A wide shot of a ceramics studio, featuring students working with pottery wheels and other tools.
SAIC faculty member Adama Ka, a person with medium dark skin tone, dark hair, and glasses, sitting in a chair.

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Adama Ka

Lecturer

Contact

Bio

Adama Ka (she/her) is a Chicago-based arts consultant, educator, and former investment banker working at the intersection of art, finance, and cultural policy. She is the founder of Artenim Consulting, a boutique advisory firm advancing art-driven strategies for businesses, governments, and cultural institutions.

Her teaching emphasizes the connection between theory and practice, fostering financial literacy, strategic thinking, and entrepreneurial skills among creatives to help them build sustainable professional paths. She has developed staff training programs for the Museum of Black Civilizations in Dakar and curated exhibitions for the Dakar Biennale, spotlighting emerging African and diasporic artists.

Before founding Artenim, Adama held senior positions in Paris and Luxembourg with the Royal Bank of Canada, RBS International, and Deloitte Consulting; she began her career at the World Bank. She serves on the Programming Committee of the Arts Club of Chicago.

She holds an MA in Arts Administration and Policy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, an MA in International Business from Rennes School of Business in France, and a Diploma in Economics from the Sorbonne University in Paris.

Courses

Title Department Catalog Term

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.

Class Number

2453

Credits

3