January 03, 2009
AE in the new year
First off, I'd like to thank the 1 or 2 readers of this blog for actually caring about what I have to say (Thanks Andrew!) Hopefully, someday that number will change. I could excuse my lack of updates with the fact that I was very busy with the end of semester and exams, or I could admit to you, my audience, that I was only required to do 5 entries for my BIT class, and 5 entries I did. Now that I am no longer constrained by the knowledge that someone in partial control of my grade is reading this, or the fact that a website had to be tagged in every entry, along with pictures and such, I can do whatever I want! Not that that changes a whole lot...You may have also noticed a change in name (from Arts Enterprise...to Beyond Talent Briefs...to I don't know...we'll see...) to Rhapsody in Blog! (cute yes?) Originally I was going to go with Rhapsodic Ramblings or something like that, but this is what my mom suggested when I asked (and tried to explain what a blog is...) and it stuck. Also, you can find rhapsody in my AIM screen name so it is particularly fitting (I won't disclose it here, but if you want to know, ask).
Since I last wrote about Prof. Jensen's discussion at the work gallery, Arts Enterprise had a Beyond Talent Workshop with Michael Lawrence, Director of Artistic Programs at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (also a Michigan SoMTD alum!). I regret to say that I was unable to attend this event since it conflicted with my studio class, but from what I heard it was very successful. I did however have the opportunity to have lunch with him and a few other members that day at Cottage Inn (the original) and got to talk to him a little about what it's like to have a non-performing career. Obviously, there are not enough performance jobs out there for the hundreds of thousands of musicians graduating with degrees from music schools every year, so sometimes it's necessary to pursue other paths of artistic expression (isn't that part of the mission of AE?). Anyway, he seems very happy with his current position and I wish I could say more about his discussion, as I'm sure it was very entertaining and informative.
The other exciting event Arts Enterprise sponsored prior to the winter holidays was a Charity Concert at the Firefly Club in Ann Arbor, co-sponsored with Net Impact, an MBA club at the Ross School of Business. AE has enjoyed previous collaborations with RNI and was very excited to help the Net Impact mission of improving the world through sharing something we all love, music. Unfortunately, I was also unable to attend this event (are we seeing a pattern? I swear I try my best!) but this time I have a valid excuse-the event was 21+, and I, a lowly sophomore, fail to qualify for that. Money raised at the concert will benefit the Music National Service Initiative, which coincidentally is an organization recently launched by Kiff Gallagher, who also recently visited AE at the University of Michigan. Look for more about Kiff (his visit was before I started this blog), his organization, and his blog in future entries, soon, I promise. With his vision, MNSI is already achieving substantial success and will certainly have even more in the future. Ok, I can't even remember what I was talking about! Oh, the charity concert that i wasn't allowed to go to! Anyway, artists featured included Chris Genteel, one of the co-founders of Arts Enterprise (with Kelly Dylla, both MBA '08) and Brian Hall, one of the current Directors of Programming (MBA '09), amongst others. From what I'm told, it was a very fun night for everybody involved and hopefully we will have another concert soon.
Coming up: as mentioned earlier, more about Kiff Gallagher and MNSI, news about the launching of Arts Enterprise national, a blog on a blog of a future AE speaker, Henry Fogel, and checking in on the DSO. Hopefully I will remember the 2 things about html I learned in BIT (how to put in a hyperlink and how to put in a picture) and this won't look quite so boring! As always, comments are welcome, although unlikely given the extremely limited readership!
Posted by srelder at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)
December 03, 2008
AE Advisor Michael Jensen Discussion
A few weeks ago Arts Enterprise Business Faculty Advisor Michael Jensen hosted a discussion at the Work Gallery on State Street regarding The Promises and Perils of the Art Industry. Although Prof. Jensen is a very dynamic speaker, his outlook on prospective jobs in the arts industry was dismal at best, although his appreciation for the need for creative thinkers in our society cannot be doubted. Just the fact that the event was covered by the Monroe Street Journal was encouraging as well, it's good to see AE getting exposure to the business school community.
Much of the discussion involved Richard Florida's book The Rise of the Creative Class
Although I've never read the book (although it's on my Christmas wish list), it has been on the bestseller lists and with all the changes in the economy, Florida's ideas are becoming more and more forward-thinking. In our society, we really do need people that can think creatively and look for different solutions to new problems. Which is where the arts comes in. Of course, while artists/creative thinkers certainly would be useful to businesses, they often tend to follow their "passions" without being open to other opportunities, but that's another story. THe book examines various indexes: Bohemian, High Tech, Gay, Melting Pot-not what you usually see on Wall Street. But the interesting was result that open-minded, artistically advanced cities like San Francisco ranked high while places like Detroit ranked low. Shocker. Does this say that Detroit is a lousy city because it ranks low not only on high tech but also in terms of gays and bohemians (and not so low on melting pot)? Well, no. That is not to say that Detroit is not a lousy city-it is. And it certainly does have arts and culture, it's just not as strong as other places. Perhaps a stronger emphasis on the arts would improve the quality of life? It's possible, hard to say though. Part of me is confused as to whether this thing about how having artists improves society and makes cities like SF's high tech economy, when artists in general are paid so little. But I guess that's just the way it works. In an ideal world everyone would make a lot of money and get to do what they love. Unfortunately, we live in far from an ideal world-one that's kind of short on money right now.
Posted by srelder at 06:44 PM | Comments (0)
October 05, 2008
Welcome!
Finally, Arts Enterprise is represented in the world of blogs! If you haven't heard of our exciting organization, we're a fairly new group on the University of Michigan campus that strives to bring together the arts and business. My name is Stephanie Elder, and I am currently the Director of Membership for AE and also take part in the planning of Beyond Talent Workshops (or BTWs) that seek to inform music students of unique career opportunities and pathways through workshops and lectures from speakers all over the country. As an extension of this mission, I thought it would be great to point members to interesting articles involving the arts and AE's mission on this blog.
The great thing about Arts Enterprise is that it deals with such a wide array of topics-anything is fair game! We are interesting in anything that involves using both sides of the brain, trying to forge a connection between The Art of Business and the Business of Art. So I will be on the look out for articles (ArtsJournal anyone?) that are interesting or thought-provoking and share some of my thoughts. I'd love to hear yours as well so please leave comments! Also, I'm always open to suggestions and links to stories I may have missed. Enjoy! Below is a picture of members of the exec board, along with Faculty Advisor Mark Clague and University Musical Society President Ken Fischer receiving an award from the Ginsberg Center for "Outstanding Campus Impact" in the Spring of 2008.
Posted by srelder at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)
September 30, 2008
Test
Hello, World! http://www.umich.edu
Posted by srelder at 12:09 PM