Teaching Career Planning and Management in the Fine Arts
DRAFT: Teaching Career Planning and Management in the Fine Arts
Introduction (or How I got myself into this!)
The issue of what we should be teaching undergrad fine arts majors with respect to career management has long been a topic of debate. I recall heated discussions at the College Art Association annual meetings as to what our obligation to undergraduate students majoring in studio art should be. While historically some argued that courses in business and management are extraneous to art education, it is now generally agreed that such knowledge provides students the ability to realistically plan for a career in the arts and the freedom in which to create.
Although professional associations and arts service organizations have developed valuable educational programs in career management for professional artists, it appears that little work has been done on best practices or curriculum-sharing in this field in undergraduate fine arts programs. This is particularly surprising in light of the work that has been done on curriculum development in programs in arts management (for students who intend to work in arts organizations).
Spurred by the forthcoming Association of Arts Administration Educators annual meeting in the spring of 2009, I decided to inquire about the experience and practice of my AAAE colleagues, all of whom teach and work in the area of arts management. My question, posed in an e-mail to AAAE members, focused particularly on courses/programs in career management for undergraduate fine arts students. The response to my questions were limited but provided the basis for further discussion at the conference itself and the entry point, I hope, for further research and discussion.
Responses came from the U.S., from Canada, and from the UK. Some universities offer informal, extracurricular seminars specifically discipline related. (For example, in the visual arts: how to prepare a portfolio, how to approach a gallery, how to write a grant request.) Others described a formal course, or courses, with a clearly defined focus on career management for artists.
This paper offers some findings based on those responses, outlining:
1. models of courses/programs
2. content of courses/programs
3. bibliographic references for courses
In Europe and in North America, there has been a growing focus on entrepreneurship in the arts and the value-added that artists can bring not only to arts organizations but to their own careers and collaborative work through understanding basic principles of entrepreneurship. In Europe, some of this work is being supported by the European Union and government programs, in the US, the Kauffman Foundation focuses on developing entrepreneurship in university curricula.
1. Models of courses/programs
The range of offerings which respondents provided varied significantly from single courses (generally one semester in length intended to provide an introduction to the subject and prepare students for working in the sector) to a program that offers several modules in the field (i.e. “The Business of Performance;” “Managing Performance” and “Developing Professional Practice”). Some courses and programs are supported by non-credit symposia or workshops dedicated to the discussion of careers in the arts and particularly entrepreneurship in the arts.
Among the single course descriptions which I received, one course focused on personal development; others were general “how-to” courses with specific and practical information for those considering a career as an independent artist. A few were more academically rigorous, including readings in the field of management theory, along with texts dealing with issues pertaining specifically to the artist and cultural producer (issues addressed ranged from intellectual property to local conditions for the arts and artists).
Few course directors have the luxury of teaching students from only one artistic discipline, so course syllabi tended to focus on general career management in the arts, while offering a variety of additional resources for information and business skill development related to individual artistic disciplines. Some aspects of the syllabi, and of the texts and websites that supported them, were geographically specific (i.e. references to California funding agencies, or Canadian cultural policy, law, etc. and local conditions for artists,)
Entrepreneurship was integrated, at least informally, into several of the courses.
The more intensive courses included both a theoretical and a practical approach to learning, often referencing the work of service organizations with respect to practical knowledge and advice.
There was no general agreement as to when such courses should be offered in an undergraduate program and whether they should be required or electives. In one case, a course titled The Business of Art, was a required senior capstone course and some suggested that such courses should be offered to students towards the end of undergraduate study.) Others argued for an introduction of the courses early in a student’s academic study.
2. Content of course
By and large, as discussed earlier, programs were heavily oriented to practical knowledge that ranged from discipline-specific (i.e. in the visual arts: preparing a portfolio, finding a gallery, writing a grant and copyright), to more general management topics such as financial management, project management, contracts, negotiation, small business management, and law, etc. Within the course outlines that I received, there was limited reference to conventional management literature (Drucker, etc.)
