Arts Admin students sitting in front of Cloud Gate (The Bean)
Arts Administration & Policy

MA in Arts Administration & Policy

Master of Arts in Arts Administration Application and Admissions Information

  • Priority Deadline: December 1 - $45 Application Fee 
    Application Deadline: January 10 - $90 Application Fee 
    Apply online via SlideRoom 

    If you are also interested in applying to the Modern & Contemporary Art History program, please ONLY submit a single application to the Dual Degree: Modern & Contemporary Art History AND Arts Administration and Policy. 

    Additional Application Details

  • A conferred four-year baccalaureate degree or its equivalent is required for admission to all graduate programs at SAIC. Transcripts are records of your studies that list the courses you completed, the grades received, and provide evidence of degree conferral. They may include grade sheets, exam results, final diplomas, degrees, or graduation certificates. Official copies are issued in the original language directly by your university. Copies must bear the official stamp or seal of the institution, as well as the signature of the appropriate official such as the dean, rector, registrar, controller of examinations, or office of teaching affairs. Photos, notarized copies, facsimiles, or email transmissions are not acceptable.

    Official translations are expected for all educational documents issued in a language other than English. A translation agency or university language department should issue official translations typed on official stationary and the translator must attest proficiency in the original language and indicate their translations are accurate word-for-word. 

    During the application process an unofficial transcript is acceptable for review pending an Admissions decision. Official transcripts are required upon admission. Include transcripts both official and unofficial from all universities/colleges from which a degree was obtained or prerequisites were fulfilled. You can attach unofficial transcripts as .pdf or .jpg files in the Educational History section of the application form. If you are in the process of completing a bachelor's degree when you apply, a transcript showing your first three years of study is acceptable.

    Transcripts are considered official if sent directly from the degree- or credit-granting institution to the SAIC Graduate Admissions Office. Hard copy transcripts are considered official if the documents remain in the registrar's original signed and sealed envelopes. Official transcripts can be sent both in digital and hard-copy format. Digital transcripts can be sent from the degree- or credit-granting institution to gradmiss@saic.edu. 

    Hard copy transcripts can be mailed to:
    SAIC Graduate
    36 S. Wabash Ave., Suite 1201
    Chicago, IL 60603

    Students admitted to a graduate program who have not received a high school diploma, GED or equivalent are not eligible for federal Title IV financial aid funds. 

  • Write a 500 to 700 word statement of purpose that describes the history of your interests and experiences in Arts Administration, your personal and professional motivations and goals, and your reasons for pursuing graduate study at SAIC, and thoughts on potential future directions.

    Additional Statement Details

    A statement of intent is required for all graduate programs though the content varies by department. You will upload your statement of purpose to the Attachments section of your E-Portfolio.

  • 3 Letters of Reference are required

    Additional Reference Details

    You are responsible for securing letters of recommendation from persons who are qualified to write about your potential for success at SAIC. If you are currently a student or are a recent graduate, we recommend you request letters of recommendation from current or former instructors.

    Letters of recommendation should be submitted electronically via the References section of the application form. In this section you will be asked to provide an email address for each of your references. Once you click "send request," an email will be sent from SlideRoom to your references with instructions on how to submit their recommendations online.

    If your references are unable to provide an online recommendation please contact the Graduate Admissions office at gradmiss@saic.edu.

  • A current résumé is required.

    A resume is required for all graduate programs. Upload your résumé to the Attachments section in your E-Portfolio.

  • Submit a sample of your critical writing, up to 2,000 words in length. This can be either an essay assignment from a previous course of study, a well-considered response to hot topics in the field, an excerpt from a longer research paper, or a recently published article. Text documents must be in .pdf format (up to 10MB each).

    Applicants are required to submit an E-Portfolio, though the content varies by department. Please visit your individual program of interest to find details. You must submit a separate E-Portfolio for each program or studio department to which you apply. After you pay the application fee and submit the application form, an E-Portfolio for each of the programs you selected in the application form will automatically appear in your SlideRoom dashboard.

