Management Studio

"Management Studio is truly an amazing course. This class allowed me to connect meaningfully with arts organizations and the greater Chicago arts community. We got to work for Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art. As a museum that has a 30+ year history, they wanted to create a recording booth where visitors could share stories about interacting with artists and their communities. My team was able to lay the groundwork for the eventual construction of the recording booth after researching case studies and legal requirements, meeting with an ethnographer, and connecting with other institutions that had successfully used recording booths in their spaces. We also needed to work with Intuit to solidify priorities like physical and language-based accessibility, technology, and other hopes for the booth. Overall, Management Studio allowed my team to get hands-on experience and connect with institutions that are doing amazing work in the Chicago community."

“Management Studio is one of the best components of SAIC’s MAAP program. It offers a unique opportunity for students to complete an arts-related administrative project with guidance and advice from Management Studio instructors. Our project involved contributing to the curation of the National Public Housing Museum’s Rec Room exhibition. This experience taught us the intricacies of organizing a community-centered curatorial project, covering everything from research to design and outreach. Additionally, by working under the mentorship of Director Lisa Lee, we observed how an experienced arts administrator applies the best practices and skills from class to their own work. Overall, Management Studio provided an incredible work experience and facilitated connections with professionals in the field that set examples for the kind of work I aspire to do in the future."

Curator of Public Practice, Mural Arts
“Right at the start of my studies at SAIC, the Management Studio curriculum provided me with the artistic agency and real-time constraints to thoughtfully produce public programs for projects happening across Chicago. I chose to work on projects that would allow me to develop a curatorial voice and portfolio, the most fruitful of which was the Borderland Collective's exhibition Northern Triangle. My colleagues and I collaborated to initiate a series of workshops, tours, and programs which culminated in a night of performances by current MFA students. This final program in particular ignited my curatorial and scholarly interest in performance practices which guided much of my subsequent graduate studies and thesis work. Without the excitement and accountability the Management Studio projects provide, I would not have solidified the interests that made my time at SAIC so productive, intentional, and hungry for what's next."

Associate Curator, Museum of Contemporary Photography
“In 2015 I worked on the ROCK project as part of Management Studio's public collaboration with the Chicago Architecture Biennial. Our project group orchestrated three artist interventions in Millennium Park, centered around a sculptural stage created by Nigerian, Amsterdam-based architect Kunlé Adeyemi. During the three events, I realized how much I loved working with the public in an informal yet necessary arts education and interpretation role. We'd intentionally created a public spectacle with no signage—and hundreds of people passing through the park that day gathered to watch and wanted to know 'What is going on?!' It was a great day for the public, and also in creating a unique and very cool platform for an artist. I loved walking up to curious strangers, exchanging introductions, and then offering 'Would you like for me to share a bit of background about this artist and project?' The opportunity and experience opened up a passion and career direction that I hadn't fully considered before."

Deputy Director and Director of Projects, Monument Lab
“After being active for eight years in socially engaged art practices through my nonprofit in Colombia, the idea of pausing for graduate school terrified me. But the Master in Arts Administration and Policy at SAIC proved my fears wrong. An example of this was Management Studio I and II, where I was paired with the Chicago Cultural Alliance to work on the INHERIT Chicago festival project, an opportunity that not only provided insight into the vast and diverse cultural landscape of the city, but also served as a scenario for me to put my knowledge to test, expanding my skill sets and providing a global understanding of community and culture, bringing theory to practice."