In this inspiring keynote presentation, Aaron Dworkin shares his personal story which informed his life of social entrepreneurship including his founding of the Sphinx Organization, whose mission is to transform lives through the power of diversity in the arts. He will delve into the important role that diversity, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship play in society, as well as their associated value and impact in education.

Presenter: Aaron Dworkin, Founder, The Sphinx Organization

Arts organizations do not exist for very long without effective financial management and financial support from various external sources. But there is a deeper issue that is pertinent to the training of arts administrators at the graduate level and it is this: if finances and financial administration is the bedrock foundation of an arts organization, how pertinent is the personal financial literacy of those in charge of the organization?

Presenter: Eugene Marlow, Ph.D., Professor, Baruch College

During the outbreak, as the offline physical cultural industries are in a state of temporary closure, new forms and new models have emerged in the online digital cultural industry, which will have a far-reaching impact on both inside and outside of the industry. Social media, characterized by real-time release, mutual attention and sharing, constructs an "interactive field" for information dissemination.

Presenter: Xiaolu Cai, Ph.D., Lecturer, School of Cultural Industries Management of Communication, University of China

Through analysis of over two dozen individual and group interviews and a trove of archival documents, this paper elucidates my understanding of the opportunities and tensions that framed Lincoln Center’s formative years in education, revealing points of resonance and dissonance with my experience shaping a new initiative. Our shared meaning-making addresses issues of assessment, sustainability, and racial and class disparities, as well as provides recommendations around best practices in the field of arts education administration.

Presenter: Melissa Gawlowski Pratt, Assistant Director, School Programs at Lincoln Center Education

Research literacy remains an underdeveloped skill for many arts managers. Nonetheless, research drives every aspect of their work. Whether you’ve taken (or taught) courses in research methods or are a research newbie, you’ll benefit from this presentation’s approach to research literacy through key skills including being wary of big data, the importance of research tool criticism, the myth of research neutrality, problems with data visualization, and more.

Presenter: Dr. Constance DeVereaux, Director & Associate Professor, Arts Leadership & Cultural Management, University of Connecticut

I articulate a sequence of epistemological inquiries for arts management students to use to frame solid responses to management challenges. I argue that four different dimensions of management knowledge are embodied in management teaching and should be recognized independently with their own learning outcomes and appropriate pedagogies.

Presenter: Roland Kushner, Associate Professor of Business, Muhlenberg College

After a brief overview, the session highlights the considerations of program directors and academics when designing and implementing capstones. In the second half of the session, attendees will break into small groups to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their capstones and panelists will lead a discussion on the best steps forward.

Presenters: Teresa A. Gregory, Associate Professor, Point Park University, Daniel Green, Director, Master of Entertainment Industry Management, Carnegie Mellon University, Joshua Stavros, Associate Director of Arts Administration, Southern Utah University

This communication presents immersive pedagogy in arts management as an experiential and transformational learning path for student success. It presents the case of a Master's program in France, implementing this kind of pedagogy in a systematic way, with different types of pedagogical actions: 1. A general contextual approach 2. In situ courses 3. Personal and professional development through creative techniques, 5. Real arts organizations cases 6. Co-working with students in arts 5. Active social networks integrated into the pedagogy.

Presenter: Anne Gombault, Director, Creative Industries Culture, Arts & Creative Industries, KEDGE Business School

This research article takes the pedagogical action research approach to study the process of a mentored undergraduate research on the Chinese contemporary art market. this article argues that mentored undergraduate research on arts administration topics in minority communities or international contexts enhances students’ metaskills. The mentored research process guides students to learn from the discomfort of conducting academic research in another culture and experiencing the messy process of knowledge creation.

Presenters: Wen Guo, Assistant Professor, Elon University and James Reardon, Student, Elon University

This presentation will share the framework for the Creativity that Works (CTW) initiative developed by the School of the Arts (SOA) at Converse College. Our goals include (1) incorporating critical thinking and creative expression in all areas of study, (2) providing external educational experiences that enrich the overall learning process, and (3) providing training in career management.

Presenter: Mary Carlisle, Converse College

The presentation aims to present a model of how cultural entrepreneurship is a good tool for the development of the final MA final thesis project in order to improve the professional skills of students, a unique case in Spain.