    Submission specifications:

    • Images: .jpg, .gif, .pdf (up to 5 MB each)
    • Videos: .flv, .wv, .mov (up to 60 MB each)
    • Audio: .mp3 (up to 10 MB each)
    • Text documents: MUST be in .pdf format (up to 10 MB each)

  • TOEFL: 100 
    IELTS: 7
    DUOLINGO: 120

    International applicants are required to submit evidence of English language proficiency. You are waived from this requirement if you meet any of the following conditions:

    • Your native language is English
    • You have an undergraduate degree conferred by a U.S. accredited university
    • You have an undergraduate degree conferred by a university whose primary language of instruction is English

    If you do not meet one of these conditions, you must submit official English language proficiency test scores. You are strongly encouraged to schedule a language proficiency test appointment as early as possible in order to receive official test scores prior to the application deadline.

    SAIC accepts official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), and Duolingo. The TOEFL Institution Code for SAIC is 1713. Please upload an unofficial copy of your test score results to the International Requirements section of the application form.

  • The department conducts interviews by invitation only. Applicants who pass the preliminary review will be invited to schedule an interview in Mid-February. Notification will be sent by late January. For students at a distance or unable to travel, interviews may be conducted remotely.

MA Arts Administration

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”.  

Curriculum Overview

Critical and Cultural Policy Studies

9

  • ARTSAD 5005 Activating Arts Admin.: Key Frameworks (3)
  • ARTSAD 6018 Spheres of Cultural Valuation (3)

Choose either:

  • ARTSAD 5505 Law, Politics, & the Arts (3)
    or ARTSAD 5510 Topics in Digital Arts Administration (3)

 

Management Studies

15

  • ARTSAD 5100 ProSeminar: Leadership Talks (3)
  • ARTSAD 5054 Management Studio I (3)
  • ARTSAD 5055 Management Studio II (3)
  • ARTSAD 5017 Financial Management (3)
  • ARTSAD 6040 Communicating for Cultural Change (3)

 

Research and Professional Practice

6

  • ARTSAD 5200 Research Studio (3)
  • ARTSAD 6095 Thesis (3)

 

Electives

12

Completion of thesis

 

Total Credit Hours

42

Degree requirements and specifications

  1. Completion schedule: Students have a maximum of four years to complete the degree. This includes time off for leaves of absence. Thesis in Progress: Students who have not submitted a finished thesis for review and approval by the end of the final semester of enrollment are given a Thesis in Progress grade (IP). All students with a Thesis in Progress grade (IP) will be charged the Thesis in Progress Fee in each subsequent full semester until the thesis is completed and approved and the grade is changed to Credit (CR). If the statute of limitations is reached without an approved thesis, the grade will be changed to No Credit (NCR).
  2. Internships: Students without solid professional experience are strongly encouraged to do internship placements, whether for credit or not. AAP Department faculty are available to advise and assist in identifying and securing placements.
  3. Transfer credits: A minimum of 36 credit hours must be completed in residence at SAIC. Up to six transfer credits may be requested at the time of application for admission and are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credit will be permitted after a student is admitted.
  4. Curriculum: The program requires 42 credit hours.
  5. Enrollment: Nine credit hours constitutes full-time enrollment, although as many as 15 credit hours may be earned in any semester. Two semesters of full-time status are required of all students when they begin the program; thereafter a minimum of 6 credit hours per semester are required for continued enrollment in the program.
  6. Full-time Status Minimum Requirement: 9 credit hours.

Courses

Title Catalog Instructor Schedule

Description

This course will focus on theoretical and practical aspects of exhibition design, including construction aesthetics, community engagement, and the politics of display. Topics covered range from lighting and human perception to voice and authority in museum labels. These issues will be explored via individual site visits to established and alternative exhibit spaces, where students will critique current installations, as permitted by Covid restrictions. Guest speakers from major museums will supplement class lectures and discussions. We will adopt a critical stance in exploring the relationship between people, objects, and space in this environment.

Class Number

1087

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Area of Study

Exhibition and Curatorial Studies

Location

Lakeview - 1428

Description

Curating today is a dynamic, many-facetted activity with open boundaries: artists, writers, historians, editors, event-, festival- and symposium organizers generate projects, configure actors and move objects across platforms. This course will trace pathways through the many options contemporary art worlds hold. It will explore curatorial rationales, outcomes and support materials by parsing examples through images, readings and site visits. Students are encouraged to develop curatorial prototypes. Both playful experimentation and the framing of more formal proposals will be supported.

