Arts Management

A major is offered in Arts Management, with concentrations in Art History, Dance, Fine Arts, Graphic Communications, Mass Communication, Music, and Theater Arts. 

Many students enrolled in the Arts Management Program at Franklin Pierce are also involved with the Small Business Advisory Group (SBA) and/or Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). Both of these opportunities offer students a chance to participate in problem-solving activities, such as developing marketing and business plans for profit and nonprofit organizations. The SBA team works in partnership with the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center. The SIFE team affords students the opportunity to compete against other universities and colleges and meet executives from Fortune 500 companies.

The Arts Management Program is a recent addition to the Business Administration Division at Franklin Pierce. Students combine a core curriculum in business with courses in their chosen concentration (Art History, Dance, Fine Arts, Graphic Communications, Mass Communication, Music or Theatre). This gives students the opportunity to study an artistic interest while they develop practical business skills. Profit and nonprofit arts organizations including theatres, concert halls, museums and dance groups have a growing need for workers and managers who possess a unique combination of business skills and passion for the arts. 

Students who graduate with an Arts Management Major have the knowledge and skills required to lead arts organizations. They are prepared to help such organizations maintain financial stability while they effective serve their target markets.

Coursework seeks to ground students in the following objectives:

1. To develop leadership skills
2. To develop market communication skills, including public relations
3. To develop fund raising skills
4. To develop grant writing skills
5. To understand how profit and nonprofit organizations are structured and managed
6. To understand accounting and financial processes
7. To understand the processes of scanning and analysis of the external environment
8. To acquire practice and context knowledge/skills in an arts concentration (art history, dance, fine arts, graphic communications, mass communication, music, or theatre)
9. To apply arts management principles in a real-world setting

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “as leisure time and personal incomes have grown across the Nation, so has the arts, entertainment, and recreation industry. The industry includes about 122,000 establishments, ranging from art museums to fitness centers…The diverse range of activities offered by this industry can be categorized into three broad groups—live performances or events; historical, cultural, or educational exhibits; and recreation or leisure-time activities.”

Possible Career Paths:

News from the Arts Management Department

Students in the Arts Management Program, in conjunction with a local business development group (TEAM Jaffrey), have conducted market research to determine the feasibility of reopening the historic Park Theatre. Built in 1922 and expanded several times, the theatre sits in the center of downtown Jaffrey, NH. For more than a half century, it was theplace for movies, plays, vaudeville, and community events. Sold in 1976, the theatre has since been a warehouse for picture frames, bicycles and sports equipment for 30 years. In February 2006, a group of private citizens formed The Park Theatre Corporation. Using donations from all over the country, the group bought the theatre with the intent to renovate and reopen the historic landmark.
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Want to Know More?

View the College at Rindge Academic Catalog for specific degree requirements and course information.

Contact

Franklin Pierce University
College at Rindge 
1.800.437.0048
admissions@franklinpierce.edu

FACULTY

Jason Little
Associate Professor of Marketing
B.Mus., Keene State College
M.B.A., New Hampshire College
Ed.D., Nova Southeastern University
littlejc@franklinpierce.edu 

Affilated Faculty

Richard Block
Professor of Graphic Communications/Information Technology
B.A., Harpur College of the State University of New York at Binghamton
M.F.A., Milton Avery Graduate School of Arts, Bard College
rich@franklinpierce.edu

Katherine Coker-Cronin
Senior Lecturer of Fine Arts
A.A., Foothill College
B.A., San Francisco State University
M.F.A., Norwich University
cronink@franklinpierce.edu 

Lorettann Devlin-Gascard
Associate Professor of Art History
B.A., Fairleigh Dickinson University
M.A., Montclair State College
Ph.D., Freie Universität of Berlin
gascardld@franklinpierce.edu

Wendy Dwyer
Associate Professor of Dance
B.A., University of Rochester
M.F.A., Sarah Lawrence College
dwyerwb@franklinpierce.edu

Robert Lawson
Associate Professor of Theatre Arts
B.A., Vassar College
M.F.A., New York University
lawsonrc@franklinpierce.edu

Paul Scharfenberger
Associate Professor of Music
B.Mus., University of Lowell
M.A., Keene State College
scharfpe@franklinpierce.edu

Nancy Stone
Professor, Theatre Arts
Chair, Division of Visual and Performing Arts
B.S., Kansas State University
M.F.A., Boston University
stonen@franklinpierce.edu

Phyllis Zrzavy
Professor of Mass Communication
B.S., B.Phil., M.Ed., Miami University
Ph.D., Bowling Green State University
zrzavyps@franklinpierce.edu