Q: Describe your role(s) at MAAA:
A: I am a professor of practice here at the O’Neill School. I’m also the director of arts administration programs, and I’m the senior advisor to our Center for Cultural Affairs. Professor of practice is a role for a practitioner, and it means that my teaching is directly related to my career.
I teach fundraising at the undergraduate & graduate levels. I teach a seminar on leadership to the MAAA graduate students, and I teach leadership & ethics to undergrads. I also teach a 4-week leadership seminar available to all graduate students. And then I will fill in when we have an unexpected teaching vacancy – that’s the program director part of my job.
Q: From the beginning of your career through now, how have you come to find yourself at the MAAA program?
A: Early on, I thought I was going to be a music teacher, but I realized pretty early into my college career that I wasn’t quite suited to the work. I didn’t know what “arts administration” was per se, but it turns out that my career chapters all have included different aspects of management in the arts.
I started out working in film and television, in Los Angeles and Chicago, which is for profit arts administration. Then I was fortunate to work with orchestras in all kinds of different ways, which is non-profit management and leadership. Most recently, I worked on the government side of arts administration, working for a public agency as a grantmaker.
How did I get to MAAA? Back in 2014, Professor Rushton, the program director at the time, asked me to teach our graduate fundraising class, to bring a practitioner’s perspective to that course. So, I started commuting here from Cleveland to teach, having never taught before, and realized how much I enjoy teaching and how much joy it gives me to do that work. The rest is history.
Q: You are a part of the admissions process. What are you looking for in a MAAA candidate?
A: Part of what we’re looking at: does this applicant have a good chance of succeeding in our coursework? We look at transcripts and grades, and if an applicant had a grade issue at some point, did they address it in their materials somehow? Life happens, and we certainly understand that. We also look at personal statements and look for students who seem to want to study what we teach, even if they aren’t entirely sure what arts administration is.
But more than that, when I review applications, I’m looking for someone who is curious, someone who wants to come here and expand their brain / learn new things / doesn’t think they have all of the answers already.
Q: Your Seminar in Arts Administration class, AADM-Y650, is regularly mentioned as one of MAAA students’ favorite experiences. Why do you think that is?
A: Professor Rushton and I reworked that seminar together in 2019. I spent the summer getting input from students, learning what had been done in the past, getting a sense from students of what they felt any gaps were in our coursework, and then we worked together to figure out what to offer in the fall seminar. So, if it’s working, it’s because the content came from what students said they needed/wanted.
I also think students find it valuable because it’s organized to provide a chance for them to reflect on all that they’ve done while they are in the program: their coursework, their experiences through practicum and internship, their interactions with arts organizations. We all are so busy that making time to reflect can be hard to come by, and this class provides that.
Q: Who in Arts Administration do you look up to, and think current Arts Administrators should know more about/look into, and why?
A: I will say that my hat is off to anybody who’s been running an arts organization during the pandemic. Wow. How have they managed? I think there’s a lot to observe and learn just from what we’ve seen. When I’m thinking about who’s doing interesting stuff that I want to keep an eye on, certainly I’m looking at big arts organizations, but I’m also looking at smaller organizations who are working at the community level.
Some examples: the Sweetwater Foundation in Chicago is one, the brainchild of Emanuel Pratt. That is an organization that is all about creativity, but it’s also about food and community and development and carpentry and dance and all the things happening in a neighborhood that Chicago has neglected for a really long time. And he’s making stuff happen.
I look at Springboard for the Arts in Saint Paul, Minnesota, folks who have done tremendous work for artists both in the Twin Cities and in rural parts of Minnesota.
And I look at places like the Harrison Center in Indianapolis and the work they are doing in their neighborhood to support artists and creative work in an urban setting. So I’m looking not only for the cool art that inspires me, but I’m looking for the people who are making a difference on the ground.
Q: There’s a lot of misconception around what Arts Administration is. How do you explain it to your family or people you may meet that don’t understand what “Arts Administration” means?
