From Blog Director Jill Randall:

I am pleased to add another component to the blog. Once a month, a post will share ideas and details for dancers interested in arts administration. Dancers interested in working for a dance company, nonprofit arts organization, community center, studio, or arts council will find practical and important details as you explore this career option.

Many dancers, including myself, frequently find themselves in arts administration roles with no formal training in finance, management, public relations, and marketing. Whether you opt for a career in arts administration or not, understanding the work and its role in supporting the arts is of value.

The goal of these posts is to help you on your way, inspire you, and offer you resources.

I have two wonderful advisors for this blog feature. Rebecca Johnson is a long-time arts administrator residing in the San Francisco Bay Area with experience with grantwriting, public relations, and fundraising for nonprofits, dance companies, and dance centers. Marlena Oden has worked in both the San Francisco Bay Area as well as New York City, working on programming, marketing, and management with dance centers, artists, nonprofits, and arts education organizations.

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To Begin: Researching Careers in Arts Administration

Take some time to research and take notes. What aspects of arts administration are you curious about? Why might you pursue this kind of work, whether full-time or part-time? What skills do you already have that would be put to use as an arts administrator?

Spend some time researching a variety of organizations. For example, research a:

1. Dance Company

Example – Joe Goode Performance Group

 2. Dance Center

Example – Mark Morris Dance Center

3. Dance Festival

Example – American Dance Festival (ADF)

4. Arts Council

Example – LA County Arts Commission

Look at how many employees there are and their various job titles. Create a running list of job possibilities. Many of the organizations you research would consider having an intern.

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