10 Reasons FSU’s Arts Administration Program is Right for You

The Florida State University College of Fine Arts is a place where learning and creativity are nurtured through instruction, research, and practice. The College is a close-knit community of faculty, students, and professionals that functions as an arts conservatory within a major university.

The Department of Art Education is part of the College of Fine Arts and consists of four Graduate Programs: Art Education, Art Therapy, Arts Administration and Museum Education and Exhibitions (MEX). Our Arts Administration Program, specifically, educates aspiring arts and cultural leaders about the theory and practice of socially responsible arts administration.

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1 – Job Placement After Graduation & Alumni Accomplishments

Our alumni job placement rate is at an all time high with 100% success rate for three years consecutively! Former students have had the opportunity to transition into successful careers as a direct result of the curriculum and wisdom offered by the Arts Administration Program. Internship opportunities help our students gain experience, while simultaneously working towards a degree in Arts Administration, which provide an invaluable insight into the necessary skills required for success in the workplace after graduation.

Recent graduates from our Program have had the opportunity intern and begin careers with the Baltimore Museum of Art, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, and the LeMoyne Center for Visual Arts, among many other esteemed organizations.

Alumna Dr. Gay Hanna had this to say in an interview when asked about her choice to further her education here:

I was very blessed to attend FSU and have never felt that I lacked any skills to move my career ahead and met the challenges of radically changing times because of what I learned at FSU through the curriculum of course -yet more so though it was the mentoring of the faculty.

Recent Graduates

Marit Evans has accepted a position at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado after spending her time as an intern for the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge.

Osubi Craig made the most of his experience with the Arts Administration Program by becoming Director for the Arts and Cultural Affairs at Polk State College.

2 – Over 30 Years of Success

Founded in 1984 by Dr. Charles Dorn, the Arts Administration Program is the oldest in the state of Florida and stands as the oldest degree granting institution in the southeast. In 2015, we reached our 30th year as an institution within the State of Florida. After its inception in 1984 we have graduated well over 120 Alumni who have joined the ranks of and use their experiences to lead cultural organizations of all kind.

This is a process that contributes its success to maintaining standards set forth by the Association of Arts Administration Educators. Students interested in learning more are encouraged to reach out to the Arts Administration Educators here at FSU, and becoming familiarized with the path to completing the Arts Administration Program.

3 – Exceeds Arts Administration Standards

A degree in Arts Administration provides education for work in all types of cultural organizations. Our curriculum exceeds the Association of Arts Administration Educators’ (AAE) Standards. The degree emphasizes interactions among the College of Fine Arts, College of Music, School of Dance, and School of Theatre. Course options include the areas of public and private support systems, structures of arts agencies, fundraising, grant writing, personnel management, marketing, education, and programming.

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 4 – Hands on with Theory & Practice

Our Program emphasizes theory and practice through service learning and internships. Students interested in learning more about previous internships completed can visit our internship experience page. Highlights among previous semesters include the Challenger Learning Center, Smithsonian, Council on Culture & Arts (COCA), Museum of Florida History, Joffrey Ballet, Opening Nights, and many more.

Congratulations to Arts Administration Master’s student Tiffany Patrick for her acceptance to the Joffrey Ballet School  internship in Summer 2016. Typical duties for this position would consist of assisting the administrative staff with daily operations for the school, as well as ensuring the department meets the needs of their customers.

William Johnston Building, Classroom.

5 – Faculty & Student Engagement

Within the Arts Administration Program, our highly accredited and passionate faculty members work directly with students to ensure they are ready to meet the demand of Arts Administration curriculum.

During the course of a typical semester students should be expected to work closely with our esteemed faculty, and fellow scholars in a variety of opportunities to get involved on campus with meaningful projects. Such as those held during Market Wednesday in the Spring 2016 semester supporting the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) and Sustainable Tallahassee organizations.