Presenter: Santiago Arroyo, Program Academic Manager, Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes / Universidad Miguel Hernández (Spain)

This session aims to explore the pipelines through which we have all navigated to arrive at our current positions, examining privilege, power, barriers to access, levers for change, and reinforcing feedback loops, all of which inform how equity is positioned and fostered within the sector.

Presenters: Hanako Brais, MA, Research & Programming Assistant, Arts Connection International,Marian Taylor Brown, Ph.D., EdM, Founder, Arts Connect International, Allegra Fletcher, EdM, Executive Director, Arts Connect International

Which came first: the arts or the boom? Through the lens of Seattle’s rapid economic growth and cultural evolution, Seattle University MFA candidate Danielle McClune explores the effect of civic incentives on the arts and the critical need for arts educators to instill a sense of artistic citizenship in the next generation of leaders.

Presenter: Danielle McClune, MFA Candidate, Seattle University

This paper assesses the impact a practicum model has had in career development for alumni of a BA in Modern Languages and Cultural Management. The research questions address both the experience provided to students by the practicum itself and the effect that the inclusion of such experiences in their résumés had when seeking employment. Additionally, it examines the experiences of current students in their final semester since the practicum model has been restructured.

Presenter: Michelle Brener, Professor, Universidad Anáhuac México

Legal errors can mean the difference between organizational life and death. If available at all, is the traditional “legal issues” class really helpful? Let’s think differently about preparing arts administration students to manage legal issues. The end-game is not for arts managers to be their own lawyers; it’s for them to recognize when it’s time to consult a qualified attorney. This session will propose incorporating the development of that practical skill, into students’ existing coursework.

Presenter: Elizabeth Russell, Attorney, Law Office of Elizabeth T. Russell

This session will focus on the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), a leader in enabling scholarship and insights for bolstering the lives and careers of arts graduates.

Presenters: Sally Gaskill, Consulting Diretor, SNAAP, Jennifer Novak-Leonard, Faculty Director, MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises, Northwestern University, Rachel Skaggs, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Arts Management, The Ohio State University, Amy Whitaker, Assistant Professor, Visual Arts Administration, NYU & SNAAP Fellow

This session will share tips and tools for taking your class to the next level using podcasts, which is a tangible way to rethink student learning outcomes, expand access to knowledge for people who are differently-abled, and helps us re-imagine the future of knowledge objects and public scholarship.

Presenters: Dr. Xela Batchelder, Assistant Professor of Business Admin, Program Director of Arts Management,Waynesburg University, Dr. Brett Ashley Crawford, Associate Teaching Professor/Faculty Chair, Carnegie Mellon University, Brenda Lee Johnston, Assistant Professor/Department Chair, Arts Administration, Butler University, Thomas Karr, Head, Theatre Management & Arts Administration, Wayne State University, Dr. AMy-Shimshon-Santo, Associate Professor & Director, Claremont Graduate University

This session speaks to the dilemma experienced by those struggling with career decisions involving whether to work in the industry using their analytical abilities, or to work as a creative, or to do both. The session also explores the potential for maximizing arts resources through a Career Duality approach.

Presenter: Cheryl Carr, J.D., Associate Dean & Associate Professor, Belmont University

The author offers a critical approach to the current financial structures of nonprofit arts organizations and encourages arts leaders and educators to consider Social Entrepreneurship as a more sustainable and socially impactful business model for arts organizations. This theoretical and conceptual paper presents an emancipatory interest through the likes of critical social science and encourages the reconsideration of the meaning of the arts and the leveraging of their existence for tangible social good.

Presenter: Tom Abruzzo, The Nonprofit Institute and Davis Shakespeare Festival

The research I undertook explores the possible use of segmentation by non-profit boutique opera companies in their public relations activities. Using a qualitative methodology, I conducted a field study with non-profit boutique opera companies located in Toronto. Drawing from the findings I present an overview analysis and outline potential administrative and audience-building strategies for non-profit boutique opera companies

Presenter: Dr. Christina R. Haldane, Assistant Professor, Dalhousie University

Are you creating a new internship program and struggling with where to begin? Maybe you’re hoping to update a current internship program to make it more efficient and effective. Join us to learn the key elements that make up a structured internship program and how to implement them successfully for a program that will stand the test of time.

