Hands-on Experience for Aspiring Arts Management
Professionals
Program Dates:
Spring 2015:
Program Dates: January—May 2015
Application Deadline: Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Summer 2015:
Program Dates: May—August 2015
Application Deadline: Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Fall 2015:
Program Dates: September—December 2015
Application Deadline: Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Full-time and part-time opportunities available.
How to Apply:
Please send a brief cover letter and resume to Syrah Gunning
at sgunning@umd.edu. Work samples are optional, but encouraged. Following the
application deadlines, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until
positions are filled.
“My internship with the DeVos Institute was instrumental in
my professional development. As an intern, I received training and insight into
the field of arts management that continues to be invaluable as I build my
career. I would highly recommend the program to any aspiring arts administrator
who is looking for an incredible organization with countless opportunities to
build useful skills and knowledge.”
Mary Katherine Clark
Assistant Manager, Corporate and Foundation Relations
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts—Washington, D.C.
DeVos Institute Intern, Fall 2012
Interning with the DeVos Institute
As a leading provider of arts management training worldwide,
the DeVos Institute and its leadership offer valuable, hands-on experience for
aspiring arts managers. Interns gain practical skills in event management,
research, evaluation, reporting, and business communications by supporting the
Institute’s domestic and international training programs and consulting
engagements for over 800 arts organizations around the globe. Interns also gain
an expansive understanding of the arts industry by working with a wide range of
arts and cultural organizations and industry professionals who serve as
Institute advisors.Internships are full-time (40 hours per week) or part-time
(15-30 hours per week) unpaid opportunities that are intended to complement a
student’s academic program of study, during or shortly following an
undergraduate or graduate program. Interns have the opportunity to attend
special events, including presentations with domestic and international
delegations that visit the Institute. Upon acceptance into the program, Interns
develop a personalized schedule with their program manager based on their
availability. A transportation subsidy will be provided at a rate of $6/day.
Applicants must be currently enrolled sophomores, juniors, or seniors in
undergraduate programs, Master’s candidates, or have completed a degree within
the past two years. Internships may be completed for academic credit through
the Intern’s current college or university.
To apply, please send a brief cover letter and resume to
Syrah Gunning at sgunning@umd.edu.
Available Internship Positions
DeVos Institute Interns should be expert problem solvers,
comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, comfortable using Microsoft
Excel, and have strong writing and analytic skills. The Institute seeks
applicants for the following positions:
Program Management
The DeVos Institute’s Capacity Building programs provide
training and support for executive, artistic, and board leadership in arts
communities’ worldwide including cities such as Detroit, Grand Rapids, Miami,
New York City, and San José, and internationally in Ireland, Croatia, Trinidad
and Tobago, and Vietnam. In each city, these two-year programs provide tailored
assistance to a cohort of 10-20 organizations through seminars, online master
classes, and one-on-one consultations. Interns gain valuable experience in
event planning, vendor coordination, travel management, and program management,
both through in person and online activities. These positions are ideal for
individuals interested in event management, hospitality and tourism, and
program management.
Marketing
Marketing Interns will support the Director of External
Relations on the Institute’s marketing efforts. Interns gain experience in
press management, copy writing, and website design by supporting the
development of the Institute’s new website. Interns will gain a broad
understanding of arts management by translating successful arts management
strategies from hundreds of organizations worldwide to the field at large.
These positions are ideal for individuals with an interest in marketing, public
relations, and/or website development. Experience in basic HTML or graphic
design are welcome, but not required.
Development (Fundraising)
Development Interns will support the Institute’s fundraising
efforts primarily aimed at corporate and foundation funders. Interns gain
experience in grant writing for corporations and foundations, program
evaluation, and prospecting. Interns will gain a broad understanding of arts
management by tracking the progress of hundreds of organizations worldwide and
translating for funders. These positions are ideal for individuals with an
interest in fundraising, grant writing, and program evaluation. Competitive
candidates will demonstrate strong writing skills and an attention to detail.
Consulting
Consulting Interns support the DeVos Institute’s engagements
with both domestic and international arts organizations through research, data
analysis, planning, content drafting, and travel management. Consulting
projects differ per client and include a wide array of practical research such
as financial analysis, industry research on comparable organizations, event
management, affinity marketing, and prospecting. This position is ideal for candidates
with an interest in financial analysis and trends facing arts organizations.
