Carnegie Mellon’s Master of Arts Management Program Launches New Research Initiative

Help us congratulate ISPA member and partner organization, Carnegie Mellon University's Master of Arts Management Program on the launch of their new Arts Management and Technology Laboratory (AMTLab).  Find below a press release issued by Carnegie Mellon University which details this innovative new tool for arts management research.  To learn more about AMTLab visit www.amt-lab.org. 

MTLab serves as an exchange, a catalyst for ideas, and a conduit for knowledge by providing current and future arts managers, technologists and researchers with existing best practices and emerging technologies affecting the arts and culture sector.               

"Arts organizations are faced with unique challenges when it comes to technology and effective management,” said Brett Crawford, executive director of AMTLab. "AMTLab serves as a resource to a field that has few options available to it. Perhaps most importantly, AMTLab stands to help solve critical questions facing today’s arts managers and technologists, while also contributing to the innovations necessary for future effective application of technology in the arts management field.”

AMTLab explores a range of topics at the intersection of arts, management and technology through a biannual series of student-authored white papers published online at www.amt-lab.org. Throughout the year, the online forum hosts a blog featuring research updates from AMTLab contributors, case studies of arts organizations employing innovative technological approaches, and news summaries of developments affecting the field. Interviews with leading arts management professionals on technological trends, challenges and innovations also appear on the site, along with student reviews of apps, software and other products relevant to the arts industry.

Although serious in its research, AMTLab also embraces the creative whim of the arts in several new editorial tracks, including AMTLab Radio and the recurring series "What’s On Your Phone,” highlighting monthly smartphone use by leaders in the field.

In addition to the executive director, the initiative is led by two Heinz College graduate students who will serve as chief editor and chief coordinator, and will manage the development and publicity of the site. Eight to 10 research associates will contribute content to the center. 

"AMTLab is a perfect and timely complement to the robust arts management education we offer,” said Kathryn Heidemann, director of the Master of Arts Management program and ISPA member. "Technology is now a function of all areas of arts management — no longer just IT departments — and this center helps our students as well as the greater arts community understand both the theoretical and practical intersections between arts management and technology.”    

About the MAM Program: Offered through a joint partnership between the Heinz College’s School of Public Policy & Management and the College of Fine Arts, the Master of Arts Management (MAM) program at Carnegie Mellon University is designed to create innovative leaders in the visual and performing arts. The program combines rigorous finance, marketing, technology and fundraising coursework with practical experience to prepare graduates to excel in public, private or nonprofit arts environments. The groundbreaking program boasts more than 600 graduates in 20 countries who work at some of the most prestigious arts institutions across the globe, including The Guggenheim Museum, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Opera, The Smithsonian, The National Endowment for the Arts, Edinburgh Festival, Mori Art Museum, Google and more. The MAM program also is host to two innovative initiatives including Future Tenant, a downtown Pittsburgh gallery and performance space, and AMTLab, a nationally recognized research center.