Claudia Fiks
Claudia Fiks (MET’16)
Director of Development and Institutional Advancement, Fuller Craft Museum; Co-Director, Newton Open Studios; Founder, Arts Administration Association New England
MS, Arts Administration; Graduate Certificate, Fundraising Management
This interview was originally published in spring 2022. Claudia has since moved on from the Fuller Craft Museum to found the New England Art Center (NEAC), which provides comprehensive support and resources to art practitioners and enthusiasts, fostering knowledge exchange, career growth, and networking opportunities. She currently serves as the director.
What do you do in your current position?
At the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA, I work closely with the executive director and the board of directors to design, implement, and manage fundraising strategies. I also help support the operating budget, programs, exhibitions focused on individual donations, foundations, private grants, sponsorship, and special events. Finally, I oversee membership strategies to grow, cultivate, and promote public and constituents’ engagement, and manage the communications and marketing department. At Newton Open Studios, I implement an annual two-day program featuring 150 visual artists who exhibit in 70 different locations and welcome more than 5,000 visitors. At the Arts Administration Association New England, I promote and implement workshops, consult to artists, and mentor emerging arts leaders.
Why did you choose MET for your graduate studies? What set MET apart from other programs you were considering?
I did a lot of research and inquired about several different programs, including museum studies and nonprofit management. A crucial contribution to my decision was a meeting with Daniel Ranalli, founder-director of the MET MS in Arts Administration program, and Jeannie Motherwell, at that time the program administrator. I was impressed by their passion and commitment, the program curriculum, and the faculty’s quality and professional expertise.
Were you able to use faculty as a resource? Is there a particular faculty member who enhanced your experience at MET?
I consider myself extremely lucky to have had the most energetic, highly qualified, exciting and engaging team of faculty and mentors. I could say that they are the best in the field of arts administration. They include Richard Maloney, Tomasz Kierul, Michael Ibrahim, Steve Roth, David Orlinoff, Doug DeNatale, and other well-regarded and highly experienced arts leaders and scholars.
In addition, I was able to enroll in two different international programs that included travel to Barcelona, Dublin, and London and offered unique, well-crafted curriculum and in-depth opportunities to study and explore cultural policy. The faculty were superb teachers—extremely generous in sharing their trajectories, not holding any knowledge back, and expressing genuine interest in seeing us succeed. Some became close friends and colleagues, and some I consider my forever mentors. I am fully aware that there are many other exceptionally well-qualified faculty but I, unfortunately, did not have a chance to be their student.
Did earning your degree lead to a different career focus, or broaden the scope of opportunity within your existing line of work? Can you share your perspective on that?
I had been working in the arts sector for more than two decades without realizing it could be a career! I was always thinking about what steps I should take to expand and grow, other than becoming a consultant. As arts leaders, we wear many hats and align various operations within the organization so everybody is working toward the same goals. Good management practices and in-depth knowledge of new trends are imperative in areas from marketing to communications, fiscal management, funding, human resources, and artistic aesthetics. I realized that a degree could open doors and equip me to work in all areas, at all levels, as long as I continued to invest in professional development and personal growth. Because we cannot and should not ever stop learning, right? The program provided me with an excellent repertoire of knowledge and resources that I continue to use daily.
You’ve gone on to establish the Arts Administration Association of New England. What led to the creation of this organization? Can you tell us about the organization’s goals?
The Arts Administration Association New England (AAANE) responded to my desire to connect arts administrators and promote knowledge exchange. I have been working as an arts administrator for many decades. My work philosophy has always been grounded in collaboration, cooperation, and permanent learning. During my master’s program, I learned a great deal about the history and contemporary state of the creative sector, and increased my direct engagement with leaders from numerous arts and culture organizations. After I graduated, I wanted to maintain and extend those connections, so I decided to create that platform. AAANE’s mission is to promote knowledge exchange, and offer career growth and professional development to arts leaders and artists. It provides an inclusive forum to educate and inspire arts administrators at all levels through events, workshops, conferences and seminars. I have a large email list of staff members from areas including museums, performing arts, visual arts, orchestras, dance companies, maker spaces, art schools (non-academic) and galleries. I have been offering in-person events since 2018 and virtual events since 2020. AAANE also offers portfolio review for artists, plus resume building and mentorship opportunities for emerging leaders.
During the pandemic, the Association has presented an influential series of public discussions with leaders in the field – how did that come about and what have been some of its highlights?
