Thanks for your question! There are so many factors and variables that determine whether a master's degree in Arts Management or Arts Administration is right for you. Happy to connect directly if you'd like to talk it through. Short answer: You can jump directly into administration or management positions in the arts, and rise through the ranks, without a graduate degree. But the master's can give you a more coherent overview of all the moving parts, teachers/mentors who can help you build specific skills and bridge essential gaps, and a network of peers, alumni, and professionals to support your lifelong growth and success. Any master's degree is a significant investment of time and money, of course. So the main question is whether the path is right for you, specifically, not anyone generically. Again, happy to talk. Just email me at [email protected] to connect.

So glad that the video resonated with your current work and experience! I also find it helpful to know that the work is necessarily conflicted and confusing, and that's ok.

Thanks!

Thanks for the note! Different artistic disciplines have different conventions about representation and marketing/sales support. For sculpture and visual arts, the convention is to have a gallery represent and advance your work, rather than a manager. Although several visual and sculptural artists have a management or marketing team.

The two jobs can overlap, yes. But not all arts managers "produce" creative work. Some present, curate, preserve, or support other producers as their primary function. Although in some disciplines, that's considered producing, as well.

Thanks for your note, and your question about connecting to an Arts Management career. Your best first step is to find arts organizations near you that you find compelling or connected to you. Schedule informational interviews with the leaders at those organizations in the roles you feel most drawn to (marketing, operations, fundraising, executive, etc.) and learn more about what they do, and what skills/abilities/connections are required to do that work. After a few of these, you'll have a more focused understanding of the career trajectory that might suit you best. For exploring graduate study, check out the Association of Arts Administration Educators directory at artsadministration.org (mostly US programs, but some international) or the ENCACT website (the European network on cultural management and policy): www.encatc.org I hope that gets you started!

@@ArtsManaged Thank you so much for this sound advice. I will do it!

Glad to offer encouraging words, whether accidental or not!

Thanks so much. Glad you found the video useful.

Thanks! Please let me know what you think when you do. It's a work in (constant) progress.

Thanks so much, Peter! Glad my attempt at a definition resonated with you and your work. Can you share a link to your new disruptor model?

Thanks so much! Glad these videos are of use to you and your creative work.

Hi there. Sorry to be slow to respond. Please feel free to translate and share, as long as you attribute the source. So glad you found this useful enough to share it further.

Hi Diana. Thanks so much for your comment and question. My answer would be YES, that you can absolutely enroll in and complete a master's degree in Arts Management (or Arts Administration or Cultural Leadership or the like) with what might seem like an unrelated undergraduate degree. Most programs that I know (including ours at American University) welcome students from a wide range of backgrounds - some with many years of direct experience in the nonprofit arts, many who have been pursuing creative careers as artists or makers, and many who want to pivot from one career path to a new one. Graduate programs fast track you from a basic overview of each function toward strategic-level analysis and action in the work. Each program has different strengths and learning/teaching approaches. I'd encourage you to explore a few. You can find a good list of programs (undergraduate and graduate) at the Association of Arts Administration Educators website: artsadministration.org/ If you'd like to talk with me about your career interests and goals, and the possible path through graduate study, feel free to contact me directly: [email protected]

…also should have mentioned that if you're interested in graduate study beginning this Fall, the priority application deadlines are coming on fast. Our priority deadline for best funding and fellowship consideration is February 1: www.american.edu/cas/arts-management/

@@ArtsManaged Thank you so much for your answer! I get in contact with you right now!

Thanks Taegen! So glad you found this useful. I don't do formal coaching, but I'm happy to talk with you about your career interests and perhaps help connect some dots. You can find my contact information here: www.american.edu/cas/faculty/eataylor.cfm

Thanks Natasha! So glad that the video was clear and informative.

You're welcome! So glad you find them useful.

Great suggestion! I've reorganized the channel page to do this (oldest to newest provided in the top playlist, most popular provided in the second playlist). The trick is how to support people new to the channel while also welcoming newcomers. Thanks so much.

@@ArtsManaged Thank you. I watched the entire playlist yesterday. Can't wait for more episodes

The way you explain is terrific by the way. Thank you for this content

@@sicktomtoms So glad you find it valuable!

Odd. It’s working for me. Please comment again if the issue persists. And thanks for letting me know! www.artsjournal.com/artfulmanager/

Dennise. I finally figured out the problem (my error in pasting the link). Now corrected on all videos thanks to you!

So glad you found the channel, Jamie! And glad you find it useful. I also noticed a gap in online learning resources for Arts Management, which inspired me to give it a try.

Thanks Charles! So glad you found the videos useful to your career search. The arts sector as we now know it, and the work of arts managers, have been around for more than 50 years now (the current era starting in the 1950s and ramping up with arts funding in the 1960s and beyond). So there are, indeed, a LOT of opportunities for work and advancement. But I'd also say the arts ecology is in a transition period, so it may look quite different a few decades from you. Still, if you love the work and are passionate about helping artists and audiences thrive, welcome to the party!

Thanks for the comment, Lisa! I love "time, talent, and treasure" as a framing of the many ways people can share things that make a difference.

Hi Elena! Thanks for your comment and question. There are a thousand paths to successful and meaningful work in Arts Management, so don't worry too much about picking "the right one" in advance. Most essential is that you both learn and take action all along the way. There are likely immediate and important ways you can start working to support artistic expression and experience right now, even as you find ways to learn the craft. So, if you haven't already, dive in to help friends make work and connect that work to an audience. Or find ways to advance your own creative practice. Or find an arts organization near you that makes work you admire and join them as a volunteer or intern or enthusiastic advocate. As for undergraduate and graduate degrees, there are undergraduate programs in arts management and related fields (look among the members of artsadministration.org and www.encatc.org/ for a start). I encourage that your undergraduate degree explore a wide array of topics (liberal arts, perhaps), since Arts Management draws inspiration and action from any and every field of human endeavor. Even specialized programs in economics or management or Arts Management at the undergraduate level should encourage this wide inquiry. And when it comes time to consider graduate study, you'll have a healthy bundle of education and experience to determine what's right for you. Hope that helps.

@@ArtsManaged thank you so much!!

Thank you! So glad you've found value in my past and current attempts! Please do let me know if there are particular topics or issues that would be useful to address.

Great question! I’m with Henry Mintzberg, who sees leadership and management as no different despite many attempts to define them differently (says he: “leadership is management practiced well”). As such, management (and leadership) is yet another “thread” that weaves in and through the ten functions described in this video. More from Mintzberg here: mintzberg.org/blog/to-lead

Better than great!