Associate Dean, Theatre Arts & Entrepreneurship
MBA, Baldwin Wallace University
Conservatory Admission
(440) 826-2368, music@bw.edu
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OVERVIEW
Elevate your talent, creativity and passion for the arts to the next level through Baldwin Wallace's distinctive arts management & entrepreneurship major.
BW's strategically designed program gives you the skills needed to become an artistic leader of tomorrow. With dual-benefit emphasis in business and the arts, the program gives you a fundamental and comprehensive palette of creative, analytical and entrepreneurial skills you can apply to not-for-profit and for-profit sectors.
Experience is key to your education. With three required internships and a senior capstone project, you'll develop and hone skills through real-world-focused activities that put you alongside professionals at Cleveland's premier venues - Playhouse Square, Cleveland Museum of Art, Rock and Roll Hall Fame, Cleveland Orchestra and more.
Through these experiences, you'll learn strategic and operational tactics for successful marketing, development, management and fundraising.
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The largest performing arts complex in the U.S. outside of New York City, Playhouse Square is the primary artistic partner of the BW arts management & entrepreneurship major. BW students can be found interning there as well as with other major arts-affiliated organizations in nearby Cleveland and across the nation.
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Small classes, personalized attention and faculty mentoring are a key part of BW's arts management & entrepreneurship major. Conservatory of Performing Arts faculty are established professionals with real-world experience, impressive credentials and networking connections. The faculty-student ratio is 7:1 for the Conservatory of Performing Arts.
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BW is among an elite list of conservatories worldwide boasting an All-Steinway School classification. This distinction elevates a student's learning experience by having lessons and performance opportunities be on the same quality instruments that are the standard in concert halls.
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Striking Boesel Musical Arts Center is a four-building complex that houses 50 soundproofed practice rooms, instructional space, practice studios and impressive rehearsal halls that can accommodate the latest technologies for teaching and performance.
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BW's undergraduate-only Conservatory provides students with valuable opportunities to perform, compose, conduct, teach and manage. Alumni are employed with renowned organizations and are attending top graduate schools. Pictured here are BW faculty who are members of the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Arts management & entrepreneurship graduates are employed in marketing, public relations, development, operations, fundraising, curatorial, front-of-house and education departments of not-for-profit and for-profit arts organizations, including:
- Concert venues
- Record labels
- Symphony orchestras
- Theater, opera and ballet companies
- Private dance studios
- Art museums and galleries
- National, state and local arts councils
- Foundations
- Broadcast and cable television stations
- Film companies
According to the latest report from Americans for the Arts, the nonprofit arts industry produced more than four million jobs and generated $135 billion of economic activity.
CURRICULUM
Dynamic coursework coupled with required internships and a senior capstone project give you a comprehensive learning experience. There is a required arts-related minor or double major for the arts management & entrepreneurship major. An arts management minor is also offered.
BW's faculty are practitioners in their field with decades of experience. They'll help you construct a career-ready resume and impressive portfolio that showcases your experiences, skills and work samples.
The arts management & entrepreneurship major prepares students to:
- Apply management principles in an arts environment
- Demonstrate ability to lead and manage arts programs, organizations and institutions
- Demonstrate ability to manage financial function of an arts organization
Course Descriptions
Course descriptions, requirements for the major and additional information can be found in the University Catalog.
STUDENT EXPERIENCES
Experiential learning bridges classroom study with real-world opportunities. You can enhance your studies through internships, co-curricular activities and other learning opportunities.
PLAYHOUSE SQUARE
The largest performing arts complex in the U.S. outside of New York City, Playhouse Square is the primary artistic partner of the BW arts management & entrepreneurship major. Throughout your four years, you will learn about the organization's unique operating model and interact with its professionals. Each spring, BW arts management & entrepreneurship students work with Playhouse Square staff to produce its annual International Children's Theater Festival.
INTERNSHIPS
Three internships are required of the arts management & entrepreneurship major, one on-campus and two off-campus. You are encouraged to participate in additional internships. Your career goals are central to your internship placement. Your BW advisor and the director of the program will help you choose sites that connect you to professionals in your area of interest. Past students have interned at:
Agora Theater and Ballroom (OH)
Akron Symphony Orchestra (OH)
Art House (OH)
Ashland Community Arts Center (OH)
Beck Center for the Arts (OH)
Berea Arts Fest, Inc. (OH)
Brother's Lounge (OH)
Cain Park (OH)
Center for Theater Arts (PA)
Central City Opera (CO)
The Cincinnati Ballet (OH)
Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theater (OH)
Cleveland Foundation (OH)
The Cleveland Institute of Art (OH)
Cleveland International Film Festival (OH)
The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra (OH)
The Cleveland Museum of Art (OH)
The Cleveland Orchestra (OH)
The Cleveland Play House (OH)
Cleveland Pops Orchestra (OH)
Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (OH)
Concord Music Group (OH)
Contemporary American Theatre Festival (WV)
Csardas Dance Company (OH)
Dance by Gloria (OH)
Erie Playhouse (PA)
Glimmerglass Opera House (NY)
Great Lakes Theater (OH)
Heinz History Center (PA)
House of Blues Cleveland / Live Nation (OH)
Interlochen Center for the Arts (MI)
Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts (KY)
Lake Metroparks (OH)
Love Leaf Press (IL)
Marion Palace Theatre (OH)
Museum of Contemporary Art - Cleveland (OH)
Music and Performing Arts at Trinity Cathedral, Inc. (OH)
National Endowment for the Arts (Washington, D.C.)
