ArtsLine: Winter 2017
Do No Harm; Do Good
The Grants Panelist Experience
When the Arts Meet Activism
Student, Faculty, & Alumni News
The Grants Panelist Experience
When the Arts Meet Activism
Student, Faculty, & Alumni News
Letter from the Editor
Hello, ArtsLine Readers!
I feel as though years have passed between the release of ArtsLine’s fall issue and now instead of mere months. My personal news consumption has become an exhausting but necessary daily task, and admittedly, I’m still working to seek the balance between “work and play” that I discussed in the fall. I now feel an added pressure to engage more in my communities and be more politically active.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, another theme emerged while developing ArtsLine this quarter: activism and advocacy. In this issue, you’ll learn about what it’s like to serve on a grants panel, how the Artistic Rebuttal Project was born, and why a musician is so passionate about world peace.
I’m also excited to let you know that nine members of the Arts Administration Graduate Association (AAGA) are attending Arts Advocacy Day in Washington D.C. this month! Later in April, AAGA is hosting its annual Arts Auction. Funds raised from the event will enable us to continue to underwrite the costs of sending our students to Arts Advocacy Day annually so that our students may engage in this important experience for free.
This year’s auction will be held on April 28th, 2017 at the URBN Center, and we are currently soliciting donations from artists and organizations. Many thanks to those who have contributed thus far. I hope to see many of you at the auction!
As always, I invite you to help shape ArtsLine, and I welcome your insights and contributions.
I feel as though years have passed between the release of ArtsLine’s fall issue and now instead of mere months. My personal news consumption has become an exhausting but necessary daily task, and admittedly, I’m still working to seek the balance between “work and play” that I discussed in the fall. I now feel an added pressure to engage more in my communities and be more politically active.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, another theme emerged while developing ArtsLine this quarter: activism and advocacy. In this issue, you’ll learn about what it’s like to serve on a grants panel, how the Artistic Rebuttal Project was born, and why a musician is so passionate about world peace.
I’m also excited to let you know that nine members of the Arts Administration Graduate Association (AAGA) are attending Arts Advocacy Day in Washington D.C. this month! Later in April, AAGA is hosting its annual Arts Auction. Funds raised from the event will enable us to continue to underwrite the costs of sending our students to Arts Advocacy Day annually so that our students may engage in this important experience for free.
This year’s auction will be held on April 28th, 2017 at the URBN Center, and we are currently soliciting donations from artists and organizations. Many thanks to those who have contributed thus far. I hope to see many of you at the auction!
As always, I invite you to help shape ArtsLine, and I welcome your insights and contributions.
Warmly,
Sarah Braverman
Graduate Assistant
sarahbraves@drexel.edu
Letter from the Program Directors
Jean Brody, Online Program Director
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Julie Hawkins, Campus Program Director
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Dear AADM Students, Alumni and Friends:
We write during an exciting time for the program, but a challenging time for all of us who care about the arts. While Arts Administration at Drexel is thriving, the arts and cultural sector faces real threats from the current administration, which is currently considering either reductions in funding or complete elimination of several government agencies that support our work: the NEA, the NEH, IMLS, and public broadcasting are all potentially on the chopping block. In addition, charitable tax deductions may be under threat as part of a broader tax reform bill. If there was ever a time to raise your voice as an arts advocate, it’s now!
As usual, we will be sending a strong contingency to Arts Advocacy Day from the Arts Administration program. Faculty members Julie Hawkins and Jean Brody will be joined by 9 current students in Washington DC this March 20-21, including Signe Carlson, Felicia Knise, Elizabeth Marlowe, Sarah Braverman, Jiaqi Teng, Xiaoyi Cao, Xiaomeng Xiong, Danhong Chai, and Brooke Brehm. We’ve heard from a few alums who are planning to attend as well. If you’re planning to be there, send us a note to jrg462@drexel.edu and jeb327@drexel.edu.
If you can’t attend, please take a look here or check out your own state’s arts advocacy organization, and speak out for the arts!
We write during an exciting time for the program, but a challenging time for all of us who care about the arts. While Arts Administration at Drexel is thriving, the arts and cultural sector faces real threats from the current administration, which is currently considering either reductions in funding or complete elimination of several government agencies that support our work: the NEA, the NEH, IMLS, and public broadcasting are all potentially on the chopping block. In addition, charitable tax deductions may be under threat as part of a broader tax reform bill. If there was ever a time to raise your voice as an arts advocate, it’s now!
As usual, we will be sending a strong contingency to Arts Advocacy Day from the Arts Administration program. Faculty members Julie Hawkins and Jean Brody will be joined by 9 current students in Washington DC this March 20-21, including Signe Carlson, Felicia Knise, Elizabeth Marlowe, Sarah Braverman, Jiaqi Teng, Xiaoyi Cao, Xiaomeng Xiong, Danhong Chai, and Brooke Brehm. We’ve heard from a few alums who are planning to attend as well. If you’re planning to be there, send us a note to jrg462@drexel.edu and jeb327@drexel.edu.
If you can’t attend, please take a look here or check out your own state’s arts advocacy organization, and speak out for the arts!