Class Number

1083

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Area of Study

Museum Studies, Exhibition and Curatorial Studies

Location

Lakeview - 206

Description

This course is a field trip focused survey of different Chicago artist studios. We will meet with a diverse selection of makers working in a myriad of studio scenarios to learn how they are able top put it all together. to compliment our findings students will create an off campus studio and start producing work in that space. Students are encouraged to consider studio rituals, altered tools/equipment, supportive collections and physical location when building their spaces. The course includes text discussions and one on one studio visits between students to help nurture a full understanding of the studio as a site of development as well as production. In this class students will work to build an off campus studio to make work in and host a studio visit with a peer.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: 2900 course

Class Number

1822

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Area of Study

Books and Publishing

Location

Lakeview - 1428

Description

This seminar introduces and develops professional practices for students pursuing a freelance career in comics, illustration, animation, or the like. By creating promotional material, portfolios, contracts, and invoices, students learn how to market themselves as freelance artists. In tandem with learning the ins and outs of industry standards, they have access to insight and advice from a variety of guest speakers whose careers and professional paths have paved the way for future creators. Readings will vary but typically include 'The Freelancer's Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Have the Career of Your Dreams- On Your Terms' by Sara Horowitz, 'The Graphic Artist Guild Pricing and Ethical Guidelines Handbook,' and 'Burn Your Portfolio' by Michael Janda. Students will create, revise, workshop, and submit a variety of professional documents that culminate in a compendium over the course of the semester. These are all documents that will prove to be necessary for a freelancing career. There will be weekly responses to readings, and rotating guest speakers to provide in-sight on their professional journeys.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: 2900 course

Class Number

1820

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Area of Study

Comics and Graphic Novels, Books and Publishing

Location

MacLean 816

Description

This course frankly addresses a critical and underserved niche in professional development?the necessity for young women of color to be able to self-direct their goals, and fully achieve those goals, regardless of environment. Subverting marginalization while growing a career and visioning oneself as a leader, without silencing yourself or burning out, remains a challenging reality for so many women of color. This is an experience many encounter early on, but which can be reframed so that the education and career processes do not point toward assimilation, or invisibility, or the anxiety of always being on guard. These concerns about combatting marginalization, which are shared among Latinx, Black American, Asian American, and international students at SAIC, have been brought privately to trusted faculty here and at art schools nationwide. In this class, we will work together to develop strategies for conquering these issues. Course work will include readings from authors such as the following: Jhumpa Lahiri, bell hooks, Ifeona Fulani, Lisa Jones, Hettie Jones, Ana Castillo, Nicola Yoon, Suheir Hammad, Staceyann Chin, Erika L. Sanchez, Suzan-Lori Parks, Zadie Smith, ZZ Packer, Melba Pattillo Beals, Yuri Kochiyama, Deepa Mehta, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Barry Jenkins, Jon Chu, Caryl Phillips. Each student will produce a memoir as a key element of this class, responding to the readings and analyzing their own experiences as well as senior colleagues,? continuing to develop and trust their voice. In addition to the memoir, each student will produce and develop an individual arts leadership project, or deepening of a specific skill set; and will work with classmates on a publication or resource that documents the group?s conversations with invited guests.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: 2900 course

Class Number

1821

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Area of Study

Community and Social Engagement, Gender and Sexuality

Location

MacLean 111

Description

This course is a multidisciplinary seminar that will present strategies for developing and sustaining your own studio practice and help prepare you for life after art school. It will provide practical instruction in getting started on and succeeding with your career after graduation and help you gain a critical understanding of your own artwork or creative endeavor and it's relationship to the larger cultural moment. The student will have the opportunity to create a cohesive body of work or curatorial project specific to each individual student's interest. Additionally, we will examine art historical precedents, contemporary ideas and practices in the art world, and the role of the artist in contemporary culture. The textbook for the class is Art/Work-Everything You Need to Know (and Do) as you Pursue your Art Career, Heather Darcy Bhandari and Jonathan Melber, in addition to readings from current sources, such as Artforum, Art News, New York Times, etc. The student will propose a project that he or she will complete over the course of the semester (which can include preparation for the BFA Exhibition.)The class will include readings and discussions, individual presentations, writing an artist's statement, resume, and cover letter, press release and exhibition announcements, project proposal, and discussions with visiting artists and curators, gallery and museum visits, and class critiques. We will explore graduate school considerations, traditional and alternative strategies for exhibiting and self-promotion, developing an online presence, creating a support system and community, and earning a living as an artist. You will be also presenting your endeavors through at least one PowerPoint presentation.

Prerequisites

Open to students at Junior level and above.