Sip & Chat, weekly virtual conversations with arts leaders, was a direct response to a group of colleagues who asked to get together to talk, vent and debrief at the very beginning of the pandemic, during the first lockdown in March 2020. I decided to take that opportunity to a different level and make it a call for action, a message in a bottle, and a reminder that we are not alone and must rely upon each other. I always understood we could not succeed alone or in isolation. If one of us falls behind, we all lose. Along with the rest of the world, we were scrambling to adjust to a global pandemic with devastating mental, physical, and economic effects. It was clear that disruption, postponement, and/or permanent cancellation of programs would affect all of us. I thought it would be more inclusive and productive to open the conversation to a larger group. The first Sip & Chat happened on May 5, 2020.
The main topic we addressed at Sip & Chat was how organizations are responding to COVID-19. We’ve recently turned our discussions to how they plan to reopen and transition to a new model, including diversity, equity, and inclusion. The sessions are not shared on social media. They are free events but pre-registration is required. During Sip & Chat, organizations have announced plans to reopen, and shared ambitious thoughts and strategies on handling uncomfortable topics, including budgets, staff morale, mental health, board and leadership support, safety and hygiene procedures, and some very profound and eloquent reflections on the need to redefine current missions and values. Guests continue to bring updated procedures and in-depth reflections on how entire teams approach the situation. The format is simple and very relaxing. I invite leaders from organizations of all sizes and all areas of expertise to compare and learn from a multitude of perspectives. The participating arts administrators are from diverse organizations, so they bring different perspectives, budget sizes, and a realistic representation of our sector. Our next sessions will include leaders talking about art as a form of activism and how organizations can provide support for ongoing artistic initiatives.
Are there any lessons or observations you would distill from these conversations that speak to the current state of the field?
We are all in the same boat. Regardless of your budget, we have the same challenges and goals. The arts and culture field is a growing sector that has recently gained recognition as an industry in the US. Arts leaders have been getting more opportunities to enter academia and earn degrees specifically geared towards the creative industry. There is a consensus that the next generation of arts leaders will bring diversity, social justice, and equality to the forefront of missions, goals, and objectives. The digital world is here to stay, and incoming leaders will be more prepared to advance and facilitate digital experiences. We are all in agreement that we are still a little behind when it comes to that. Arts advocacy is an area that has grown tremendously, and engagement with policymakers is crucial at all levels.
Do you believe there has been a positive return on your investment in terms of the cost of the BU degree?
This is a great question, and I am sure that many students reflect on that. Attending graduate school is always worth it intellectually, and if one is too focused on the monetary value, it might impact the decision. I consider myself lucky to have been able to pay for the program, and I do not take that for granted. I maintained my fulltime job, attended the program, and paid for it simultaneously. Before enrolling, I researched and confirmed that jobs I aspired to required an advanced degree. Although we cannot predict or control many things in life (for example, a pandemic), I was confident that I could maximize my career growth and generate enough income to justify the program’s cost in a short period after graduation. Since I was and continue to be highly committed to working in the sector, I was confident that it was the right decision. When I think about the multitude of possibilities that BU offered and continues to provide me with, the network of professionals that I have access to, and the sense that I belong to a community of great and future leaders, yes—definitely an excellent investment in my career and personal life.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is considering applying to this program?
My first instinct would be to congratulate the person, and support and validate that choice. This is a stimulating, vibrant and challenging field, with a career path that demands ingenuity and a broad vision, where compassion speaks louder than actions or words. As arts leaders, we must be ready to step away to see the entire forest and not only the trees; we must be prepared to see and not only to look. We must provide better quality of life to our audience, constituents, staff, supporters, and everyone around us. We have carved and conquered a well-deserved space as professionals and as a well-recognized sector. Today we have data that support us, that provide evidence of the economic impact of our actions and the direct effect of the arts on people’s lives and health. Arts leaders must develop and cultivate many skills, balancing analytical thinking with creative thinking, where human well-being always comes first. Finally, I would say that we should all be proud of our career choice. So enjoy the ride!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Arts leaders play a crucial role in promoting and facilitating engagement with arts experiences. We belong to a worldwide group of professionals and volunteers working on behalf of artists and organizations to promote financial health and high-quality programs for our communities, constituents and supporters. I always encourage arts leaders to promote open dialogue, transparency, and ongoing communication to learn from each other, always aiming to advance and improve our services. We bring the best out of people. We make them laugh, cry, release and deal with emotion, provoke and inspire critical thinking, and we bring economic prosperity. Hopefully, art as a healing method will be included in healthcare services soon. Study shows us that the arts contribute to healing, and prevent certain mental and physical illnesses from advancing. We have a lot of great work to do! Onward.