Congratulations to Dr. Brent Reidy, who was recently announced as the new Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Research Libraries at The New York Public Library. Reidy, who completed his Ph.D. in Musicology at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in April of 2020, is a musician and musicologist who along his path came to understand and admire the impact that arts administrators can have on the process of arts programming, creation, presentation, and access.
Reidy is no stranger to public art policy and the crucial role it plays in our society. His dissertation, “A Golden Age of Poetry and Power: Artists, Outsiders, and the Kennedy Administration,” examines the inner workings of the Kennedy administration and the “artist-outsider” ideology that was prevalent at the time. The study reveals how the nation once understood the artist and how that understanding led to the creation of our national arts policy. This research will also be the topic of an upcoming book, which he hopes to publish sometime in the next year.
When asked about his time at the IU Jacobs School of Music, Reidy said it was “overwhelming in the best way possible.” When he arrived in Bloomington, he realized right away that he was surrounded by excellence on so many levels. He spoke highly of the faculty members with whom he studied, the impressive skill and dedication of his classmates, and the many incredible performances — so numerous that it was impossible to see everything. “There was a persistent state of awe that never really truly wore off.”
The IU Department of Musicology played a significant role in the trajectory of his career. The education was not only in the specific topics covered in seminars, but even more importantly in the learning-models of the faculty and in practicing the ability to read volumes, to think critically, and to write quickly. Skills and experiences that lend themselves well to roles outside academia as well as in. Reidy commented that the new dual MA degree in Musicology and Arts Administration provides lots of opportunities for our students to enter these non-academic roles more readily. “If it had existed when I was at IU, I would have been interested in the dual degree. It would have prepared me even better for the career I’ve pursued.”
His musicological studies at IU sent him hurtling toward the world of arts and culture, starting with a seven-year stint at AEA Consulting, regarded as one of the world’s leading cultural consulting firms, and later moving to NYPL’s Library for the Performing Arts. He worked long hours, occasionally losing sight of his Ph.D. “I would go dark for months at a time,” said Reidy, but Prof. Phil Ford remained a constant source of encouragement. “He had a knack for recommending just one more thing at just the right time — a book or resource that would reinvigorate my research and lead to three or four months of steady progress. It was the perfect level of pushing but not pressuring.” Reflecting on the support he received from his committee, which also included Profs. Halina Goldberg, Peter Burkholder, and Michael Rushton (IU O’Neill School), he added “This is an incredible opportunity and I wouldn’t be here without their support, guidance, and wisdom.”
The New York Public Library’s mission is to inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge through free and open access, and to strengthen its diverse communities by promoting full citizenship and participation in society. To read more, see the recent article in the New York Times and The New York Public Library‘s official release.
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