Class Number

1080

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Location

MacLean 111

Description

This course prepares students to start and manage arts businesses or organizations - whether it be concerning a for-profit or non-profit so that students can see the similarities and differences between the two types of organizations which comprise the field of arts administration. The course surveys the entrepreneurial practices of the for-profit sector as well as the mission-driven operations of the nonprofit sector. Skill Sets Learned include: how to choose the correct legal entity; staff management: interviewing, hiring, and directing; understanding Marketing strategy using the 5Ps approach (Product, Price, Packaging, Promotion, and Place); basic awareness of Accounting and Financial Records; knowledge of the basics of Contracts and Intellectual Property so as to protect their creative work; familiarity with the basic principles of Economics that affect their business; potential sources of business loans and investors; selecting appropriate Business Insurance; and Business Ethics. Students write a brief business plan so as to understand of the components and activities that are relevant to a plan. Additionally there is an assignment for a manager?s perspective for a business start up and another for a marketing plan. Course includes 2 written exams in which the student is hired as a business consultant to advise a new business. Also, there are several in-class activities to enhance student?s working knowledge of various business concepts.

Prerequisites

Open to students at Junior level and above.

Class Number

2352

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Area of Study

Product Design

Location

MacLean 816

Description

In light of the Supreme Court's latest decision on copyright, ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, INC. v. GOLDSMITH ET AL. (2023) the doctrine of fair use within artistic practice is being curtailed. This course will tackle copyright and fair use issues that arise in the context of making and exhibiting all types of art, including artwork derived from virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, bio-art, but also music and fashion. It will address questions such as: what ownership rights does a creative hold in their artwork or products? When is it okay to appropriate and reutilize other's work? What does originality mean in this context? Specific attention will be devoted to the role of digital platforms in enabling the exhibition and transmission of artwork. Students will be introduced to an overview of U.S. and international laws, and will be asked to apply legal principles to case studies. The course will also address policy issues relating to the tensions between content producers, right holders, and the protection of free speech. More generally the course will address the impact that technology has in an increasingly global art world and the implications that this has for the future direction of art creation and collecting.

Class Number

1090

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Area of Study

Art and Science, Books and Publishing, Social Media and the Web

Location

MacLean 501

Description

This course explores the field of contemporary art and its dynamic market. Money combines with other forms of capital as an engine at the heart of an expansive and globally-networked art world. From the sacred" spaces of the museum or studio to the "profane" realms of commercial galleries, auction houses and fairs, we will learn how competing logics of culture and markets coalesce. Drawing on a variety of readings, as well as field trips, guest lectures and case studies, we will examine the inter-related actors, institutions, and behaviors that drive and, sometimes, destabilize the art world's economic activity. This is an ecosystem of artists, dealers, advisors, collectors, activists, auction houses, museums, fairs, biennials, and commercial galleries. Through these introductions, we will better understand how different forms of capital�social, cultural, and financial�are prerequisites to influence and power in an art market that is at once an economy of information and objects. With a focus on the present, but in the context of the last half century, readings will include texts from the point of view of economists, sociologists, artists, curators, critics, and historians. Students can expect to perform case studies on artists, particularly those who have achieved significant market success. Course work will vary, but typically include weekly reading responses, case studies, class presentations, and a final project or paper."

Class Number

1839

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Location

Lakeview - 202

Description

The administration of art and culture is one that operates through institutional pathways towards aesthetic creativity and colelctive ways of life. The administrator, in the role of artistic director, creative lead, or cultural project manager, bridges these registers. It is therefore within these different roles between artists and administrators that we encounter an opportunity to test and experiment with different practices. Ranging from topics such as project budgeting, documentation, and planning to creative influence, relationship management, and conceptual translations, this course teaches practical skills while exploring how they might be framed by critical policy conversations and artistic practice. This course will draw on individual projects that have been previously developed and executed as case studies. We will observe readings that inform cultural funding models, like the NEA, through an approach that considers who these processes have historically developed. Students will be exposed to design thinking, project management, current cultural policy (US); urban cultural plans, contemporary commentary on within the current economy, fundraising, and programming models. Students will begin the process of grant writing, communication strategies, and evaluation metrics. Course work will vary but typically will include weekly readings, and a gradual build of a semester-long project. This will include the development of a project plan, a budget, and working timeline.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: 3900 course

Class Number

1819

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Area of Study

Economic Inequality & Class, Community & Social Engagement, Art/Design and Politics

Location

MacLean 518

Description

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.

