This past weekend, 17 Arts and Administration graduate students made the trek to Seattle for ELAN’s 2011 ArtsVenture. Each academic year, ELAN organizes a trip that gives students the opportunity to explore the arts and culture scene of a new city while being able to engage in professional development opportunities.
On Friday, our day started with a visit to the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), where we met with AAD alumni and SAM staff members Cara Egan (Associate Director of Public Relations) and Jenn Wilson (Manager of School and Educator Programs). Students had the opportunity to listen to and ask questions of Cara and Jenn, who talked about their experiences working in the arts and the transition from graduate student to arts professional. Afterward, ELAN members were able to view Nick Cave’s Meet Me at the Center of the Earth, an exhibition of the artist’s Soundsuits on view through June 5th, 2011, as well as tour the museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park with docent Charyl Sedlik. Friday winded down with a lovely cocktail gathering at Christina Rockrise’s home, one of the Board of Visitors’s for our university’s Architecture and Allied Arts department.
Saturday began with a visit to the Experience Music Project (EMP), where students were able to learn about the facility, it’s programming, and curatorial vision from Patricia Costa Kim, the EMP’s Education Director. Afterward, we were able to check out the EMP’s exhibitions, including Jimi Hendrix: An Evolution of Sound.
In the afternoon, we left downtown Seattle and traveled over to the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, where we went to a panel discussion at Seattle University arranged by ELAN. The panel consisted of Cassie Chin, Executive Program Director of the Wing Luke Museum of Asian Art; Andy Fife, Executive Director of Shunpike; Diane Lasko, an Architect at NBBJ and Artist Trust board member; Vicky Lee, Director of Education and Performance Programs at the Seattle Theatre Group; Devon Leger, founder of Hearth Music; Kevin Manfield, founding Director and Professor of the MFA in Arts Leadership at Seattle University; and Miriam Works, Principal at Works Consulting. The panel presented dynamic conversation surrounding the changing field of the arts profession, with the opportunity for students to pose questions to the panel.
ArtsVenture 2011 to Seattle was a great success. It allowed us to experience the cultural landscape of a new city and engage with and learn from arts professionals from a variety of backgrounds.