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AMHERST, N.Y. (January 19, 2021) – The ˿����Ƶ College Department of Visual and Performing Arts will launch a dynamic new interdisciplinary program, the B.S. in Leadership and Entrepreneurship in the Arts, in the fall of 2021. The program is designed to equip graduates with the necessary skills for a career as a working artist and/or as highly qualified candidates for jobs within arts organizations both locally and globally.

The program was crafted with the help of 30 leading arts managers and other arts professionals whom faculty members enjoy close working relationships with. The program stresses strong foundations in the liberal arts, the visual and performing arts, cultural and visual literacy, creative thinking, as well as business, leadership and managerial skills. The program also stresses practical entrepreneurial opportunities, both on and off campus, and its classes are closely interwoven with exciting initiatives within a range of academic disciplines, as well as leading professional arts organizations in and around Buffalo and Western New York. 

“The Department of Visual and Performing Arts at ˿����Ƶ College has, for a long time now, been determined to provide graduates in the fine and performing arts with the skills needed to succeed as creatives. The growth of the start-up and gig economies, coupled with changes within the not-for-profit cultural sector, led us to design a new program that can provide students with both a deep foundation in the arts, and the skills needed to succeed as creative professionals,” said Dr. Robert Waterhouse, chair/associate professor of theatre at ˿����Ƶ College. 

Graduates of the program will be equipped to sustain and promote themselves as individual artists, lead arts organizations, or build a career within the not-for-profit cultural sector as artistic directors, executive directors, managing directors, professional artists, and many other management positions needed within cultural organizations. 

“˿����Ƶ’s new program provides a wide perspective on an emerging field. Course work will introduce students to entrepreneurship, management principles, fundraising, and organizational structure while providing foundational learning in literature, philosophy and art appreciation. Leadership and Entrepreneurship in the Arts will provide the necessary framework for the next generation of arts professionals to understand and contribute to the cultural sector,” said Dan Shanahan, assistant professor and program director for entrepreneurial studies at ˿����Ƶ College. 

Course work will be complemented by project-based learning components, internships within the region’s vibrant and diverse cultural sector, and study abroad opportunities. Students will form, as a cohort, a business enterprise to deliver the creation of a single artistic product (an exhibition, a production, a radio show) while engaging in the development, management and presentation of the creative endeavor.  The program emphasizes such skills as financial management, marketing, organizational, programming, and event planning while guiding students through the practical considerations of producing a collective, artistic project for public reception. 

To learn more about the program and connect with the ˿����Ƶ College Office of Admissions, check out this video and visit /LEA.