By: Mattie Cieplak, Staff Writer
Starting next fall, Xavier will offer a new minor, the Xavier Arts Administration Program (XAAP), housed in the College of Arts and Sciences under the Department of Art.
Created by Dr. Jason C. White, a professor in the Department of Art with the guidance of the Dean of College of Arts and Sciences David Mengel and Chair of the Art Department Suzanne Chouteau, the minor targets curricula focusing on arts management.
White defined arts administration as “historically, an occupational field responsible for the leadership, management and sustainability of not-for-profit arts and cultural organizations.”
The minor will consist of five three-credit hour classes, totaling fifteen credit hours to complete; no prerequisite courses will be required.
“The mission of the program is to teach students how to carry out administrative responsibilities in diverse arts organizations,” White stated.
White illustrated the reasoning behind an arts administration minor, explaining that many job opportunities are opening up in a generational transition from those who are retiring to the new workforce. White also described that faculty in the Department of Art recognized the need for art students at Xavier to learn both the business of art and not-for-profit arts management.
Students with an XAAP minor will learn skills in not-for-profit arts leadership, artistic programming, oral communication, diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility (DEIA) concepts, not-for-profit financial planning, not-for-profit fundraising and grant writing, arts marketing and digital ticketing systems.
This program will prep students for professional opportunities at places such as art museums, galleries, theater companies, performing arts halls, presenting arts companies, community arts centers, state arts associations and public arts-granting foundations.
Students will also have the chance to work hands-on with not-for-profit organizations in Cincinnati. The class ARTS 130: Introduction to Arts Administration will work with various arts venues including Kennedy Heights Arts Center, The Cincinnati Ballet, The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, The Cincinnati Art Museum, Elementz Hip Hop Cultural Arts Center and the Ensemble Theater Company of Cincinnati.
When taking ARTS 230: Financial Planning in the Arts, students will be prepared for full-time entry level jobs right after graduation in the arts field. White describes the class as teaching students “how to make money through diverse creative activities to support their own artistic creation, as well as how to achieve financial goals in not-for-profit arts organizations.”
ARTS 130 and ARTS 230 have an extra benefit as they fulfill the Diversity Flag and the Quantitative Reasoning Flag, respectively. Other classes for the XAAP minor include: ARTS 330: Arts Marketing & Ticketing and ARTS 331: Fundraising for Arts Organizations. The fifth required class is a communications course, COMM 101, which focuses on oral communication and speech writing. The two departments have collaborated to make the minor as successful and beneficial as possible.
The XAAP minor caters mostly to students who major in Art, Digital Innovation, Film and Television (DIFT), Theatre and Music so that they can graduate with arts administration knowledge and skills. The minor will also serve business majors, providing them with an opportunity to learn about not-for-profit management in global arts and cultural industries. However, this program is open to any and all who are interested.
White will also serve as the Inaugural Director of the XAAP minor and will teach four of the five courses offered under the minor.
More information about the Xavier Arts Administration Program minor can be found on the Xavier University website or by contacting Dr. White at whitej48@xavier.edu.