Prerequisites

You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration & Policy student to enroll in this course, or by instructor consent.

Class Number

1078

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Area of Study

Exhibition and Curatorial Studies

Location

MacLean 919

Description

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.

Prerequisites

You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration & Policy student to enroll in this course, or by instructor consent.

Class Number

1079

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Area of Study

Exhibition and Curatorial Studies

Location

MacLean 919

Description

The Management Studio is a space in which to explore 21st century leadership and management though a practice based investigation of contemporary organizational, project, and leadership models with an eye toward designing frameworks for the future. In addition to investigating so-called traditional management models, students will engage with current cultural management/leadership theory and practice around sustainability, networks, leadership, collaboration, equity, engagement, and governance, as well as emergent models for supporting innovation, creativity, and adaptation. A distinguishing element of this course is the project-based learning environment. Management Studio integrates skill-building projects into the course work for the purpose of practicing and developing individual and group strategies. The projects in the studio are developed with external and internal partners and engage a broad set of skill building opportunities. Students select projects based on interest and personal development trajectories. The premise of this course is that participants will be active leaders in shaping the future of cultural/arts management. As such, the course invites broad and active participation and preparation for every class meeting. As a ?hands on? examination of management practice and theory, students are urged to critically engage with the material and to participate in class discussions, projects, presentations and debates. Each student will work on an ongoing project in addition to class preparation to include reading, discussion and presentation. Class will generally be divided into two sections. The first section will include discussion and/or presentations of readings and assignments. The second section will include project report outs and project work/discussion.

Prerequisites

You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration & Policy student to enroll in this course, or by instructor consent.

Class Number

1081

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Location

MacLean 1501

Description

The Management Studio is a space in which to explore 21st century leadership and management though a practice based investigation of contemporary organizational, project, and leadership models with an eye toward designing frameworks for the future. In addition to investigating so-called traditional management models, students will engage with current cultural management/leadership theory and practice around sustainability, networks, leadership, collaboration, equity, engagement, and governance, as well as emergent models for supporting innovation, creativity, and adaptation. A distinguishing element of this course is the project-based learning environment. Management Studio integrates skill-building projects into the course work for the purpose of practicing and developing individual and group strategies. The projects in the studio are developed with external and internal partners and engage a broad set of skill building opportunities. Students select projects based on interest and personal development trajectories. The premise of this course is that participants will be active leaders in shaping the future of cultural/arts management. As such, the course invites broad and active participation and preparation for every class meeting. As a ?hands on? examination of management practice and theory, students are urged to critically engage with the material and to participate in class discussions, projects, presentations and debates. Each student will work on an ongoing project in addition to class preparation to include reading, discussion and presentation. Class will generally be divided into two sections. The first section will include discussion and/or presentations of readings and assignments. The second section will include project report outs and project work/discussion.

Prerequisites

You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration & Policy student to enroll in this course, or by instructor consent.

Class Number

1082

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Location

MacLean 1501

Description

The ProSeminar program converges the complex narratives of policy, theory, and artistic and management practice through a series of guest talks and discussions. Guests invited for each semester program engage a broad set of practices which intersect with cultural resources and how they are articulated, (re)presented, sustained, accessed, used, and supported. A distinguishing characteristic of many of the Fall semester guests is their leadership in advancing both discourse and action in their field by navigating complex and often inert systems and power structures to instigate and produce new ideas; and by affecting behaviors and systems critical to the future. The ProSeminar program converges the complex narratives of policy, theory, and artistic and management practice through a series of guest talks and discussions. Guests invited for each semester program engage a broad set of practices which intersect with cultural resources and how they are articulated, (re)presented, sustained, accessed, used, and supported. A distinguishing characteristic of many of the Fall semester guests is their leadership in advancing both discourse and action in their field by navigating complex and often inert systems and power structures to instigate and produce new ideas; and by affecting behaviors and systems critical to the future. This course seeks to be more than the sum of its parts--an environment where new ideas can emerge and develop. Broad participation and active listening are essential. Students are expected to read guest biographies and materials advanced by guest speakers before class, and to be prepared to participate in discussions. All materials will be made available in advance of class meetings. Following each lecture, each student will be required to write and submit a critical reflection on the knowledge, ideas and stories presented by the guest speaker. This exercise should include reflections on the presentation and should be at least two to three paragraphs of critical writing. Following the guest presentation, there will be a facilitated discussion with the entire class. The time allotted for this may vary from class to class, specifically as it pertains to off-site visits.