Almost all the courses provided students the opportunity to develop skills in self-presentation and self-management, including research, grant and bid writing, report writing, project management and team building. Several required students to develop a personal business plan. In one case, there was an option to write an application for a job. In another institution, students were invited to write a proposal for a new venture.
3. Bibliographic references
Bibliographic references included a variety of texts focused on individual career management in the arts. Among the American publications that address career management in the arts generally, the most comprehensive appears to be The Business of Art: an Artist’s Guide to Profitable Self-Employment, published by the Center for Cultural Innovation. It deals with the key curricular issues that such courses are likely to address. Its introductory premise is that “one must work like an artist and think like an entrepreneur.” The conflation of artistic practice/career management and entrepreneurship reflect the trend noted earlier.
Interestingly, The Business of Art, relies heavily on the Canadian Cultural Human Resources Council’s excellent The Art of Managing Your Career, (http://www.culturalhrc.ca). This Canadian text with its companion, sector specific, on-line detailed materials, offers an excellent model and basis for course design and a teacher’s guide. (It is updated regularly and easily accessible.)
Practical and pragmatic “how to” books such as Free Agent Nation: the Future of Working for Yourself and How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself Without Selling Your Soul were also recommended. For musicians, Angela Myles Beeching’s Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music (Oxford University Press, 2005) was highly recommended.
The target audience for most of the publications and websites is the practicing artist. The CHRC text appears to be unique in having a teacher’s guide. The more specific a text is, the more likely it is likely to become outdated, thus most of the books themselves are fairly general. The CHRC text gets around this by regularly updating its publication and by hosting on-line supplements for each discipline that can be and are regularly updated.
A Beginning … and Thank You
I hope that this brief and preliminary work will raise some questions and provide the basis for a discussion among those teaching or offering courses in the field. I want to thank each of the members of AAAE who responded to my request for information. You were all generous with your time and incredibly helpful. Hopefully you will find something of interest or value to you in this brief report.
Joyce Zemans
Director, MBA Program in Arts and Media Administration
Schulich School of Business
York University
jzemans@yorku.ca
Introduction (or How I got myself into this!)
The issue of what we should be teaching undergrad fine arts majors with respect to career management has long been a topic of debate. I recall heated discussions at the College Art Association annual meetings as to what our obligation to undergraduate students majoring in studio art should be. While historically some argued that courses in business and management are extraneous to art education, it is now generally agreed that such knowledge provides students the ability to realistically plan for a career in the arts and the freedom in which to create.
Although professional associations and arts service organizations have developed valuable educational programs in career management for professional artists, it appears that little work has been done on best practices or curriculum-sharing in this field in undergraduate fine arts programs. This is particularly surprising in light of the work that has been done on curriculum development in programs in arts management (for students who intend to work in arts organizations).
Spurred by the forthcoming Association of Arts Administration Educators annual meeting in the spring of 2009, I decided to inquire about the experience and practice of my AAAE colleagues, all of whom teach and work in the area of arts management. My question, posed in an e-mail to AAAE members, focused particularly on courses/programs in career management for undergraduate fine arts students. The response to my questions were limited but provided the basis for further discussion at the conference itself and the entry point, I hope, for further research and discussion.
Responses came from the U.S., from Canada, and from the UK. Some universities offer informal, extracurricular seminars specifically discipline related. (For example, in the visual arts: how to prepare a portfolio, how to approach a gallery, how to write a grant request.) Others described a formal course, or courses, with a clearly defined focus on career management for artists.
This paper offers some findings based on those responses, outlining:
1. models of courses/programs
2. content of courses/programs
3. bibliographic references for courses
In Europe and in North America, there has been a growing focus on entrepreneurship in the arts and the value-added that artists can bring not only to arts organizations but to their own careers and collaborative work through understanding basic principles of entrepreneurship. In Europe, some of this work is being supported by the European Union and government programs, in the US, the Kauffman Foundation focuses on developing entrepreneurship in university curricula.
