Month: February 2018

Student Spotlight : Caroline Gart

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Caroline Gart PicCaroline Gart, ARAD ’19 is a Brooklyn based theater producer. She recently completed a season long producing fellowship with the Obie Award winning theater company, Clubbed Thumb. She has produced at numerous arts institutions such as New York Stage and Film, Vassar’s Powerhouse Theater, The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, PS 122’s COIL Festival, Abrons Arts Center, and The Public Theater. She graduated with from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with High Honors in 2012. Caroline looks forward to building a career that continues to provide vital support for underserved and underfunded artists in New York City.
We chatted with Caroline to learn more about her recent work in the field.
Describe a recent project you are proud of, what it means to you personally and professionally, and what inspired this project.
I recently closed a play that I am quite proud of which is called CUTE ACTIVIST by Milo Cramer, directed by Morgan Green. It ran for the month of January at the Bushwick Starr in Brooklyn and was by far the largest producorial undertaking for me so far — the most amount of people to manage, the largest budget, and the most ambitious design to execute. I am thrilled by the results and feel proud of the work I did to make this relevant and sardonic theater piece come to life. CUTE ACTIVIST was a searing comedy that tried to reason out the place of activism in our Millennial generation and what our collective social justice priorities are. It felt important to be asking these questions given our current administration and discuss the vigilance needed to continue to move forward in the midst of continued political set backs and muddled priorities. I think CUTE ACTIVIST asked our generation to look critically at our engagement tactics and posited a way for us to be able to move forward and make effective change (once we stop looking at Instagram, of course!).
How does this project fit into your larger career goals and ARAD degree?
I have been producing theater in NYC for about 5 years now, so I am thrilled to see my work growing and improving. I think being in graduate school while maintaining my professional and artistic practice is an excellent complement to my work. I find myself folding in the skills that I have been developing in class to my producorial projects as well as bringing my work into the classroom. It has been an exciting endeavor to see these two facets of my life grow closer together.
Thanks so much for chatting with us Caroline. ARAD wishes you many more successes as you continue on your journey!
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Congratulations to our Spring 2018 Microgrant Recipients!

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The Arts Administration Program (ARAD) at Teachers College, Columbia University is pleased to announce recipients of the Spring 2018 Microgrants for Student Professionalization.

Through the Microgrant Program and with generous support from the Arts and Humanities Department at Teachers College, ARAD proudly supports student professionalization activities on campus and beyond. This award champions special projects proposed by Teachers College student groups (with ARAD student membership), as well as conference attendance for individual students in the ARAD program. Applications were invited through an open call process, and selected by ARAD faculty.

Please join us in congratulating the following recipients on their Spring 2018 awards:

 

Hsun-Fang_Profile Picture​Emerson Chang graduated in 2016 from National Chengchi University in Taiwan with double majors in Business Administration and Accounting as well as a minor in Japanese. Her ambition to become an arts manager stemmed from an unwavering passion for the performing arts. She conducted the university choir, co-curated a music festival on campus, and participated in productions of the internationally award-winning Taipei Chamber Singers. Prior to joining ARAD, Hsun-Fang worked at Trees Music & Art as an album field researcher, programming assistant, and marketing coordinator for the label’s Migration Music Festival and New Narratives Film Festival. She enjoys connecting with new audience, and looks forward to gaining practical experiences in audience and fiscal development of art events at ARAD.

Funding from the ARAD Microgrant will support Emerson’s participation in the upcoming TEDxBroadway conference, whose speakers include successful practitioners in the performing arts field, including performers and administrators on Broadway. TEDxBroadway will enable her to compare the principles and practices pertaining to performing arts that she has been learning in the program with actual practices in the field.

 

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​Beryl Briane Ford recently graduated from Smith College in Northampton, MA with high honors in Art History, a concentration certificate in Museum Studies, and a research fellowship from the Mellon Mays Undergraduate foundation. Prior to being admitted to the Arts Administration program, Beryl Briane interned at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. in the summer of 2016 and winter of 2017. Once there, she discovered her passion for Arts Administration and the possibility of pursuing a graduate degree that supported her intersecting interests in public programming, education, and administration. During her time in the ARAD program, Beryl Briane intends on demonstrating how a career that engages rather than siloes her aforementioned interests is possible and sustainable. She is also interested in eagerly exploring how art museums address issues of community engagement and inclusion as they relate to audience development.

The ARAD Microgrant will support Beryl’s attendance at the Black Portraitures IV: The Color of Silence conference where she will have the opportunity to be exposed to new scholarship and network with academics, and museum and art professionals interested in the work of Black visual and performing artists.

 


Chad_Rabago​Chad Rabago is a graduate of Chapman University where he studied Integrated Educational Studies and Organizational Leadership. He moved to the DC area to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA at KID Museum, and following his service year worked as the Office & Volunteer Coordinator at ArtStream, Inc., a disability services arts non-profit. He has been involved in various areas of volunteer management, community outreach, and audience services at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Discovery Cube Orange County, the National Postal Museum, and Shakespeare Theatre Company. With a passion for working with volunteers, Chad is interested in civic engagement and service in the arts.


The ARAD Microgrant will support Chad’s attendance at the Service Unites Conference to develop his knowledge and resources of volunteers at an individual, organizational, communal, and corporate level, and learn how arts organizations can engage community members to affect positive change through service.

Introducing our new Social Media Coordinator, Caitlin Green!

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Caitlin Green, ARAD ’19, graduated from Villanova University in 2011 where she majored in English. Shortly after graduating, she began working at the National Endowment for the Humanities first as an intern. She served as an assistant to NEH’s White House Liaison and Director of Congressional Affairs, and eventually worked exclusively on Congressional Affairs. Her work exposed her to a number of innovative arts organizations, which inspired her to pursue a career in the arts.

 

 What attracted you to the Arts Administration Program at Teachers College, Columbia University?

When I first graduated from college, I envisioned a career in politics and government, but after working at NEH for a few years, I was drawn toward a career in the arts. I started looking for graduate programs that would give me foundational knowledge in management practices. I was particularly drawn to ARAD because of Teachers College’s emphasis on social justice. I appreciate too how the program marries theory and practice.

What are the three things you need to have on you at all times? 

I actually like being as unencumbered as possible—I try to just leave my apartment with my keys, phone and wallet when I can. I feel like it frees me up to go wherever and explore. 

Describe student life as a member of the ARAD community.

ARAD is very much a community—as I returned to school I was excited to become part of a community of passionate individuals with a wide variety of viewpoints and experiences. It is wonderful having a community of students to share ideas with and learn from. This semester is interesting as we move from having courses all together to courses where we are in smaller groups or with students from other programs. We are also lucky to have faculty who are excited to engage with us and share their experiences and insights with us.

 Who are your three favorite artists, in any medium? 

I am a book nerd and right now my favorite author is Marilynne Robinson. My mom and I saw an exhibition Glenn Ligon curated over the summer and it has stuck with me. As a result, I have been seeking out his work. And, I love Wendy Wasserstein plays.