MCLA adds new arts management degree program to curriculum

Capitalizing on the cultural aspects of the Berkshires, a new bachelor of arts degree program in arts management is underway at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA).

Based in the fine and performing arts with complementing business and communications classes, the program prepares graduates to undertake the work of arts administration.

“We know there is a need, both in the Berkshires and beyond, for this program,” said Monica Joslin, MCLA’s dean of academic affairs. “It’s great to be able to tell prospective students that with a degree in arts management there are terrific employment opportunities.”

According to a 2000 report of The New England Council examining the role of arts and culture in New England’s economy, the “creative cluster” of the arts supports more than 245,000 jobs, or 3.5 percent of New England’s total job base — more than the region’s software and medical technology industries. The report also found that from 1993 to 1997, arts-related jobs grew at a faster rate (14 percent) than the rest of New England’s economy (8 percent).

Included with the arts management program is the unique Berkshire Hills Internship Program (B-HIP). Using all of the Berkshires as its campus, students of this program serve paid internships with cultural organizations throughout the entire county, such as MASS MoCA, the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Shakespeare & Company, Berkshire Opera Company, the Colonial and the Mahaiwe theatres and the Norman Rockwell Museum.

MCLA President Mary K. Grant said the new major fits in beautifully with the college’s location amid the numerous cultural venues in Berkshire County.

“Where else to be offering a program like this than in the Berkshires?” Grant said. “As we align ourselves with the region’s growing art economy, the arts management program will combine the resources and interests of the business, English/communications and fine and performing arts departments to offer students a multi-disciplinary curriculum. It’s a natural. And it’s an extension and an expansion of great work that was already happening on campus.”

Surrounded by Berkshire County’s vibrant arts scene and natural beauty, MCLA offers its 1,800 students the experience of a small, private college at a public cost. The college fosters a tightly knit campus community and classroom environments that encourage engaging discussions, while combining rigorous academic training with broad opportunities for learning outside the classroom.

The College’s educational philosophy is that students learn best by actively participating in their own educational opportunities for independent study, service learning and study abroad.

For more information about MCLA, go to www.mcla.edu/admissions.