1. Models of courses/programs
The range of offerings which respondents provided varied significantly from single courses (generally one semester in length intended to provide an introduction to the subject and prepare students for working in the sector) to a program that offers several modules in the field (i.e. “The Business of Performance;” “Managing Performance” and “Developing Professional Practice”). Some courses and programs are supported by non-credit symposia or workshops dedicated to the discussion of careers in the arts and particularly entrepreneurship in the arts.
Among the single course descriptions which I received, one course focused on personal development; others were general “how-to” courses with specific and practical information for those considering a career as an independent artist. A few were more academically rigorous, including readings in the field of management theory, along with texts dealing with issues pertaining specifically to the artist and cultural producer (issues addressed ranged from intellectual property to local conditions for the arts and artists).
Few course directors have the luxury of teaching students from only one artistic discipline, so course syllabi tended to focus on general career management in the arts, while offering a variety of additional resources for information and business skill development related to individual artistic disciplines. Some aspects of the syllabi, and of the texts and websites that supported them, were geographically specific (i.e. references to California funding agencies, or Canadian cultural policy, law, etc. and local conditions for artists,)
Entrepreneurship was integrated, at least informally, into several of the courses.
The more intensive courses included both a theoretical and a practical approach to learning, often referencing the work of service organizations with respect to practical knowledge and advice.
There was no general agreement as to when such courses should be offered in an undergraduate program and whether they should be required or electives. In one case, a course titled The Business of Art, was a required senior capstone course and some suggested that such courses should be offered to students towards the end of undergraduate study.) Others argued for an introduction of the courses early in a student’s academic study.
2. Content of course
By and large, as discussed earlier, programs were heavily oriented to practical knowledge that ranged from discipline-specific (i.e. in the visual arts: preparing a portfolio, finding a gallery, writing a grant and copyright), to more general management topics such as financial management, project management, contracts, negotiation, small business management, and law, etc. Within the course outlines that I received, there was limited reference to conventional management literature (Drucker, etc.)
Almost all the courses provided students the opportunity to develop skills in self-presentation and self-management, including research, grant and bid writing, report writing, project management and team building. Several required students to develop a personal business plan. In one case, there was an option to write an application for a job. In another institution, students were invited to write a proposal for a new venture.
3. Bibliographic references
Bibliographic references included a variety of texts focused on individual career management in the arts. Among the American publications that address career management in the arts generally, the most comprehensive appears to be The Business of Art: an Artist’s Guide to Profitable Self-Employment, published by the Center for Cultural Innovation. It deals with the key curricular issues that such courses are likely to address. Its introductory premise is that “one must work like an artist and think like an entrepreneur.” The conflation of artistic practice/career management and entrepreneurship reflect the trend noted earlier.
Interestingly, The Business of Art, relies heavily on the Canadian Cultural Human Resources Council’s excellent The Art of Managing Your Career, (http://www.culturalhrc.ca). This Canadian text with its companion, sector specific, on-line detailed materials, offers an excellent model and basis for course design and a teacher’s guide. (It is updated regularly and easily accessible.)
Practical and pragmatic “how to” books such as Free Agent Nation: the Future of Working for Yourself and How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself Without Selling Your Soul were also recommended. For musicians, Angela Myles Beeching’s Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music (Oxford University Press, 2005) was highly recommended.
The target audience for most of the publications and websites is the practicing artist. The CHRC text appears to be unique in having a teacher’s guide. The more specific a text is, the more likely it is likely to become outdated, thus most of the books themselves are fairly general. The CHRC text gets around this by regularly updating its publication and by hosting on-line supplements for each discipline that can be and are regularly updated.
A Beginning … and Thank You
I hope that this brief and preliminary work will raise some questions and provide the basis for a discussion among those teaching or offering courses in the field. I want to thank each of the members of AAAE who responded to my request for information. You were all generous with your time and incredibly helpful. Hopefully you will find something of interest or value to you in this brief report.
Joyce Zemans
Director, MBA Program in Arts and Media Administration
Schulich School of Business
York University
jzemans@yorku.ca
Posted by JZemans on Sat, 06/20/2009 - 14:17
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