A: Administration is about management and leadership. It’s about asking questions like, “What are we doing?” “How do we motivate people?” “How do we get things done?” And then, when I add in the arts, I ask, “how do we do this in a setting with really creative people?” “How do we do this in a setting that’s nonprofit where there isn’t enough money or time?” “How do we apply what we know about good management and leadership into this creative space?” I don’t think of it as something separate or different than any other kind of good management or leadership or administration.
Q: And how would you describe Arts Administration to a child?
A: I remember talking about this with my goddaughter when she was about 4 years old. We were watching a concert on TV and she was really enjoying it, and I said, “Okay, that’s what I do. I work with the people who are running the cameras and holding up the microphones, the people who figured out how to get everybody in the room and made sure all the music got on the music stands. My job as an arts manager is to make sure all those pieces come together so you can enjoy the concert..” And she said, “Oh, well, that’s cool”. Yeah, it is.
Q: When you happen to meet someone who might be considering a degree in Arts Administration, what would/do you say to them?
A: I would ask: what do you want to do? What difference do you want to make? What does management and leadership mean to you? It has to be more than just wanting a fallback position in case their career as a performer doesn’t work out; one has to choose to do the hard work of management and leadership, and I’m listening for that.
Q: What advice would/do you give to arts administration students just entering MAAA?
A: Get to know the cohort of students that are already here. They can provide some of the best intel on what to take and in what sequence. Faculty and staff certainly have advice and will help, but the students who are here have a very different perspective. And, our students are cool! They will be your people when you leave the program, so get to know them.
Get to know Bloomington. It’s a lovely place and there’s a lot going on. People think it’s a small town. It is, but it’s a small town with a lot of richness because of the university.
And then, try some new things. Take some risks, step into a field that you might not have known anything about just to see what it’s like. This is the safest place to do that. Why not try some things differently here and see what happens? You may find a career path that you hadn’t imagined before grad school.
Q: And what advice would/do you give to arts administration students preparing to leave MAAA and enter the field or the world of academia?
A: Kind of the same thing. These are your people so hang on to these relationships. These people who are in school with you are going to be leading organizations not too long from now and you’re going to be able to say “I know them from grad school.” And then, take a minute to reflect. I know it’s hard when you’re in school because you have so much coming at you, but take a moment to reflect on what you’ve learned about yourself, about the work, about what you like and dislike. That will serve you well as you enter the field.
Q: What books are you currently reading?(can be for professional reasons or personal enjoyment) Is there a particular book you’d recommend to a young arts administrator?
A: I always have too many books going at the same time. I just finished a book by Lonnie Bunch, who’s currently the head of the Smithsonian. It’s called A Fool’s Errand, and it’s his recounting of what it took to build the National Museum of African-American History and Culture. It was a ten year journey from the time he was hired to build a museum where there wasn’t a museum, to the museum actually opening. So what did that take? How do they raise the money? Fascinating.
Another recent one: a friend’s son had to read Fahrenheit 451 for school, and I realized I’d never read it. I couldn’t put it down, but it also scared the pants off me, particularly when I look at it in the context of current events. On the fiction side, I just finished Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen, which I really enjoyed.
Q: What’s on your arts/cultural bucket list? (i.e. concert, venue, etc.)
A: If I have one bucket list item I can name, it’s getting to the part of Germany where Bach lived and worked and getting to the Thomaskirche. They still do church services there. They still play that organ. Bach is something I return to again and again as a musician, so getting there is something I want to do before I leave the Earth.
Q: Favorite work of art (any art form, genre)
A: The answer to that one is really honest in that I don’t have one. I don’t. I’ve spent more time around music than around other art forms, and I’m at a place in my life where I’m exploring more genres and artists than in the past. I love a big, bold symphonic work for orchestra, but I also love jazz. I’m getting to love interesting folk and indie rock and some of that stuff that I haven’t listened to before. I also don’t know much about visual art but always like to check out museums and galleries when I travel. But “favorites?” Ask me tomorrow and my answer will be different than my answer today. Anything that moves me becomes my favorite, no matter the genre.