Dog model, Milo, wants to learn new tricks!

This semester, I am taking the Gallery and Arts Marketplace Management course instructed by Jessica Cochran.

Course Description:

This course explores different business models in the art marketplace including galleries, auction houses, art fairs, independent art dealers and advisors, direct sales by artists, and the use of online marketplace.  It looks at the interrelationship of these models on the local, national, and international levels and investigates current issues and future trends in the industry. 

I am not well versed in the gallery realm, but I was attracted to this course because it highlights entrepreneurs in the art world.  Also, there will be a number of site visits and guest speakers.  I really value classroom experiences that marry theory to practice.

Some of our site visits include:

Corbett vs. Dempsey
The Mission Projects
Threewalls
Chicago Artists’ Coalition
Iceberg Projects

In addition to site visits, one of our class assignments is to interview an industry professional and have them talk about a critical management issue or decision they made in the art marketplace.  This interview can also be utilized to gain further knowledge about the area of art you are interested in.   After the interview, we are to prepare a 4-6 page paper and 8-10 minute presentation on our interview and conclusions.

We are also to complete an analysis of three business models in the arts marketplace.  We are to compare and contrast the three different businesses while tying in our class readings plus additional research.  We need to figure out what makes each of these successful or not and how are they reflective of broader socio-economic, political, or cultural trends.

Part of my grad school experience is to try and connect what I am doing in school with my extracurricular activities.  So in the spirit of bridging the two worlds, I am going to try and host a fundraising gallery event that showcases some of my fellow classmates and other talented artists in the industry in honor of Rock For Kids, a Chicago non-profit that provides music education.  As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, I serve as a Junior Board Member for RFK.

This will be one of the images featured at the event. The photographer is Lucia Palmarini, AEMM graduate student.

The event will feature photographers and a jewelry maker.  I will keep you posted about the event details.  My main goals are to help Rock For Kids and showcase great art, both equally important.  I think that what I am learning from class will help shape the event and give me useful insight.  Hopefully, I will learn some new tricks!