July-August 2019

For students who love the arts but are also
interested in business, studying arts
management may be the perfect way to blend
their passions. An arts management program
teaches such disparate topics as grant writing,
fundraising, accounting and arts finance, with
concentrations in one or more forms of visual
or performing arts. Graduates go on to work
in a range of settings, from museums, art
galleries and opera houses to digital streaming
start-ups and dance companies. They may
even go on to represent famous artists.
Arts management is a global industry, and
there are several institutions to study it in the
United States. Undergraduate applicants can
consider the College of Charleston in South
Carolina; for graduate school, students can
consider American University in Washington,
D.C.
Photographs courtesy College of Charleston
Southern hospitality
“Charleston is an international tourist
destination and a city steeped in arts, history
and culture,” says Karen Chandler, director of
the program at the College of Charleston. “A
U.S. degree in arts management is a good
investment for prospective Indian students as
it will equip them with the arts, business and
managerial skills required to manage nonprofit
and for-profit arts and cultural
institutions in the United States, India and
throughout the world. Students will also learn
how to manage, promote and raise funds for
performing and visual artists.”
Students from about 61 countries attend the
College of Charleston. All freshman international
students are considered for meritbased
scholarships.
Undergraduate students at the College of
Charleston may minor or major in arts
management. They may also opt for a
concentration in music industry. The college
even has a student-run record label, called
1770 Records. The undergraduate program
may be combined with any other degree as a
double major or minor.
When undergraduates complete their
studies, they go on to jobs like performing arts
event management, production, marketing and
development, as well as museum curation and
artist management.
Students say the university’s location at the
center of a national arts hub allows them to
directly engage with the arts community
through internships, volunteering, guest
speakers and other perks.
Work-study is available for students,
allowing them to get paid as they gain job
experience working on campus. All students
in the program complete an arts-oriented
internship as part of their requirements.
“Internships are often completed in arts and
cultural institutions in Charleston, though
students have also completed them in other
U.S. cities,” says Chandler. These include
institutions like the John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.,
and arenas like Madison Square Garden in
TED EYTAN/Courtesy Flickr
20 JULY/AUGUST 2019
EHPIEN/Courtesy Flickr