
What
Monday, May 23, 2022
Adapting from City Mouse to Country Mouse: Managing the Arts in Urban and Rural Communities
Adapting from City Mouse to Country Mouse – How does arts management differ in urban and rural environments? What roles do arts organizations serve in rural vs. urban communities? What’s different and what’s universal? This session will compare the role of the arts in rural and urban communities. Attendees will learn about the strengths and challenges of each of these communities via research and real-world examples. They will also gain strategies in how to approach fundraising, programming, and organizational development depending on their environment. Based on a chapter from Managing Arts Organizations.
Public Perceptions of Artists: A vantage on artists before and two years into the pandemic

Jennifer Novak Leonard
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Research Associate Professor and Research Director of the Arts Impact Initiative in the College of Fine and Applied Arts; SNAAP Board Vice President & Research DirectorThis research examines public perceptions of artists. This study examines if public opinions of artists have changed since the start of the pandemic and provides insights on current public perceptions of artists, discussed in light of the many challenges catalyzed by the pandemic that have disproportionately impacted segments of artists and relevance to the training of arts administrators. This study utilizes cross-sectional survey data collected from over 2,000 U.S. adults in 2019 and 2022.
No Theater Left Behind: A Case for Digital Programming
The COVID-19 pandemic presented nonprofit theaters an immediate and critical choice: shut down until the health concerns passed, or shift to digital programming to continue to serve audiences. Now, as theaters reopen their physical spaces, an equally existential choice has emerged: leave COVID-era digital programming behind, or continue to incorporate digital programming moving forward.
This presentation answers a timely question for the post-COVID era: Why invest in digital programming for the long haul? “No Theater Left Behind” presents a research-driven case to convince arts managers, boards, and other stakeholders that digital programming is essential to the future of nonprofit theater, even post-COVID.
Can Everyone See My Screen?: Recommendations for Arts Organizations Navigating Hybrid Digital Engagement

Michael Pritchard
University of Kentucky, Arts Administration Doctoral Student at the University of KentuckyArts organizations constantly adjusted the ways they functioned digitally during the pandemic’s height. As COVID-19-related mandates evolve to allow for more in-person programming, organizations which utilized digital engagement to remain relevant must determine which aspects are most valuable. We will explore impacts of continued expanded digital engagement as organizations continue to readjust programming; and, provide recommendations for arts organizations to consider long-term. Presented by Michael Pritchard, Alaina Faulkner (Distance Library Services team at Florida State University), and Gabriela Shutt (Community Engagement Fellow at the Pacific Northwest Ballet), this work seeks to support arts organizations navigating the new hybrid frontier.
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Radical Grace: How the Arts Administration sector can leverage digital engagement events to accomplish democratic participation in the field
Throughout the pandemic, we all witness both positive and negative outcomes from our rapid responses. This session will share the outcomes of a body of research which examined how arts and cultural education programs responded to the COVID-19 crisis (among other concurrent crises occurring in the U.S. and worldwide). A specific phenomena that was observed was the use of ‘radical grace,’ which will showcase: 1. Holding space for equitable conversation, employing community norms structure; 2. Integrated practices of mindfulness to ground practitioners in uncertain circumstances; and 3. Co-creating learning sessions, reimagining strategies for the classroom through arts-based and virtual lenses.
Data, Pressing Needs, and Biggest Challenges for Institutions and Researchers: Insights from the Field

Jennifer Novak Leonard
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Research Associate Professor and Research Director of the Arts Impact Initiative in the College of Fine and Applied Arts; SNAAP Board Vice President & Research Director
Ximena Varela
American University, Associate Professor & Program Director; President, Association of Arts Administration Educators
Jonathan Kuuskoski
University of Michigan, Chair, Department of Entrepreneurship and Leadership; Director, EXCEL Lab School of Music, Theatre & DanceThe Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) presents key highlights from the SNAAP focus group report - a synthesis of insights collected via conversations with faculty and administrators in fall 2021 to take stock of the information and data needs of post-secondary institutions providing training in arts, design, arts administration and related creative fields.
What can be learned from SNAAP’s field-wide conversations? What systems can be put in place to better support arts administration students and educators as they adapt new technology and respond to big changes in the field? Engage in a broad discussion around data and information needs germane to current and future arts administrators and educators about post-secondary artists and designers’ training and the future of artists and arts administration careers.
Envisioning the Post-Pandemic Landscape for Arts Leaders Arts
Since March 2020, arts administrators have relearned the ABCs of dynamic decision-making and leadership skills to keep their organizations alive and resilient. Panelists Jan Newcomb (National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness & Emergency Response), Tom Clareson (Performing Arts Readiness project) and Carol Foster (International Association of Blacks in Dance) discuss the “who’s, what’s and how’s” of successful responses to the pandemic and provide information, tools, and best practices to demonstrate “why” arts leaders need to build their organization’s resilience to future crises and changing environments. Topics will touch on and include examples of necessary core competencies in critical functions of management.
An Arts Administration Educator's Guide to Teaching "Arts in Health"

