Professional Internship
- FAR 5910 Professional Internship in the Arts (6)
The field of arts administration prioritizes experience. The Professional Internship is the required, culminating experience of the MAA and applies and synthesizes coursework. The internship typically occurs during the Summer semester (May-August). The internship site is flexible and can be completed with an organization or in a geographic area of the student’s choosing. Students take ownership in finding and applying for their internships, with the Head of the program approving all internship placements. There are paid internship opportunities available. Students should be able to:
- Apply academic knowledge and skills in a professional setting.
- Solve problems when working with new ideas, challenges, organizations, and stakeholders.
- Demonstrate professionally relevant competencies and relationships.
- Advance analytical and ethical leadership skills to communicate and manage effectively.
- Critically evaluate personal views and performance compared to professional perceptions.
Internship Partners for Summer 2024
- Lincoln Center
- Lawrence Opera Theatre
- Lancaster Festival (2)
- Delaware State Parks
- Passion Works
- Tecumseh Theater
- Spooky Action Theater Company
- University of Colorado Boulder, Natural History Museum
- Mid-Ohio Valley Players
- IDEAS Summer Camp
- Mt. Zion Black Cultural Center
- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
- National Museum of the Great Lakes
- Synchronicity Theatre
- Whitney Western Art Museum
- Chautauqua (Visual Arts Gallery Assistant Internship)
- Cannabis Museum
- Chauvet Arts
- Ohio University:
- Kennedy Museum
- Office of Summer Programs, College of Fine Arts (2)
- Athens Community Music School
Internship Partners for Summer 2023
- Arts West
- Arts & Culture Department of Lackawanna County
- Aspen Music Festival and School
- Catawba County Arts Council
- Danville Symphony Orchestra (IL)
- Factory Street Studio
- Girl Scouts of Western Ohio
- Huntington Symphony Orchestra
- Marin Theatre Company
- Mid America Arts Alliance
- Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
- Stuart's Opera House
- Wild Prairie Winds Professional Wind Quartet
- Ohio University:
- Kennedy Museum
- Summer Dance Institute, College of Fine Arts
- Art History Program, School of Art + Design
Internship Partners for Summer 2022
- Jacob’s Pillow
- Cleveland Play House
- Stuart’s Opera House
- DANCE Cleveland
- International Women’s Air and Space Museum
- Texas Shakespeare Festival
- Arts Possible Ohio
- Students Motivated by the Arts
- Lancaster Festival
- Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble
- Community Counselling Services (CCS Fundraising)
- Ohio University:
- Kennedy Museum
- Ohio Museum Complex
- University Human Resources
- Office of Summer Programs, College of Fine Arts
Internship Partners for Summer 2021 (inaugural MAA cohort)
- Arts West
- Cannabis Museum
- Southeast Ohio History Center
- Cincinnati Art Museum
- Odyssey Associates and White Heron Theatre Company
- Dairy Barn
- West Virginia Symphony Orchestra
- University of Toledo, Department of Music
- Explorium: Denton Children’s Museum
- TheatreWashington
- West Virginia Symphony Orchestra – Parkersburg
- Tantrum Theater
- Zanesville Museum of Art
- Actors Theatre of Louisville
- Stuart’s Opera House
- The Sculpture Center
- Monteux School and Music Festival
Final Capstone Projects and Oral Presentations
A signature of the MAA program is the completion of a Final Capstone Project, which expands on the work being completed by students during the Professional Internship in the Arts and synthesizes the MAA coursework. The project might be research focused, interactive, geared towards problem posing/solving, or community-based in its approach. The purpose is to provide students with the opportunity to both deepen and demonstrate mastery in the field of arts administration and to further tailor the program to their professional practice and interdisciplinary interests. Students also present a strategic overview of their final capstone project to a panel of arts administration scholars and experts working in the field.
