AAAE 2021 Virtual Conference: REIMAGINE/RECONNECT/RENEW

The presentation will discuss the following:
- the current lack of arts administration programs at HBCUs
- why these programs should be created and expanded
- how South Carolina State University identified the need for an arts administration program
- recommendation for starting an arts administration program in this context

We also hope to facilitate conversation on how this could build a pipeline for diverse leadership in the field.

Join Zoom Meeting - All Conference Sessions are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
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Meeting ID: 880 9263 5115
Password: Your password is provided in the "Additional Information" section of your Eventbrite Order Confirmation Email. If you haven't registered, please register HERE

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Meeting ID: 880 9263 5115

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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused traditional in-person experiences in the arts to pivot to a remote format, vocational internships included. Remote internships not only give students additional opportunities to collaborate within a national and global context, but address typical equity concerns and potential barriers that students may face with an in-person experience. In this mixed-methods study, leadership effectiveness in Davis Shakespeare Festival’s (DSF) Digital Internship Program (DIP) was studied in the context of remote engagement. Four leaders were interviewed individually and seventeen internship participants completed a quantitative survey that measured perceived leadership effectiveness. Additionally, an ethnographic approach was used in order to measure company policies and procedures that promoted diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives. Using triangulation, findings concluded that despite having to pivot from an in-person internship experience to a virtual format, both company leadership and internship participants perceived leadership effectiveness as either very or extremely effective. Results also indicated that a virtual internship format did not negatively affect perceived leadership effectiveness or community building, despite the lack of in-person experiences. The value of this study lies in its evidence that internships in the arts can be effective even when operating remotely, thus finding innovative ways to fulfill traditional university internship requirements. As the findings suggest, one path to success is for organizations to continue to facilitate remote internship opportunities that foster collaboration, mentorship, empowerment, openness, diversity, equity, and accessibility and shy away from simply copying their traditional in-person experiences to a digital realm.

Join Zoom Meeting - All Conference Sessions are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81559985393

Meeting ID: 815 5998 5393
Password: Your password is provided in the "Additional Information" section of your Eventbrite Order Confirmation Email. If you haven't registered, please register HERE

One tap mobile
+13462487799,,81559985393#,,,,*09120310# US (Houston)
+16699009128,,81559985393#,,,,*09120310# US (San Jose)

Dial by your location
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
Meeting ID: 815 5998 5393

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kl4maPZQp

For arts administration professionals emerging from university programs, internships can play an important role in helping to secure a job upon graduation. Many students, however, struggle with the costs associated with internships; still others struggle with receiving adequate mentorship. In this presentation, we draw on internship data collected over three years (2016-2019) to demonstrate how our students measure the value of internship experiences and what they consider both opportunities and challenges for internship in the current job landscape. Our research reveals that while a majority of students are interning with non-profit arts organizations, more and more now seek commercial sector opportunities. Moreover, regardless of major in fine arts, the majority of students are pursuing arts administration internships because they offer the most ready access to arts professions. Furthermore, while unpaid internships remain common for opportunities, students increasingly report that lack of pay remains a barrier to participation.

These findings and others from our research suggest that arts administration internships remain valuable to students across the fine arts and demonstrate a clear need to increase access to these experiences. There is ample evidence that many fine arts alumni engage in portfolio careers, balancing multiple self-employed jobs and projects (SNAAP). Self-employed artists of all stripes require the same skills as arts administrators. Yet, data from Indiana University’s Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) indicates that many arts alumni are not obtaining these skills as part of their education. There are ongoing conversations occurring in the higher education community regarding how to fill this gap, yet the findings of this study indicate how internships can serve as a solution.

Because the majority of internships appear to be unpaid, the question of access remains critical. While internships provide valuable work experience, many students lack the financial resources, social connections and time to find and pursue an internship (Hora, 2019). “Unpaid internships specifically run the risk of unequal socioeconomic and racial representation. They typically can be afforded only by those with enough economic security to work for free for months at a time,” (Medina-Perez, 2019). In this presentation, we will share what one college of fine arts did to increase participation in internships that resulted in a 156% increase in enrollment in internship courses. Initiatives included a scholarship to assist in offsetting some of the costs associated with an internship, offering summer internship courses through the university’s extension program which provides a reduced tuition rate and working with advisors to make students aware that optional internship credits can fulfill major coursework requirements.

Join Zoom Meeting - All Conference Sessions are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86227086460

Password: Your password is provided in the "Additional Information" section of your Eventbrite Order Confirmation Email. If you haven't registered, please register HERE