Arts Management Graduate Certificate

This course provides students with an opportunity to become familiar with the vocabulary, institutions, processes, forces, and issues that define the landscape of the contemporary art world. An examination of the institutions and actors that comprise the Art World and significant recent trends. This course utilizes a model for the art world that posits an arts ecosystem consisting of four interrelated spheres: 1) Individuals; 2) Government; 3) the Nonprofit Sector; 4) the Private Sector. We will explore how the stakeholders in the art world (critics, curators, historians, administrators, government officials, performers, and artists) connect and interact with each other while engaging with significant institutions (cultural organizations, government, foundations) and the public to affect the cultural history of our time. This is the gateway course in the Arts Administration Program, and is usually taken in the first semester. [Non-Arts Administration students contact the Arts Administration Program at artsad@bu.edu. METAR 520 is a pre-requisite for METAR 615]  [ 4 cr. ]

Analyzes issues of accounting, finance, and economics in the context of the nonprofit organization. Stresses understanding financial statements, budget planning and control, cash flow analysis, and long term planning.  [ 4 cr. ]

Prerequisite: MET AR 520. "Arts Administration Law" is not a legal field; rather, it is a series of highly specialized legal analyses lying at the intersection of tax, intellectual property, employment, corporate law, and the law of non-profits that defines the legal status and issues of arts organizations. It is an interdisciplinary area, including all aspects of the law connected with art, artists (both performing and visual), performance and objects. Topics include: nonprofits and tax- exemption, contracts, copyright for performing and visual artists and artifacts, artists' moral rights, employment law, cultural heritage and the First Amendment. The course is taught using case studies and the case method applied to legal decisions, to which legal analytic frameworks will be applied.  [ 4 cr. ]

A review of topics essential for successful management of performing arts organizations. Examination of both facilities management and company management. Studies include organizational structure, trustee/staff relations, marketing, audience building, fundraising, tour management, box office management, budgeting, mailing list and membership management, human resource management and contract negotiation, performance measurement, and strategic planning.  [ 4 cr. ]

A review of topics essential for successful management of visual arts organizations. Emphasizes museums, but also includes a review of alternative spaces, commercial galleries, and auction houses. Topics include the changing role of the museum, exhibition planning, fund-raising, crisis management, audience development, and strategic planning.  [ 4 cr. ]

This course is designed to provide fundamental background in the theory and principles of marketing and audience development used by nonprofit performing and visual arts organizations. Case analysis will be employed to review strategies and practices currently used in the cultural sector. Students will be expected to develop their own marketing plans for an arts organization.  [ 4 cr. ]

An examination of ways to raise funds from government, foundation, corporate, and individual sources. The following topics will be addressed through lectures and case analysis: the history of philanthropy, the planning and research process, proposal and grant preparation, program evaluation, and the role of the board and staff in developing effective fundraising strategies.  [ 4 cr. ]

Prerequisite: METAR 100 Lab. - This course will examine the process of developing commercial Broadway productions from "page to stage." Students will examine the selection process that producers follow to identify a piece or property. We will examine the entire production process, from securing the rights and options, to legal processes including investor relations and collective bargaining, to assembling a creative and production team. Students will have the opportunity to meet with several Broadway professionals as guest speakers. Other topics covered may include securing a theater, residual, and subsidiary income as well as domestic and international touring. The leadership role of the producer will be discussed at every stage of the journey.  [ 4 cr. ]

The ever-evolving nature of digital technology presents opportunities and challenges in the work of arts administrators. In this course, you will examine a range of technologies employed by arts organizations to improve their practice and extend their reach, including customer relations management, fundraising, collaboration management, ticketing, project management, and social media management. You will also explore emerging products and trends, interact with practitioners to learn how they are using these tools, and engage in hands-on challenges to build competency in using emerging technologies such as interactive communication and Generative AI tools.  [ 4 cr. ]

A hands on project-based collaborative class that will conceptualize, plan, and execute a public art project during the semester. Students will develop an understanding of the various challenges administrators face in all phases of a project, especially from the creative vantage of the artist. We will explore project funding, case study analysis of public art management, artist selection, and the unforeseen.  [ 4 cr. ]

This course explores the field of creative innovation and entrepreneurship. The first part of the course is dedicated to deepening students' understanding of creativity and ideation as building blocks to innovation, creative placemaking, the creative economy, and business models. During the second part of the course students work in teams to develop entrepreneurial projects at the intersection of Arts and Culture; Business and Technology; and Social Impact, while gaining practical entrepreneurial skills, including business models, customer identification, budgeting, pitching, personas, business plans, and delving into design, communication, marketing and networking.  [ 4 cr. ]

  [ 4 cr. ]

Review the history, theory, and practice of educational programming and audience engagement in both museums and performing arts organizations. Emphasis will be on analysis of program design, implementation, and evaluation, teacher training, and creation of youth and adult learning programs.  [ 4 cr. ]

This course explores the dynamic, complex, and sometimes contradictory work of community-based arts programs, including program development and design, relationship-building, funding and financial models, evaluation, and ethics. Sharpen your orientation as a practitioner through case studies, research, and experiential learning that will deepen your understanding of community-based arts and how they can be leveraged to drive positive change in communities.  [ 4 cr. ]

This course is designed to equip students with the tools and critical thinking skills to identify and apply appropriate methodologies to support the work of their organizations as practitioners and consumers of research. We will review the major approaches to social science research, including a range of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies, and consider the relevance of each research framework to specific questions in the arts. The course will consider the role of arts research in domains such as audience development and marketing; program evaluation and assessment; social and economic impact; decision-making and reflective practice; collaboration and creation; case making and communication with the public. [4 credits]   [ 4 cr. ]