [MP3] is a song from my first recording. Most of my songs document personal experiences and incorporate some kind of repetitive, rhythmic acoustic backdrop. I spend a lot of time trying to get different sounds out of the guitar without using too many effects. I listen to a lot of African music and borrow from the circular approach you may find in the thumb harp, marimba, or kora instruments associated with that music. I also enjoy the movement jazz music provides and pursue rhythms that are most comfortable reclining a little. Mix in these elements with a night sky, a full moon, or an open field, and you have something like what I do. Folk Noir. Musical Haiku. Suspended Animation.

Courses

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