Presenter: Cate Bechtold, Director, Internships and Community Programs, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts

- What do we think are the opportunities afforded by going digital?

- What do we think that we can achieve better in a digital environment that we didn’t think about when teaching face-to-face?

- Is there a useful mix of pedagogies here that is of benefit to learning and teaching communities?

- What are the challenges and the main issues at stake in the transition to digital?

- How must we adapt our teaching expectations and learning outcomes for the potential impact on the broader cultural arts landscape?

The ENCATC/AAAE Global Conversations session will seek to examine these issues via moderated Town Hall discussion.

Annual AAAE Membership Meeting

Boards of directors play a central and integral role in the performance of any arts organization. Each member brings their own experience, lens and expertise to the table. However, not every board member is created equally. Some members of elite boards serve to retain or attain social status, while others’ main motivation is one of sustainability, diversity or corporate responsibility. Regardless of this, it is essential for arts organizations to have the right mix of board members to ensure harmony, synergy and institution performance.

Presenter: Karl Scshwonik, Associate Dean, Medicine Hat College

The complexities of today’s arts workplace require a nuanced approach, and our students need to be prepared to respond to challenges both effectively and empathetically. Role playing and simulations can aid students to be better able to “think on their feet” and learn to be adept at solving problems in real time. Importantly, role playing provides students with hands-on “real world” experience in a safe environment: the classroom.

Presenters: Dr. Ursula M. Kuar, Lecturer, Arts Administration, Indiana University, Amanda Nelson, Associate Professor, Theatre, and Director, Arts Leadership, Virginia Tech, and Rachel Parker, Director, Arts Administration, Southern Utah University

This session explores the interlocking elements that brought down the company, and their enduring relevance to all kinds of nonprofits, including its history, business model, vision/mission, management, governance, and fiscal irresponsibility. It also looks at how other opera companies tackled some of the same environmental challenges.

Presenter: Heidi Waleson, Opera Critic, the Wall Street Journal

This study, as part of a Master’s thesis requirement, was conducted and designed to gain an understanding of how much arts administration students at The University of Akron learn during their internship experience.

Presenters: Mary Finnerty, Assistant Manager, Development Systems & Database at The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, and Chris Hariasz, Technical Director, Senior Lecturer, Arts Administration, University of Akron

In this paper, we offer that our on-going, collaborative partnership among university, arts organization, and K-12 students has created a praxis not only between theory and practice but also among practitioner, researcher, and student. Specifically, we address 1) How does program design and implementation shift (both in limitations and in opportunities) in a Culturally Responsive and Collaborative Evaluation iterative process?; and 2) How did we negotiate our changing roles as both expert and student throughout the process?

Presenters: Bridget Kiger Lee, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburg, and Ressa Raden, Program Director, the Dramatists Guild Foundation of New York City

Key findings from current practitioners and students will be presented regarding concerns and interests in emergency preparedness, in addition to crisis readiness resources and recent national developments. Questions concerning ideal learning outcomes, the inclusion of crisis management skills in curricula standards, and short-and-long-term awareness strategies will be discussed in an open forum between presenters and attendees.

Presenters: Tom Clareson, Project Director, Performing Arts Readiness Project, Leah Hamilton, Arts Consultant & Instructor, University of Kentucky, Janet Newcomb, Executive Director, National Coalition for Arts' Preparedness and Emergency Response

The Arts Ecosystem Research Project has brought together arts management graduate students with over one hundred community practitioners in the first two years of a multi-year applied research initiative to gather, document, and analyze fifty years of the Seattle region’s arts and culture history. Close collaboration with the University’s Library and a highly-respected diverse group of Community Advisors led to the development of a rigorous curriculum and the creation of a publicly-focused digital timeline and website linked to a permanent repository for student research.

Presenters: Claudia Bach, Founder, AdvisArts & Lecturer, Seattle University, and Felipe Anaya, Coordinator, Service Design and Assessment, Seattle University

During this interactive session, participants will take part in an interactive game, fishbowl discussion, and a Q&A session with current students and recent alumni of arts admin programs to discover what real-world skills students need to succeed. We will explore topics such as resume building, networking, job searching, equity/diversity/inclusion and how these directly relate to the arts administration field.