Final Capstone Projects for Summer 2024
Enhancing the Planned Giving Program at Lincoln Center: Configuring the Tessitura CRM System's Planned Giving ModuleStudent: Colette Alfonso
Things (Can) Fall Apart: A Case Study on the Importance of Documentation and Contingency Plans with a Summer Opera ProgramStudent: Mariah Berryman
Emergency Plan Book - The Lancaster Festival Wendel Concert Stage Student: Abby Bowman
Strategies to adapt Summer Art Camp for Neurodivergent Students Student: Michelle Camargo
The SēD Alternative Gallery, Lab, and Community Engagement Project Student: Chad Robert Collofello
Conserving history and cultivating relationships: Developing and implementing volunteer gardening programs at an 18th century state parkStudent: Luvina Cooley
A Production Handbook: A tool for storytelling and knowledge managementStudent: Marrisha Devereueawax-Coates
Art in the Heart of Music City: Founding the Downtown Nashville Arts District and Revitalizing Art CrawlStudent: Alexandria C. Eberly
Telling our story: Strategic considerations for building brand identity through place-based storytellingStudent: Beatrice Feldbush
Innov-AI-ting performing arts nonprofits: Analyzing potential AI applications in business operationsStudent: Lauren Janoschka
An Annual Report Based on Accountability, Transparency, and Community EngagementStudent: Margaret Kersten
For the Love of Art and ScienceStudent: Tristen Luken
From Challenge to Opportunity: Effective Strategies for Managing For-Profit and Nonprofit CollaborationsStudent: Eli Melko
KeyBridge Chamber Music: Cultivating community by launching a chamber music program in rural AppalachiaStudent: Laurel Eden Nolin
Creating A Production Handbook: The Lancaster FestivalStudent: Nicole Peterman
Considering organizational culture in an academic museum: Examining the shift from visitor education to visitor serviceStudent: Hattie Phillips
Country music and social issues: An arts administration perspectiveStudent: Tessa Searing
Capitalizing on New Positions: Marketing the Momentum of Being a Growing Institution Student: Cris Shell
Onboarding New Members: Considerations for a Small Non-Profit Theater Organization Student: Cam Smith
Deaccessioning on the path to accessioningStudent: Jacquelyn Stout
Accessibility and Inclusion at an Enduring and Preeminent Arts Program in the United States Student: Lalia Riseng
Capacity Building at the Cannabis Museum
Student: Miranda Wood
Final Capstone Projects for Summer 2023
Board Governance: Building a Board Book for a Small Non-profitStudent: Amanda de Santos
Reimagining the Music Consortium Process Through the Lens of an Artist-AdministratorStudent: Avery N. Bumgarner
The Purpose and Process of Program Book Editing: Connecting Audiences to MusicStudent: David Hoyt
The Golden Project Theater: A New Los Angeles Based TheaterStudent: Donald “Avi” Stewart
Girls Love Clothes, But We Love Our Planet More: A Guide to Understanding Textile SustainabilityStudent: Evann Anne Farrell
Orchestrating Data: A Review and Rebuild of Select Databases for a Small-Town OrchestraStudent: James Aaron Jarvis
How Audio Descriptions Contribute to Expanding Equity in Theater and Dance Nonprofit OrganizationsStudent: Julianna M. Simons
Potential Barriers and Solutions: Exploring Fat Inclusion in the TheaterStudent: Kate Walcher
Comparative Analysis of a Non-profit vs. For-profit Dance Studio: Two Case StudiesStudent: Keeley Conroy
An Exhibition Proposal: The Past is the Present, Centering Civil Rights and Social Justice in the United StatesStudent: Khrystyna Frank
Queer Play-a-thon: A Proposed Play Festival FrameworkStudent: Laura Wininger
Rebuilding a Symphony Orchestra: Knowing What Tools to UseStudent: Madeline Julian
Adding the A to DEI: Accessibility for Arts Organizations in Lackawanna CountyStudent: Molly Anne Cerep
A Critical Rewriting of Art History FoundationsStudent: Shelly L. Lisle
A Personal Investigation: How a Production Manager Can Foster a Positive Work EnvironmentStudent: Spencer Crawford