New Albany Arts Council (OH)
New York Stage and Film (NY)
Ohio Dance (OH)
Ohio Light Opera (OH)
Opera in the Ozarks (AR)
PBS/WVIZ Ideastream (OH)
Peabody's Entertainment (OH)
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (PA)
Pittsburgh Opera (PA)
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PA)
Playhouse Square (OH)
Rabbit Run Community Arts Association (OH)
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (OH)
Sankofa Fine Arts Plus (OH)
Sculpture Center (OH)
Shattered Glass Theatre Company (IL)
Showstopper Camps of America (IL)
The Singing Angels (OH)
Sony Entertainment (CA)
SPACES Gallery (OH)
Stephen Joseph Theatre (Scarborough, England)
The Talent Group (OH)
Toledo Museum of Art (OH)
Toledo Symphony (OH)
Unicorn Theatre for Children (London, England)
Walt Disney World (FL)
Waterstreet Music Hall (NY)
The Wolstein Center (OH)
Bailey Ford '20 - From BW to Broadway
SENIOR CAPSTONE
During your final spring semester, you'll participate in the senior capstone. This leading opportunity will provide you with final professional development and preparation for the job market. You'll be part of a team that produces a show at Playhouse Square and assumes the roles of marketing directors, operations managers and education directors. You'll make real-world decisions and see the results of your efforts.
ARTS MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
Take your education to the next step with the BW Arts Management Association (AMA). This real-world-focused organization helps develop your interests in art, creative writing, dance, film, music and theatre. Each year, members travel to a major arts hub (Nashville, New York City or Chicago) to meet with arts leaders. This exciting experience enables you to build relationships with established professionals and learn more about potential careers. Numerous workshops, fundraisers, events, and panel discussions sponsored by AMA throughout the year enable you to build skills and networking connections.
GUEST ARTISTS
Guest artists visit BW for workshops and presentations throughout the year. This is a great way for you to learn more about the field, connect with professionals and grow your network of contacts in preparation for future internship and job opportunities. Recent guests include:
Corey Atkins, Artistic Associate for Engagement, Cleveland Play House
Janet Barlow, Director of the Stocker Arts Center, Lorain County Community College
Renee Boerner, Assistant Director of Inside Sales and Service, Playhouse Square
Larry Bole, Marketing Director, Telarc & Head Up Records, Concord Music Group
Kathleen Cerveny, Director of Evaluation and Institutional Learning, The Cleveland Foundation
Richard Cihlar, Founder and Owner, Pop Shop Gallery
Charlotta Enflo, Executive Director, Dobama Theatre
Bill Guentzler, Artistic Director, Cleveland International Film Festival
Daniel Hahn, Education Director, Great Lakes Theater
Hadden Hippsley, President and CEO, Lambda Productions, Inc.
Joan Katz Napoli, Director of Education and Community Programs, The Cleveland Orchestra
Terry Liu, Arts Education Specialist, National Endowment for the Arts
Heather Meeker, Executive Director, Musical Theater Project
Karen Gahl Mills, Executive Director, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
Thom Moore, Grammy award-winning Producer, Five/Four Productions
John Mullaney, Executive Director, Nord Family Foundation
Lauren Onkey, Vice President of Education and Public Programs, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
Katie Rose, Promotions Manager, House of Blues Cleveland / Live Nation
Doug Snyder, Broadcast Division Agent, The Talent Group
Jill Snyder, Executive Director, Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA)
Eugenia Strauss, Executive Director, City Music Cleveland
Bob Taylor, Executive Director, Great Lakes Theater
Anita Tucker, Founder, where4ARThou Marketing
Gina Vernaci, Senior Vice President for Theatre Operations, Playhouse Square
Thomas Welsh, Associate Director of Music, Cleveland Museum of Art
Lora Workman, Education / Community Liaison, Playhouse Square
ALUMNI SUCCESS
FACULTY
Lecturer of Arts Management & Entrepreneurship
MBA, Southern Methodist University
Lecturer of Arts Management & Entrepreneurship
M.F.A., University of Southern Maine
Lecturer of Arts Management & Entrepreneurship
MBA, Cleveland State University
Director, Community Arts School
Lecturer of Arts Management & Entrepreneurship
B.A., Baldwin Wallace University
Assistant Professor of Arts Management & Entrepreneurship
D.M.A., University of North Texas
Full-Time Faculty
Bryan Bowser
Associate Dean, Theatre Arts & Entrepreneurship
Program Director & Associate Professor, Arts Management & Entrepreneurship
MBA, Baldwin Wallace University
Sean Murphy
Assistant Professor of Arts Management & Entrepreneurship
D.M.A., University of North Texas
Adjunct Faculty
Ross Binnie
Lecturer of Arts Management & Entrepreneurship
MBA, Southern Methodist University
Kathleen Cerveny
Lecturer of Arts Management & Entrepreneurship
M.F.A., University of Southern Maine
Patricia Egan
Lecturer of Arts Management & Entrepreneurship
MBA, Cleveland State University
Erika Haskell
Director, Community Arts School
Lecturer of Arts Management & Entrepreneurship
B.A., Baldwin Wallace University
Adam Sheldon
Lecturer of Arts Management & Entrepreneurship
MBA, Baldwin Wallace University