Patricia Dewey Lambert
University of Oregon, Professor, School of Planning, Public Policy and ManagementAs the world recovers from the trauma of COVID-19, arts leaders everywhere are being called on to promote public health, support community well-being, and enhance the healthcare experience. “Arts in health” is a large academic and professional field that engages the arts in support of health and well-being. Arts administration educators will benefit greatly from the educational resources in this field provided by the National Organization for Arts in Health (NOAH), especially its new Core Curriculum for Arts in Health Professionals.
The ‘Shadow Pandemic’ of Gender-Based Violence (GBV): Activism Art Raises Awareness about GBV During a Global Crisis
Public art and activism art diverge where activism art is built on concepts of audience, relationships, communication, and political intention where public art is centered in “place” or “location” (Lacy, 1995). Historically public art is grounded on the principle that establishing art accessibility, can solve societal issues, however, public art can’t heal those affected during volatile times such as a pandemic, war, or famine (Mlambo-Ngcuka, 2020). Through the lens of personal experience, a literature review, case study analysis, interviews, and visual mapping, this project examines how public art can provide routes to new conceptions of community and provide avenues to heal.
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Wearing Multiple Hats: Expanding and Evolving Multiple Professional Identities in the Arts & Cultural Sector during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Through a deep analysis of a wide range of field research on multi-hyphenate identity, this paper examines the unique difficulties and advantages faced by professionals in the arts and cultural sector who hold multiple identities simultaneously: artists who teach, independent contractors with several contract jobs, musicians who are activists, etc. Further, the ever-expanding and evolving identity of those who previously wore "one hat" will be explored, with a focus on how the pandemic has perhaps pushed them toward a multi-hyphenate identity. This paper presents the challenges and opportunities presented by Covid, and how the pandemic continues to shape multidisciplinary work in arts and culture.
Amplifying Student Voices: Opportunities for Expression through a Collaborative Public Photography Project
Filling a void created by the pandemic and exacerbated by educational inequities, the AMPLIFY workshop employed issue-based art education to encourage local high school students to explore personal, local, and global change through digital and hand-manipulated photography. With a focus on access to studio resources and instruction, the resulting installation of collaborative public art in the windows of the campus Art building offered a visible platform to amplify underrepresented youth perspectives.
The Creative Classroom: Engaging Students Through Collaborative Teaching and Experiential Learning
Faculty from Purchase College overview and discuss creative approaches to arts management pedagogy in undergraduate education supported through cross department and campus partnerships. Innovative teaching that integrates diverse perspectives, current field practice, hands-on discovery and public performance opportunities generates student engagement and self-efficacy key to academic and post-college success. Models of collaborative and responsive course design fostering cross-disciplinary knowledge, program planning, project management and interpersonal and public communication skills will be shared along with impacts on diverse participants including instructors, campus and external partners.
Adaptive Impact Planning: Towards a New Model of Strategic Planning For Rapidly Changing Times
Anecdotal evidence suggests that organizational planning that focuses on an organization’s impact within its community is more likely to result in programming that successfully meets its mission and serves its stakeholders, avoiding mission creep. Unlike a traditional strategic plan alone, the Adaptive Impact Plan (AIP) — developed by Bridget Woodbury, Director of Communications and Engagement at Creative Generation, as part of her Master's Thesis in 2015 — centers around the mission, and uses information collected from stakeholders to answer the question "what now?" whether you're faced with a $100 million dollar donation or a global pandemic.
Thursday, May 26, 2022
Inclusion and Engagement of Marginalized Students: "Starting from YES" as an Example of a Curb-Cutting Technique that Benefits All Students

Jim O'Connell
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Associate Professor / Arts Management CoordinatorSeeking to establish a culture of respect, inclusion, and affirmation, our program makes the centerpiece of each course a student-defined project involving a real or imagined organization. When questions arise, the answer is yes, always yes, validating students' prior experience and enduring interests, enabling them to see themselves in roles once considered irrelevant or unattainable. This “curb-cutting” technique not only fosters inclusion and engagement of traditionally marginalized groups but makes the curriculum more accessible for all. After presentation of the example, participants will brainstorm ways in which they might regrade the "Big Steps" in their own curricula that trip up even promising students.
The Los Angeles 1932 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: An Arts Administration Perspective
This comparative case study utilizes mega-event legacy theory (Preuss, 2007) to examine how the Great Depression and the corona virus pandemic impacted the size, scale, and participation of the cultural programming the Los Angeles 1932 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. It also explores how these factors affected the host’s approach to cultural diplomacy (Cummings, 2003) during the Olympic games. This study frames the cultural programming as cultural diplomacy and identifies potential cultural outcomes like changes in international perception, relationship building and interactions between artists and organizations.
Nonprofit Arts Education in NYC: Administrative and Financial Challenges in Government-Nonprofit Relationships
A large volume of arts instruction in NYC public schools is provided by arts and cultural nonprofits with funding from city agencies through grants and contracts. Using a mixed methods approach, this project collects data from nonprofit professionals to study the demographics of their organizations and their experiences with city agencies. Participants report a range of administrative and financial challenges encountered in their work and a fundamentally different understanding of the nature of the relationship compared to that of agency administrators. Specific recommendations are offered to improve collaboration, streamline and clarify administrative processes, and prioritize consistency and equity in funding.
Salary Disclosure in Arts Administration Job Postings
This presentation focuses on whether increasing discourse surrounding the link between pay transparency and salary equity has resulted in arts organizations disclosing salary information in their job postings. Data regarding whether salary was disclosed in arts administration job postings was collected over a seven-month period. Over 800 job postings were analyzed to determine if they provided details on salary. The presentation also investigates if salary disclosure has an effect on what positions arts administrators choose to apply for. The findings indicate that many arts organizations still do not provide salary information in the job description even though it is an important factor for candidates.
Making a virtue of necessity: alternative online teaching environments

Annetta Latham
MacEwan University, Chair, Arts & Cultural Management Department, Coordinator Interdisciplinary StudiesDuring the pandemic, professors have adopted tools that replace or improve upon classroom elements, such as Miro or Padlet in lieu of a blackboard or whiteboard, and Poll Everywhere or Kahoot to promote engagement on Zoom, as would a well-considered discussion in the classroom.
This practical session includes case story material of classroom and program elements that have been delivered online effectively via Gather.town, Kunstmatrix, and Sketch-Up, with “how-tos” and ideas about how to begin. Let’s make these available tools our own, modelling their appropriate use to peers and learners. Please join us for a session of play and learning!