Arts Management Program

About Our Current Students:

Click here to read about some of our current graduating class.

Hsin-Ching Wu wrote 'Encountering Art Firms in Gattieres' published in A Masters of Business Art? Arts Management Paper Series #3. 

Hsin-Ching, also known as Tiffany, joined the Arts Management program after obtaining a M.A. in American Studies with a concentration in Museum Studies from UB.   She wishes to pursue a career as museum or gallery professional.  Hsin-Ching has previously worked for Dr. Sandra Olsen, the Director of UB Art Gallery conducting research on selected artwork for shows during an internship and undertook a fieldwork course for the collection management department at Burchfield-Penny Art Center.  She is currently working for Mr. David K. Anderson, who donated the Anderson Gallery to UB, and is providing him assistance with organizing his personal collection.  The program has also nurtured her interests in cultural  policies which she wishes to explore more in the following course of study.  Hsin-Ching also has contributed an essay to A Master's of  Business Art?, the 3rd volume of the Arts Management Program Occasional Paper Series, after attending the summer school course in Gattières, France.

“The program has given me so much valuable experience in the field of arts management, both intellectually and in practice.  I found myself gaining great confidence since I know that all I have learnt from the program will eventually assist me in the future.  The program's dynamic energy has offered me new way of understanding the relation among the arts, culture and policy making.  I am eager to learn more and will take the knowledge into my professional development as an art manager.”

Ayondela Noble co-ordinated Buffalo Arts Studio's triennial "Trimania"

Ayondela entered the Arts Management Program with a strong interest to work in the media arts industry.  She has performed in theater since she was 7 years old and her most recent performances include Vagina Monologues, a theatrical fundraising event that raised $3000 for Crisis Services (a non profit organization dedicated to working with survivors of sexual assault.) In addition to her work in theater, she served as a Co-Volunteer Co-ordinator for Hallwalls Media Art Center annual fundraising event, Artists and Models (2007) and as Co-ordinator of Buffalo Arts Studio’s tri-annual, fundraising campaign, Trimania which raised over $80,000.  Her ultimate goal is to create her own media production company with a focus on women’s roles in all aspects of media.

“My whole life I have been in love with the arts but it was not until I began this program that I realized why.  The Arts have a complex and intricate role in life of society and only through the Arts Management program at UB I have began the process of developing the skills to understand what that role really means.”

Jiehsan Wen is currently an intern with the American Symphony Orchestra and working at Bard College this summer

Jieshan followed her interest to become an art manager and came to the United States to continue her education at the State University of New York at Buffalo.  She joined the graduate program of Arts management to broaden her knowledge in this field.  Since she arrived in the U.S. she has learned a lot about cultures different from her own.  As an international student at UB, she has make friends and professional contacts from all around the world.

“The education in this program broadened my scope of understanding about the arts.  I came to this program having spent four years of undergraduate study in Beijing to learn how to become an arts manager. Now, this program has provided me with different viewpoints about how the arts are managed. Armed with the knowledge gained from two study experiences in the same field but different emphasis, I am ready to contribute to the fascinating field of arts business.”

Jeff Langridge is currently writing grants for the Buffalo Arts Studio

Jeff joined the program after exploring many different subjects including Business, English, Art History and Library Science.  Finally finding the ideal subject in Arts Management, he forwards his career aspirations of working in the arts not-for-profit sector.  While in the program Jeff has written press releases and website needs assessment reports for the Darwin Martin House Complex.  Currently, he is writing grants at the Buffalo Arts Studio. 

"When I found UB had a degree that encompasses the arts, business and law, I wanted to jump right in.  Throughout my undergraduate studies I worked to find similar classes as those offered through the Arts Management program and was unsuccessful.  The education goes beyond classes and case studies.  We are introduced to people and opportunities that propel us into the arts field.  To learn the content and cases is one thing; to be able to apply what we have learned in local arts organizations is another.  Through this program we get that unique opportunity to learn it one week and apply it the next."

Ahrum Oh graduates in May 09.  She has just returned from the Summer School Program in Finland and Sweden.

Ahrum joined the Arts Management program as she has a background both in voice music and business administration.  She believes the arts should be managed with a respect to it in order to exist and communicate appropriately with their public.   She applied to the program as she had been challenged by many economic and political issues when she was a professional singer.  Her current interest is a "win-win" relationship between an artist and management.