In addition, our faculty has shown a desire to enrich the lives of the community as well as the student body by serving as host to cultural centers, leading discussions in topics of diversity as well as social responsibility, along with being involved directly in the path of each Arts Administration student.

6 – Our Prestigious Faculty

Dr. Antonio C. Cuyler

Dr. Antonio C. Cuyler

Dr. Antonio C. Cuyler joined the faculty at Florida State University (FSU) in 2012 as Assistant Professor of Arts Administration & Coordinator of Internships in the Department of Art Education. His research on internships in arts administration and diversity in the arts administration workforce has appeared in highly regarded academic journals such as the American Journal of Arts Management, GIA Reader, ENCACT Journal of Cultural Management and Policy, Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, International Journal of Arts Management, and Music Entertainment and Industry Educators Association Journal. He has also presented research in Australia, Canada, Italy, and across the U. S.

He is a member of the Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) and the American Society of Composers and Authors (ASCAP). He maintains an active presence in the community by serving on the Cultural Plan Advisory Committee and on the board of Tallahassee Youth Orchestra. He has also served as a grant reviewer for the U. S. Department of Education, Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, Tallahassee’s Council on Culture and Arts (COCA), and the Arts Council of Fairfax County. Before returning to his alma mater, Dr. Cuyler held faculty positions at SUNY Purchase College, American University, and Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). He can be reached at acuyler@fsu.edu.

Dr. Ann Rowson Love

Ann Rowson Love, Ph.D.

Ann Rowson Love, Ph.D., is a faculty member in the Arts Administration program, where she is co-developing the Museum Education and Visitor-Centered Exhibitions program (MEX). She returns to FSU after six years at Western Illinois University-Quad Cities, where she initiated a new graduate museum studies program based at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa. Ann Rowson Love has been a practicing art museum educator and curator for over 20 years and helped to establish two new art museums in the Southeast. She has been on the editorial boards of Art Education and the Journal of Art for Life; and an associate for the International Journal of the Inclusive Museum.

She has reviewed grants for the Institute of Museum and Library Services Museums for America program. She Presents nationally and internationally including Barbados, Denmark, Italy, Hungary, Japan, and Turkey. As a part of the new MEX program, she is the Ringling Museum Liaison. She specializes in visitor studies, art museum interpretation, and collaborative curatorial practices. Ann can be reached at ann.rowson@fsu.edu.

Pat Villeneuve, Ph. D.

Dr. Pat Villeneuve

Pat Villeneuve, Ph.D., is a Professor and Director of Arts Administration in the Department of Art Education, Florida State University, where she has developed new graduate programs in Museum Education and Visitor-Centered Exhibitions. Pat is editor of the book From Periphery to Center: Art Museum Education in the 21st Century and recipient of the National Art Education Association museum educator of the year award in 2009.

Recently, she has developed supported interpretation, a model for visitor-centered exhibitions. Other research interests include organizational sustainability and constructionist teaching. Pat has published and presented extensively nationally and internationally, and she can be reached at pvilleneuve@fsu.edu.

For full faculty & staff profiles including details on areas of focus, contact information, or published works please see the Faculty & Staff Profiles page.

 7 – Access to State-of-the-Art Facilities

During their time with the Arts Administration Program students can take advantage of the exhibitions held within the Museum of Fine Arts. Previous years have filled the lower and upper halls with collections of renowned artists works, thought provoking thematic exhibitions, and projects and works from graduate students and the local community.

In addition, as a result of a university partnership students have access to The Ringling, the State Art Museum of Florida. This 66 acre estate once belonged to John and Mable Ringling, and over the course of numerous renovations and expansions has become one of the largest museums nationally. Its interior of approximately 150,000 square feet contains exhibition space for multiple collections of artwork, and has dedicated some of the estate to immersing visitors in the history of John and his wife Mable Ringling and “The Greatest Show on Earth”.