Re-Launching a Musical Lending Library ProgramStudent: Sydney Fosnaugh
A Critical Reconfiguration: A Renovation of Art Historical SurveysStudent: William C. Varney
Final Capstone Projects for Summer 2022
Facilitating College Access through Pre-College Programming in the Fine ArtsStudent: Lacy G. Davis
Chicharrón: a communion with the triple A’s: A reflection on the impact of my intersectionality on my identity of Artist-AdministratorStudent: Roberto Di Donato
Physical Accessibility in the Arts: How can Historical Organizations Balance Conservation and Accommodation?Student: Damion Diffendal
A Glimpse into the Collection: Kennedy Museum of ArtStudent: Dominic Diffendal
Historical Contexts: Examining Significant Events in the LGBTQIA+ Rights Movement and its Application to Equity in TheatreStudent: Michael Herrmann
2022 Possibility Talks Program: Sourcing Artists, Small-Scale Marketing Plan, and an Evaluation Survey Student: Bilsan Kattan
What do a Lighting Designer, Actor, and Arts Administrator have in common? A self-reflection Student: Andres Moledo
A Summer Shakespeare Festival Experience: An Auto-Ethnography of an Artist-AdministratorStudent: Ashley Rutkowski
An Arts Administrator’s Beginning Guide to Feasibility Studies Student: Veronique Shaftel
Sustainable Strategies for Documentation and Evaluation: An Analysis of Community Engagement Practices at Jacob’s PillowStudent: Brianne Szymanski
Accessibility at Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble: An Example of a Sensory Friendly Performance Student: Sarah Elizabeth Yorke
Educational Programs in Museums: Place-Based Education at the OHIO Museum ComplexStudent: Kayla Zehner
BOOSTING: The Benefits of the Creation and Implementation of a Band Booster Organization for a High School Band Program Student: Lauren M Zetts
Final Capstone Projects for Summer 2021 (inaugural MAA cohort)
A Synthesis on Community Engagement in the Arts and Community-Based EventsStudent: Paula Atfield
Split Decisions: The Relationship Between the U.S. Government and Cannabis: The Exhibition and Research of an Arts AdministratorStudent: Rachel Black
From Accession to Exhibit: The Life and Journey of an Object at the Southeast Ohio History CenterStudent: Will Daughters
Restructuring Annual Fund Communications at the Cincinnati Art MuseumStudent: Lauren Gaines
White Heron Theatre CompanyStudent: Lloyda Garrett
Project Funding in Art Organizations: Community Remembrance QuiltStudent: Grace Gribble
Capacity Building for a State Symphony OrchestraStudent: Madeline Helbling
Art Nouveau and the Counterculture Movement: The Evolution of the Modern PosterStudent: Tiana Hough
Curriculum Development Plan for The University of Toledo, Department of MusicStudent: Nate Krebs
Foundational Documents: How They Drive the Work of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra - ParkersburgStudent: Kenna McWilliams
Development and Implementation of Play Experiences in a Small to Midsize Children’s MuseumStudent: Sarah Melaragno
Theatre Washington: An Analysis of the Restructuring Process of a Predominantly White InstitutionStudent: Ri Moodie
ARTStart: The Creation of an Arts-Based Preschool Program for a Non-Profit OrganizationStudent: Alexis Parsons
Accessibility in an Appalachian TheaterStudent: Samantha Pelham
ZMA Learn With Us: Impact Study on the Effects of Facilitated Multi-Visit Museum Programs on 4th Grade StudentsStudent: Rebecca Roderer
The Art of Anti-racist Administration: (r)evolution in best practices for a new era of arts leadershipStudent: E.B. Smith
Anti-Racism In the Arts: 5 Questions Arts Administrators Should Ask Themselves And WhyStudent: Devin Sudman
Summer Performing Arts Camp: Reexamining practices for effective engagementStudent: Emily Talley
Creating a Programming Survey for The Sculpture CenterStudent: Alicia Telzerow
Peering Through the Musical Looking Glass of Arts AdministrationStudent: Clayton E. Yoshifuku