Competitive candidates should have an attention to detail, research and
analysis experience, and a strong working knowledge of Excel.
Research and Development
The Research and Development Intern will support the
Director of Training, Research, and Development in an array of projects related
to producing and evaluating the Institute’s programs. Interns gain experience
researching macro-level trends in the field at large, summarizing program
evaluation data, tracking participants’ success stories, and maintaining a
library of content. The Intern will also support the Institute’s Diversity in
the Arts Initiative, a series of high-level forums exploring the history and
challenges faced by museums, dance companies, and theater companies serving
African-American and Latino communities throughout the United States. This
position is ideal for graduate level students with an interest in research and
analysis, non-profit management, and evaluation.
“My internship at DeVos Institute of Arts Management
provided me with priceless, valuable lessons that I otherwise would not have
learned in the classroom. Interns are treated as the members of the team and
given tasks that matter, allowing you to get real “hands-on” experience. Thank
you very much for a wonderful and priceless semester, DeVos Institute!”
Adriel Tjokrosaputro
Music Business/Management Student
Berklee College of Music—Boston, MA
DeVos Institute Intern, Spring 2014
About the DeVos Institute of Arts Management
The DeVos Institute provides training, consultation, and
implementation support for arts managers and their boards.
It operates on the premise that while much is spent to train
artists, too little is spent to support the managers and boards who keep those
artists at work.
At the same time, rapid changes in technology, demographics,
government policy, and the economy have complicated the job of the manager and
volunteer trustees. These challenges continue to accelerate.
Organizations that have mastered these trends are
flourishing—even leveraging them to their advantage.
For those which have not, however, the sense that
“something’s not quite right” can seem unshakable. For too many, these changes
have led to less art, decreased visibility, diminished relevance—even financial
collapse.
These challenges inform the Institute’s approach. Never has
the need to balance best practices and new approaches been so urgent.
Institute leadership and consultants—all arts managers
themselves—understand that, in today’s environment, there is no time or
resource to waste. Therefore, Institute services are lean, direct, and
practical.
Since its founding in 2001, the Institute has served over
1,000 institutions from over 80 countries. While environments, objectives, and
disciplines vary, each of these clients share the desire to create, market, and
sustain exemplary cultural programs.
As such, the Institute has designed its services to assist a
wide range of institutions, from traditional performing and presenting
organizations, museums and galleries, arts schools and libraries, to botanical
gardens, glass-making studios, public art trusts, and non-profit cinemas, to
name a few.
It offers support to individuals, organizations, and—in
collaboration with foundations and governments—to communities of organizations
throughout the world.
The DeVos Institute transferred its activities and offices
from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the University of
Maryland in September 2014. The move enables the Institute to expand its global
training and consulting programs, enhance its fellowships for North American
and international arts managers within the context of a major educational
institution, and create a Master’s program that leverages both University and
Institute resources.
DEVOS INSTITUTE PROGRAMS INCLUDE:
Global Training Programs
Capacity Building Programs
The Institute’s Capacity Building Programs provide in-depth
training and consultation to a cohort of arts organizations in a given city or
region. They combine in-person group training, web-based master classes, and
one-on-one, on-site consultation with each participating organization.
Subjects are tailored to the needs of each cohort and
include:
• Artistic Planning
• Programmatic and Institutional Marketing
• Fundraising
• Board Development
• Financial and Strategic Planning
• Technology Management
• Audience Development and Outreach
To date, Capacity Building Programs have been mounted in New
York City, Miami, Orlando, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Chicago, and Portland. An
international version of the program has been offered in Ireland, Croatia,
England, and Vietnam.
Board Seminars
The Institute also hosts an annual, two-day Board
Development Intensive in Washington, D.C., for board members and senior
executives.
Topics include:
• Recruiting and managing board members
• Achieving fundraising success
• Maximizing the staff-board relationship
• Creating institutional image and impact
• Financial planning
• Developing and supporting effective marketing campaigns
• Hiring an executive director
Board Development Intensives are also offered in cities in
partnership with local governments and foundations. These seminars serve up to
40 local organizations for a two-day discussion localized for the immediate
environment.