Arts Administration students will have the opportunity to enrich their lives in a ultramodern environment while attending classes in the William Johnston Building. The 140,000 square foot building is comprised of four floors which provide its occupants access to some of the most advanced resources on campus. It also consists of a wonderful gallery, a resource library, numerous computer labs, as well as studios with the latest technology, and software available to the Arts Administration Program.

8 – Encourages Interdisciplinary Studies

We encourage interdisciplinary study of Arts Administration with students collaborating with the College of Music and Theatre Management students in the College of Fine Arts. Students are also afforded the opportunity to work with other pupils in the Art Education and Art Therapy Programs.

Further, it is recommended for coursework to be completed outside of the department in areas related to Arts Administration including, but not limited to management, finance, as well as an internship program. Information pertaining to specific Department of Art Education resources can be found either through the Art Education website or through our department contact methods.

Graduate students interested in broadening their horizons by organizing symposia, conferences, or meetings that culminate in bringing together a variety of academic minds and keynote speakers, can apply for funding through the Graduate School.

9 – Excellent Tuition Benefits

Because Florida State University participates in the Academic Common Market (ACM), students from Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Virginia qualify for in-state tuition. Please note that Florida and Texas only participate at the graduate level in the ACM.

For the fifth time in Fall 2016, the Graduate School has offered a program that allows graduate students the opportunity to request a tuition waiver for one course outside of their home College that will contribute to their degree progress. This program is for any fully-admitted FSU Doctoral, Master’s, Specialist, or Professional students who are full-time and currently receiving a tuition waiver through an assistantship or fellowship in the Fall 2016 semester. Applicants must be in good academic standing, the course requested will need to be outside of the students home College, count towards the degree progress of the student, be a course that is covered under general waiver guidelines (example: no X type courses), and must be offered and taken during the Fall 2016 semester.

Please note* this program only covers the tuition waiver for a graduate level class, and the student is responsible for the associated fees. If a student is funded on a grant, local, or auxiliary project, this waiver must be for hours beyond the 9 charged to the grant (example: this must be for credits 10-12). Once the application is submitted, the student may not change the course or substitute another course for the one listed in the application.

After one continuous year of study, out-of-state students may apply for residency, which allow them to receive in-state tuition rates. The University Admissions Office has a detailed list of instructions and rules for classification and re-admittance for any returning students. See the following link to the Admissions Office residency application page.

10 – Living in Tallahassee

In a city of nearly 190,000 people Tallahassee, Florida is no small town. Over the course of the last five years it has seen a rise of 4.7% in population, and with that growth it has seen an increase in opportunities for students to engage in extracurricular activities, and pastimes outside of the classroom.

Prospective students can expect to relax among the many canopied trees that dot the campus, or embark on a journey of self discovery along the multiple nature trails and parks the city is known for. If the wonders of the outdoors are not to your liking, then be sure to visit the Governors Square Mall to acquire all the latest apparel, and footwear.

In addition, The Centre of Tallahassee – Pavillion and Cascades Park – Amphitheather, along with the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center are excellent venues where interested patrons can attend events and concerts. Each semester the University, along with the College of Fine Arts and its illustrious programs, are responsible for coordinating numerous events offered for free, or discounted for students.

For a look at all that is available to you during your stay in Tallahassee, as well as an updated guide on locations visit the new College of Fine Arts Visitor Information Page.

Photo courtesy of Charles Fernandez. Piney Z Lake located at Lafayette Heritage Trail Park in Tallahassee, FL.

Our students are some of tomorrow’s most promising professionals in their fields and we truly hope you consider being part of our program!

Dr. Pat Villeneuve directs the Arts Administration program and advises all doctoral students in the Department of Art Education. Please contact her at pvilleneuve@fsu.edu for questions about admissions into the doctoral program. Dr. Antonio C. Cuyler advises all Master’s students. Please contact him at acuyler@fsu.edu for questions about admissions into the Master’s program. For additional information, view our website.

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