New Class Involves Students in the Business of Art

Art may be creative and fun, but to be financially sustainable, there are also business realities, so Music Lecturer Matthew Leese created a class called “Engagement in the Arts” this summer to give students a practical understanding of the business of art. The seminar-based Integrative Studies course taught students about the structure and strategies of non-profit arts organizations and had them volunteer with the Raylynmor Opera Company and Arts Alive Monadnock. The students considered such questions as “Where does funding come from for arts organizations, and how do they function within business models?” “How do we start the process of grant-writing?” and “How do we produce meaningful events which truly engage audience members, and how do we prove we are doing that?” They also worked with the Redfern Arts Center’s Communication and Information Officer Sharon Fantl to specifically explore how and why students engage in the arts at Keene State.

Music Education major and KSC NAfME President Lauren Casey found that the class gave her several skills that would serve her well in her career. “This course seemed to be appropriate for my future goals, as it has a lot to do with arts administration! My current long-term goal is to either be a music department or district director, or possibly a school principal after teaching for a handful of years.”

“Having lived all around the world and in various sized communities, I see that arts administration and arts non-profits in particular are increasingly attractive job markets for recent graduates,” Dr. Leese observed. “I know that even if the students who take this class don’t intend on going into arts administration immediately, they will almost certainly use these skills at some point in their career. The class is tailored so that students of any age and major can gain meaningful insight into how we as communities engage in the arts, and how those models can be applied to any field.”

Sound interesting? Dr. Leese plans to offer the course again next summer.