“This program has truly encouraged me to study various theories and thoughts regarding culture, arts and society with diverse perspectives. I have not only learnt about U.S. culture and arts, but also have acquired tremendous knowledge at the international level. As an international student, this aspect is very helpful as it enabled me to comprehend differences and similarities of worlds ranging from the U.S. to my native South Korea. Furthermore, it is the greatest feeling that you can have a conversation with exceptional scholars you would hardly have had the opportunity to meet in your life!  My personality and academic ability as an arts manager has been grown here and I am sure skills, knowledge and experience this program provides will be a cornerstone of my future career path.”

Nick Schwartz is working as a marketing intern at the Buffalo Choral Arts Society.  He received A Rosalind Jarrett Scholarship for Marketing and Publicity.

Nick has a BA in Music and Film from Fredonia and decided that UB’s Arts Management Program would be the ideal course for Graduate Study.  The program allows for Nick to remain passionate about the art while exploring the intricacies of the business administration and law that allows these art forms to exist.  After completing his first year of study including a practicum study in marketing at the Buffalo Philharmonic, Nick is Rosalind Jarrett Scholar and is now spending the summer working full time, working as a marketing intern at the Buffalo Choral Arts Society, editing and co-producing this summer’s study abroad film and looking forward to the upcoming academic year.  In the coming years, Nick is looking to find work in the fields of music and film.

"I was unsure if I even wanted to continue on with my education because I wasn’t sure if there was a program that existed that would target the highly involved matters I wanted to pursue. Then I found the Arts Management Program at UB. This Program has taught me to understand how the arts function practically and within society. With the practical experience and academic insight, I am confident that I have chosen the best possible program for myself and will result in even more professional success."

Amy Torres Watts is currently a volunteer at Frank Lloyd Writght's Darwin D. Martin House

Amy Torres-Watts joined the Arts Management Program after obtaining a degree in Business Management.  Originally starting out as a Visual Arts Major in Photography her life-long love of the arts led her to the program. She hopes to work in a not-for-profit art museum or gallery when she graduates either in grant development or education programming. Her main interests are becoming an advocate for Latin American and women artists and advocating for youth arts education in underserved populations. She has more then 10 years of administrative experience in the business sector and has recently worked with the Darwin D. Martin House in grant development and continues to volunteer her time there over the summer.

“I feel that the program has not only given me a good academic grounding in the issues an arts manager faces today but also a very practical foundation.  Not only have we learned how the arts function in society but also how this knowledge can be used to benefit an arts organization”.

Kate Boisvert is a recipient of an Arts Advocacy Award, a Rosalind Jarrett Scholar and has had a paper acccepted for the Fourth Art of Management Conference in Banff, September 2008.

Kate joined the Arts Management Program looking for a way to further her interests and experience in art, law and business. She was closely involved in the Strategic Plan and Board Recruitment processes for the Carnegie Art Center. She is a recipient of numerous awards including the 2008 Arts Advocacy Award and the 2008 Rosalind Jarrett Scholarship. Kate was appointed student coordinator for the program’s summer school in Stockholm and Finland. She has also had a paper accepted for the upcoming Art of Management IV conference in September.

"I discovered the University at Buffalo’s Arts Management Program at the moment I was deciding whether I should apply to law school or pursue my MFA. I imagine this is a rock and hard place many liberal arts college graduates find themselves between after a few years in the workforce attempting to practically apply creativity and intellectualism to their daily lives.  It was as if the program was designed specifically with this in mind. The Arts Management Program successfully draws on key aspects of management and marketing, law, cultural policy and the humanities that directly and indirectly affect art industries and communities worldwide. We are taught to observe and critique the essential roles that the arts play within society and it is through this that we are effectively trained to embark upon our own role. This rigorous insight and approach creates a well-balanced and challenging program that I know will arm me for the future of the field and my place within it."

Jen graduates in June 2009 and plans to work in the music industry.

Currently she is working at Citadel Broadcasting doing promotions and at UB's Slee Hall marketing certain performances.

Jen has a Bachelor's Degree in broadcasting with a minor in music from Buffalo State College.  She has worked in the local music scene by being exposed to local music awareness and experiencing band management, promotions and marketing.  She became interested in Arts Management because she believed it would help make her experience more well-rounded to adapt to the fast-paced music industry.  Music management is integral to a variety of music industry careers and is also the core of success in that industry.  Jen has interned at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center and the Amherst Chamber Ensembles, Inc., while also volunteering for the Righteous Babe Records street team and Buffalo's annual Music is Art Festival.

"The Arts Management Program has allowed me to experience situations and cultures that were outside of my local domain.  I have learned it is crucial to step 'outside of the box' to fully understand my local music scene.  This program solidified my view that business and art can be combined together to work as one functional unit, there no longer is a divide between the two - they go hand-in-hand, they need each other."