Presenters:Lorie Caval, President, Weissman School of Arts and Sciences Graduate Arts Administration Network (GAAN), Jacque Donaldson, NY Chapter Founder, Young Professionals in the Arts, Anastasia Gudko, Inaugural Leader at Baruch Alumni in the Arts Network Freelance Project Manager and Event Producer,Sarah Kearns, Baruch College, GAAN, Mitchell-lee van Rooij, International Graduate Student, and Mara Vlatković, NY Chapter Founder, Young Professionals in the Arts

The session includes a presentation introducing the development of open source materials for an undergraduate introductory arts administration course. The presentation will provide a process for creating open source materials, a survey of current textbook resources, pedagogical advantages of open source materials, and technology used to create dynamic presentations of materials.

Presenter: Dr. Winter Phong, Director & Assistant Professor of Arts Administration, Oklahoma State University

This session explores the relationship between climate disruption, social justice, international relationships, and intercultural competence and how arts management programs can, and should, prepare and inspire students to use their roles as arts presenters and community conveners to be responsive to opportunities and make positive change. In this interactive session, participants will identify the most relevant issues facing students, and discover and highlight current philosophies and arts strategies being applied to address them in the U.S. and Europe. The session concludes with shared action steps such as creating a transatlantic toolbox to share best practices or hold ongoing dialogue.

Presenters: Dee Boyle Clapp, Director, UMass Amherst Arts Extension Service

In this presentation, SMU DataArts will introduce resources and discuss practical field applications of data-driven approaches to measuring the demographics of audiences and workforces. Session attendees will also discuss strategies employed by arts organizations who are undertaking this work.

Presenter: Daniel Fonner, Associate Director of Research, SMU DataArts

This research relies on phenomenology to produce qualitative data reflecting the educational, managerial experiences of arts management alumnae to determine how higher arts management education impacts women’s professional and voluntary leadership in arts nonprofits. It then applies the recommendations of alumnae to examine current curriculum of arts management programs.

Presenters: Julia Baca, Graduating Student, Southern Methodist University, B. Kathleen Gallagher, Assistant Professor, Southern Methodist University

Intangible Cultural heritage (hereinafter referred to as ICH) is defined as the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.

Presenter: Yang Hong, Department Head, Arts Management, Cultural Industries Management, Communication University of China

This paper assesses the key patterns, themes and trends in the discipline in the context of HE in the United Kingdom – what are the factors shaping arts management in the UK? What are the relationships between arts management and other fields and what modes of interdisciplinarity does it engage with? How is this affecting our field?

Presenter: Dr. Ana Gaio, Centre for Culture and the Creative Industries, University of London

This roundtable brainstorming session, co-facilitated by AAAE board members Diane Claussen and Kevin Maifeld, is designed to consider organizational frameworks and business structures for an AAAE arts management consulting group. The session features networking and resource sharing as well as participation in the co-creation of a potential new arts management consulting practice model and a new revenue stream to support AAAE’s programming and growth to support the arts management field.

Presenters: Diane Claussen, Head of Theatre Management, The Theatre School at DePaul University, and Kevin Maifeld, Director, Arts Leadership, Seattle University

This National Endowment for the Arts awarded the M.A. in Gallery & Museum Management at Western Colorado University a Research: Art Works grant in 2019 to produce a report on the US Art & Design Market. The report is intended to make innovative use of US government tax and labor statistics data to provide insights for all 50 states and District of Columbia for 21 occupations and 14 industries which make up the art market.

Presenter: Jeffrey Taylor, Director of MA in Gallery & Museum Management, Western Colorado University

This interactive discussion and teaching demonstration is designed to provide educators and nonprofit leaders with interactive tools and experiences that will help them to make their students and staffs more sensitive and aware of the diverse needs of their audiences.

Presenter: Annie Luneau, Adjunct Professor, Baruch College & Non-Profit Consultant

This presentation reviews how creative cultural asset mapping techniques enable and empower leaders to better understand and engage the communities in which they live and work. A case study of an artist-led cultural mapping project in Massachusetts illustrates techniques to involve communities, find new ways to appreciate the diversity of cultures present, and contribute to building stronger communities.