Faculty Highlights
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Andrew Zitcer - Andrew, Julie, and Neville were invited to submit an essay to the international urban affairs website Metropolitics, on the importance of community based arts and culture. Based on their research in West Philadelphia in 2013-14, they underscore the importance of considering equality of opportunity, distributing funding to areas that need it most, and validating the work that arts does to support a well-rounded urban life. Read more at: http://www.metropolitiques.eu/The-Arts-as-Fundamental-and.html |
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Neville Vakharia - Neville Vakharia was awarded a $25,000 research grant from Stanford University’s Center on Philanthropy & Civil Society, and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He will conduct field research on nonprofit data sources and develop a prototype tool to assess how nonprofits and philanthropies can leverage community indicators and data as a means to enhance their programs and explore collaborations. This was a highly competitive grant program, and he was one of just seven grantees selected nationwide. |
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Julie Hawkins - Julie will moderate a panel for Mural Arts Philadelphia on Tuesday, March 21st from 6 - 8:00 p.m. Part of a series of conversations and workshops this Spring in response to the current political climate, the panel continues Mural Arts Philadelphia’s dialogue with artists and activists. Visit https://www.muralarts.org/events/ for more information. |
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Jean Brody - Jean is participating this year in the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative. This initiative is evaluating ways that the Alliance can identify and model best practices, as well as promote best practice amongst its constituencies. |
Department News:
After five years as Department Assistant and Grants Manager, Arts Administration alum Danielle Swan has moved on to a new position as Operations Manager for the Lindy Institute, right here in the URBN Center. Thanks, Danielle, for all the great years of keeping all of us on track.
Dr. Andrew Zitcer has been appointed the inaugural Program Director of the new MS in Urban Strategies, an interdisciplinary program that builds on his knowledge of urban planning and the arts. Andrew will continue to teach in Arts Administration next year, while also building his new program. Congratulations, Andrew!
This year Drexel has added the option of minors for graduate programs. Minors have been approved for both Arts Administration and Museum Leadership, and we are starting to hear from students interested in both. These minors will be available beginning in September, and will add even greater flexibility to students majoring in Arts Administration or Museum Leadership.
Market Research. We have been conducting some market research, including a survey and alumni focus groups, in order to determine how best to promote the Arts Administration and Museum Leadership programs. Thanks to Carly Rapaport-Stein for her work on this project, and to all of you who have responded to her requests for participation.
Student & Alumni Research. Arts Administration students are putting their thesis research to work. This fall, Patrick Bailey, Lindsey Gearhart Nevin, and Stephanie Rankin presented their completed theses to the faculty. Leah Hamilton presented her thesis on emergency preparedness for arts organizations at the conference of Social Theory, Politics & the Arts in Montreal, Canada. Brittnie Sterner’s thesis on the organizational and cultural dynamics of First Person Arts, a live storytelling event in Philadelphia, was published in the Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society (Sterner, Brittanie. 2016. The Story Slam Model: Leveraging Autobiography in Participatory Arts for Audience Diversification. The Journal of Arts Management, Law & Society, Vol. 46 Issue 5: 274-281.)
Alumni Connections. This year we are laying the foundations for a more active role for program alumni in supporting the program. An Alumni Council has formed and is developing ways to keep you involved. If you want to join the Council, please contact Carly Rapaport-Stein at carlyrapaportstein@gmail.com. In the meantime, here are a few things you can do:
We’d like all alums to consider ArtsLine a great way to let our community know about your news! Please submit news about new jobs, moves, adventures, and family members to sarahbraves@drexel.edu.
Student & Alumni Research. Arts Administration students are putting their thesis research to work. This fall, Patrick Bailey, Lindsey Gearhart Nevin, and Stephanie Rankin presented their completed theses to the faculty. Leah Hamilton presented her thesis on emergency preparedness for arts organizations at the conference of Social Theory, Politics & the Arts in Montreal, Canada. Brittnie Sterner’s thesis on the organizational and cultural dynamics of First Person Arts, a live storytelling event in Philadelphia, was published in the Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society (Sterner, Brittanie. 2016. The Story Slam Model: Leveraging Autobiography in Participatory Arts for Audience Diversification. The Journal of Arts Management, Law & Society, Vol. 46 Issue 5: 274-281.)
Alumni Connections. This year we are laying the foundations for a more active role for program alumni in supporting the program. An Alumni Council has formed and is developing ways to keep you involved. If you want to join the Council, please contact Carly Rapaport-Stein at carlyrapaportstein@gmail.com. In the meantime, here are a few things you can do:
- AAGA Auction April 28. Save the date of April 28 for this year’s AAGA Auction at Drexel’s URBN Center. Plan to be there, bid on the great artwork and arts events, catch up with old classmates, meet the new students and recently minted alums, and generally have a great time while supporting AAGA. If you have a work of art or an arts event that you’d like to donate for the auction, contact Felicia Knise at fk332@drexel.edu.
- Alumni Legacy Fund. We are beginning to build a special fund that will support a variety of priorities identified by the program. These priorities include items such as support for travel to conferences for current students and recent alumni, and toward future scholarships. If you would like to help us get this fund started, please send a check in any amount made out to Drexel University, with Arts Administration in the memo line. Mail your contribution to Bridget Lynch, Department of Arts & Entertainment Enterprise, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St., 71-210, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Thank you for your support!
- Connect More Dragons! If you know of other alums who may not be connected to the program, please encourage them to contact us with their current information so we can have up to date information on all alumni contact information as well as current employment. Send updated contact info to Julie at julie.hawkins@drexel.edu.
We’d like all alums to consider ArtsLine a great way to let our community know about your news! Please submit news about new jobs, moves, adventures, and family members to sarahbraves@drexel.edu.