Prerequisites

You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration & Policy student to enroll in this course, or by instructor consent.

Class Number

1085

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Location

MacLean 620

Description

Research Studio is designed to provide students with the skills and support necessary to generate research questions, organize conceptual frameworks, critically evaluate research methodologies and construct research design, to generate viable thesis proposals in advance of completing a Master of Arts Administration and Policy thesis. This will be accomplished through readings, lecture, discussion and workshopping activities, in conjunction with individual advising opportunities. Students will develop a research proposal of their own design, with the option to focus on preparing a proposal for a project or paper thesis. The overall concern is that students develop thesis proposals which promise to yield timely research of value to the field. Prerequisite: You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration or Dual Degree student to enroll in this course, or by instructor consent.

Prerequisites

You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration & Policy student to enroll in this course, or by instructor consent.

Class Number

1088

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Location

Lakeview - 1004

Description

This course we will focus on achieving skills to develop a wide range of contemporary art consulting practices. Students will be exposed to an overview of the consulting industry, as well as the specifics of arts consulting. Topics will include setting up a business, budgeting, client analysis, leadership, buying art for individuals, corporations and foundations, artists' commissions, facility planning, and artist advocacy. This course is intended to provide opportunities for students to gain proficiencies in the variety of skills required to practice art consulting. Readings typically include one textbook on Consulting, partial readings from an Arts Consulting book, and viewing YouTube and online articles. The class format will be a combination of lectures, guest speakers, and a full class of leadership activities. Students will produce three assignments ? one choosing a work of art for a hypothetical collector following a trip to EXPO Chicago, another choosing works of art for a collector following a tour of a Chicago Collector?s home, and finally, the development of an art program project for a hypothetical client, such as a corporation, private collection, or law office. The goal of this class is to provide students with an understanding of entrepreneurship.

Class Number

1086

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Area of Study

Exhibition and Curatorial Studies

Location

MacLean 501

Description

Arts leaders affect cultural change not through their vision alone, but in their ability to mobilize stakeholders. Similarly, effective arts communicators do more than express their ideas. They consider who is reading or listening and understand they must create value for their audiences, to change the perception of an institution, a policy, an artist or a work, and to move people to action. This course prepares students to be effective arts communicators. This course prepares students to become successful communicators, both in the academy and the arts and culture workplace. They will learn to write and speak to groups by locating and addressing the problems their audiences care about. Participants also will analyze the textual features of arts writing in various forms, inspecting the language and stylistic conventions that reflect the core values of a discourse community of writers and readers. Through readings, writing assignments, presentations and workshops, students will develop a portfolio of writing samples, gain public speaking experience, and become critically aware of their own communications processes and strategies.

Prerequisites

You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration & Policy student to enroll in this course, or by instructor consent.

Class Number

1840

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Area of Study

Digital Communication, Community and Social Engagement, Social Media and the Web

Location

Lakeview - 203

Description

Arts leaders affect cultural change not through their vision alone, but in their ability to mobilize stakeholders. Similarly, effective arts communicators do more than express their ideas. They consider who is reading or listening and understand they must create value for their audiences, to change the perception of an institution, a policy, an artist or a work, and to move people to action. This course prepares students to be effective arts communicators. This course prepares students to become successful communicators, both in the academy and the arts and culture workplace. They will learn to write and speak to groups by locating and addressing the problems their audiences care about. Participants also will analyze the textual features of arts writing in various forms, inspecting the language and stylistic conventions that reflect the core values of a discourse community of writers and readers. Through readings, writing assignments, presentations and workshops, students will develop a portfolio of writing samples, gain public speaking experience, and become critically aware of their own communications processes and strategies.

Prerequisites

You must be a Master of Arts in Arts Administration & Policy student to enroll in this course, or by instructor consent.

Class Number

2087

Credits

3

Department

Arts Administration and Policy

Area of Study

Digital Communication, Community and Social Engagement, Social Media and the Web

Location

Lakeview - 203

Take the Next Step

Visit the graduate admissions website or contact the graduate admissions office at 312.629.6100, 800.232.7242 or gradmiss@saic.edu.

Arts Admin students listening to instructor in gallery space while looking at large, brightly colored tiles on floor.

MA Arts Administration & Policy Program Brochure

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