Master of Arts Arts and Cultural Management

Duration: 1.5 years (3 semesters), Full-Time (January 2011 Intake)
Classes will be conducted in evening / weekend mode.

THE ARTS MANAGER AS CULTURAL ENTREPRENEUR

LASALLE Master of Arts in Arts and Cultural Management is your platform to a vital industry role. As South-east Asia’s only English-language postgraduate programme offering theoretical and practical study and research training, it will guide you to become an effective arts manager – one who enables art-making and shapes cultural policy and discourse.

The creative and cultural sector is developing speed as an important engine of global economic development. The industries under this sector are seen as a powerful sources of income, job creation and export earnings for most advanced countries, and a feasible strategic options to diversify the economies of developing countries by offering new avenues for these countries to enter into value added high-growth sectors of the emerging creative economy. This transformation has brought about the critical realisation that the role of the Arts Manager is far more complex. Today, the Arts Manager’s role has transformed from one who administers non-profit organisations to becoming an enabler of art-making and one who shapes and influences cultural policy and discourse. The Arts Manager today is therefore an innovator and a social and cultural entrepreneur who facilitates greater interaction and exchange between art, artists, art agencies, policy makers, the industry and its audience.

Having pioneered Singapore’s first Arts Management studies in 1995, LASALLE is the only arts institution in Singapore that offers its own degrees in both visual and performing arts management. The programme has produced many successful graduates who are making a difference in our creative and cultural landscape with organisations including WOMAD Singapore, The Esplanade Co Ltd, National Arts Council, Singapore Art Museum, National Archives, Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Arts Central, The Substation, Objectifs and various art galleries including Art2, Artfolio and Gajah Gallery. LASALLE’s MA Arts & Cultural Management is South-east Asia’s only English language postgraduate programme that provides theoretical and practical study, as well as research training, for both visual and performing arts.

A scene from a final-year dance production
Conducted in Singapore where the arts and culture are at the cusp of growth and change, the Programme provides the opportunity for practicing and potential arts and cultural managers with diverse backgrounds to bring their own experiences to engage with each other and industry professionals on the critical issues facing the industry today The Programme is distinctive in its focus on cultural policy and business strategy as its programme engine to encourage research.

Programme Structure

The academic strategy of the programme is to present a variety of modules appropriate for the study and exploration of critical issues relating to the arts, cultural and business management. The programme’s teaching and learning methodology is a balance between cultural theory and business strategy enabling the acquisition of theoretical knowledge to support the candidate’s research interest, which would be realised in a major thesis or project. All the six modules are aimed to enhance the capabilities of individuals at every stage of their career—from new managers to experienced ones. Through a programmed approach of lectures, seminars, workshops by LASALLE faculty, industry experts and professionals and international visitors, candidates will be equipped with the knowledge and ability in managing an artistic and ever changing cultural environment.

Semester 1

• Introduction to Postgraduate Studies
• Global Management of the Arts and Culture
• Cultural Policy and Leadership Seminars

Semester 2

• Business Strategies for the Arts Entrepreneur
• Creative and Cultural Industries Seminars

Semester 3

• Research Dissertation or Research Project Report

Industry Partnership

Coloured wax stains on a Fine Arts studio wall
One of the strengths of the Programme is its collaboration with industry. Towards this end, it has invited practitioners and senior executives from major arts organisations to share their knowledge and expertise with our candidates. Part of this is done through an event organised by the Programme called INTERACTIONS, where industry speakers are invited to have discourse with our candidates. Candidates in the Programme will also have the option of doing an internship with a local arts or cultural organisation. They will also have the opportunity of going to Australia to do the Multicultural Arts Professional Development (MAPD) programme. MAPD is a national arts leadership programme initiated by the Australia Council for the Arts, and presented by the Australian Multicultural Foundation, RMIT University and Kape Communications.

Career Path

Graduates from the programme will be able to take up leadership positions in the industry locally or internationally. Equipped with an entrepreneurial mindset, graduates will also be able to make significant contributions to the development of the arts in policy-making for the public and private sectors, management of cultural institutions and organisations, and research and publications. Some of the positions include:

• Arts / Cultural Entrepreneur
• Arts Manager
• Gallery Manager
• Museum / Arts Executive
• Arts Writer / Critic
• Arts Consultant
• Arts Marketing / Public Relations Manager
• Museum Curator
• Exhibition Manager
• Events / Festival Manager
• Programming Manager

For more information about the programme and admission, contact us.
For detailed entry requirements, please go to Entry Requirements.
To apply, please go to Applications.

i-AM is Singapore's first online Arts Management magazine. Edited by award-winning poet and writer Felix Cheong and featuring the finest student writers from the Arts Management programme in LASALLE, i-AM provides a candid insight into current Arts Management issues and practices in areas as diverse as marketing, arts policy, venue management, visual arts, festivals and audience development. In the near future, i-AM also plans to feature a directory of graduating students and alumni that will showcase the multifaceted skills and expertise that they have to offer to the arts and creative industries.
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