Funding partners for Capacity Building Programs and Board
Seminars have included the Ford Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, John S.
and James L. Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Arts Council England,
The Joyce Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, The Paul G. Allen Foundation, Bank
of America, and ministries of culture in host countries.
Consulting Services
The Institute offers a range of consulting services tailored
to the needs of each client. Recent representative clients include:
Alaska Native Heritage Center
ArtPrize, Grand Rapids
Ballet San Jose
City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
DuSable Museum, Chicago
El Museo del Barrio, New York
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Harlem School of the Arts
Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey
Miami City Ballet
Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami
National Black Arts Festival, Atlanta
National YoungArts Foundation, Miami
Columbia Film Society/The Nickelodeon Theatre, Columbia
Park Avenue Armory
Pennsylvania Ballet
Penumbra Theatre, Minneapolis
Royal Opera House, Oman
Texas Ballet Theater
Strategic Planning
The Institute’s core service provides in-depth,
comprehensive, implementable strategic plans. These plans assist organizations
in crisis, those considering growth, and those facing changes to their
environments.
Each plan includes:
• A thorough review of the organization’s mission;
• An environmental analysis that evaluates the relevant
field and determines what is required for success, today and in the future;
• An internal analysis that determines how the organization
compares, at present, to what is required for success, as defined by the
environment;
• Detailed strategies that position the organization to
overcome its weaknesses and exploit its strengths;
• An implementation plan that outlines tactics required to
execute each strategy, assigning responsibility for each, and a deadline for
their completion; and
• A financial plan that projects financial performance based
on the strategies.
To augment the benefits of planning, the Institute provides
implementation support to assist staff and board members as they begin to
execute key strategies.
Private Intensives for Individual Organizations
The Institute offers short- and long-term training,
planning, and evaluation intensives for board-staff teams focused on:
• Launching the strategic planning process
• Reviewing/updating a current strategic plan or
organizational mission
• Establishing/reviewing board and staff roles and
responsibilities
• Crisis management
• Department-specific training (in Fundraising and
Marketing)
Organizational Evaluation
The Institute offers organizational audits in the following
areas:
• Total organizational performance
• Board structure and performance
• Financial structure and performance
• Marketing operations
• Fundraising operations
Other Planning and Implementation Services
The Institute also offers “business unit” planning and
implementation support in the following areas:
• Capital campaigns
• Endowments
• Programmatic and Institutional Marketing
• Pricing
• Planning, operating, and sustaining new cultural
institutions
• Season and program design
Fellowships
The Institute offers two, three-year Fellowship programs:
one for North American arts managers and a second for arts executives from
abroad. Both are offered free-of-charge to participants, who are selected
through a competitive application process. Participants attend a four-week
Fellowship in residence at the University of Maryland each spring for three
consecutive years.
Fellowships include:
• Intensive academic training in non-profit management,
finance, planning, fundraising, evaluation, and marketing;
• Hands-on work rotations in a performing or visual arts
institution;
• Intensive collaborative group work; and
• Ongoing personalized mentoring, both during and between
the month-long residencies.
Arts Management Texts
Institute publications offer practical guidance on a range
of arts management subjects.
• The Cycle: A Practical Approach to Managing
Arts Organizations, by Michael M. Kaiser with
Brett E. Egan. This volume describes the Institute’s
approach to managing sustainable arts organizations through a series of
practical examples, illustrations, evaluation templates, and planning tools.
(English.
Short-form versions are available in English, Arabic,
Croatian, Czech, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian,
Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.)
• The Art of the Turnaround: Creating and Maintaining
Healthy Arts Organizations, by Michael M. Kaiser. This distillation of best
practices learned through Kaiser’s nearly three decades of work with troubled
cultural organizations provides a practical framework for any manager or board
member facing—or planning to avoid—a turnaround. (English)
• Leading Roles: 50 Questions Every Arts Board Should Ask by
Michael M. Kaiser. A need-to-know primer in board governance for arts trustees
worldwide. (English)
• Strategic Planning in the Arts: A Practical Guide, by
Michael M. Kaiser. A step-by-step guide to the Institute’s strategic planning
process. (English, Arabic, Czech, and Spanish.)