Presenter: Tom Borrup, Director of Graduate Studies, Arts & Cultural Leadership, University of Minnesota

This research focuses on the experience of internship mentoring for arts management MA students in Lisbon, as shifting moment to prepare a balanced ground, between economic and emotional success, to grow further.The results show the potential of playing applied to life-long learning, in preparation for academic and practitioner careers, influencing cognitive, social and personal skills as planning, problem-solving, decisions making, negotiation as well as thoughts and actions regulation, applied to arts management.

Presenter: Caterina Foá, Assistant Professor, ISCTE-IUL

How do we help students understand the complexity of arts management decision-making in real time? Let’s play a game! Fresh Hell is a fun cooperative board game that challenges students to work together to deploy financial and human resources to keep their theater company going. Each round brings its own round of ‘fresh hell’ – burst pipes, cranky donors, board retreats, and more. In this session, participants will play the game, give feedback to the creator, and hear how it has been used in multiple classrooms.

Presenters: Rebecca Bromels, Director of Engagement, ArtsWave, and Brenda Lee Johnston, Assistant Professor & Department Chair, Arts Administration, Butler University

This session focuses on the current situation of art management curricula in Chinese universities. Since Chinese Arts Management education field is still in its infancy, and there is no curriculum standard like those developed by AAAE in the US, Chinese universities typically offer courses borrowed from Western Art Administration programs while including information about China’s unique cultural system and art market, which has always be challenging.

Presenter: Ruby Yu, Visiting Research Scholar, New York University

This paper aims to highlight how the author has encouraged arts leadership by creating a transformative music and arts administration curriculum. The literature was reviewed and semi-structured interviews were conducted. The author used the action research method. The findings suggest how the arts administration programme at the University of Fort Hare can be improved in creating a learning space to encouraged arts leadership by creating a transformative and an inclusive music and arts administration curriculum.

Presenter: Dr. Devandré Boonzaaier, Senior Lecturer in Music and Arts Administration, University of Fort Hare

Through interactive presentations and round-table discussions with former MA students, this session will present three case studies of successful collaborative programs developed between MA Art Curatorship and MA Art Management programs at the University of Melbourne and local creative industries.

Presenters: Natalia Grincheva, Assistant Professor, National Research University 'Higher School of Economics', Eliza Jane Coyle, Community Programs Officer at Yarra Libraries & PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, Jean Hair, Senior Programmes Manager, National Gallery Singapore, Rima Lee, Executive and Administrative Assistant, Asialink Arts, Maria Teresa Tavares, Projects Coordinator, Guest Work Agency, and Jean Yu, Tour Manager, Castiglione Arts & Culture

Is learning to be one’s self or a specialist? To answer this question, this study first overviews the sociocultural contextualization of liberal arts education in Chinese history, and finds out that the ultimate goal of it is learning for one’s self. To understand the current situation, in-depth interviews and questionnaires were conducted among 40 art communication majors in Beijing Dance Academy. The results show that most students have high expectations on liberal arts education. However, the mission of liberal arts education is vague and the benefit is invisible and there is lack of relevant resources. Meanwhile, utilitarianism is penetrated into Chinese education. Consequently, they make more efforts on their specialization, which may enhance their overall competitiveness in the job market.

Presenter: Yan Ma, Associate Professor, Beijing Dance Academy

Facing the current context of a pandemic and an urgent, national discussion of systemic racism, what lessons can arts and cultural organizations draw from the past as they look forward? Join Zannie Voss, director of SMU DataArts, to discuss a new study of 20 non-profit arts organizations that attained organizational health after facing earlier crises. The study identifies the strategies and outcomes described by these organizations that were linked to high performance and financial health.

Presenter: Dr. Zannie Giraud Voss, Director, SMU DataArts

From the lens of theatre, this paper traces why tandem management has prevailed as the dominating management style in US nonprofit theatre and makes the argument for why simply learning management theory from the business world insufficiently prepares future arts leaders. Finally, this paper proposes strategies to better prepare arts administration students for successful careers in arts upper management.

Presenter: Alicia Goodman, Texas Tech University