Shape the Future of Arts & Culture

In North Carolina, the arts are not only culturally vital—they are economically powerful. Arts and cultural nonprofits generate more than $2.8 billion in economic impact annually across the state and support thousands of jobs in museums, theaters, galleries, festivals, historic sites, and community cultural spaces. Students in Art Management learn how this creative ecosystem works and how to play an active role in shaping it.

Art Management is an interdisciplinary concentration within the BA in Art & Visual Culture. It blends the study of art, visual culture, art history, administration and creative practices with hands-on coursework in cultural leadership, exhibition making, and community engagement. It offers students a broad understanding of how art and culture intersect with organizational practices, both historically and in today's creative economy. Art Management is ideal for students who want to make a difference in creative and cultural organizations as administrators, organizers, educators, curators, cultural workers, artists, and advocates. 

Real Experience, Real Impact                  

Students complete a required Nonprofit Organizations Minor, and select courses to develop skills in:

  • Fundraising and donor relations
  • Grant writing and sponsorship strategies
  • Social media and digital communications
  • Nonprofit mission, leadership, and governance

Students also participate in internships, gaining real-world experience in museums, galleries, community arts centers, artist studios, design firms, and cultural nonprofits. These internships build professional networks and sometimes lead to post-graduation employment.

NYC Arts & Culture Experience

Art Management students travel to New York City for an immersive arts and culture field experience visiting museums, galleries, studios, and cultural organizations, and meeting creative leaders for career development. We stay at Appalachian’s NY Loft in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan and enjoy exceptional food from all over the city between art experiences.

Group of students and an instructor posing in front of a wall display titled “Flight & Constraint: Exploring Our Bond With Birds,” with bird-themed artwork hanging nearby.

Students and faculty after installing the “Flight & Constraint” exhibition

Two women standing in a museum shop, smiling and pointing to a book displayed on a table.

Jody Servon
Young woman speaking in front of a projected screen, gesturing with both hands mid-presentation; her open laptop covered in stickers is visible in the foreground.
Two people crouch on the floor in a gallery corner, reviewing a diagram with a pencil near a colorful framed artwork that rests against the wall. Blue painter’s tape lines the base of the wall.

Paid On-Campus Opportunities

Students have access to multiple paid on campus art positions at the Looking Glass Gallery in Plemmons Student Union; Department of Art’s Smith Gallery and Cathy P. Walling Gallery (not sure what link to use here); and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. These roles provide hands-on experience with exhibitions, visitor engagement, collections, programming, marketing, and gallery operations all while earning income.

Career Pathways

Graduates are prepared for a wide range of roles, including:

  • Museum education, programming, and curatorial support
  • Gallery and arts center administration
  • Community arts programming and cultural outreach
  • Event, festival, and exhibition coordination
  • Public art planning and creative placemaking
  • Marketing, communications, and social media
  • Libraries, archives and collection management

Skills gained in this program such as communication, collaboration, management, and creative problem-solving are highly transferable. Students also find meaningful careers in adjacent fields such as design, hospitality, community development, landscape architecture, arts and wellness, higher education, libraries, UX design, interior design, creative entrepreneurship and more. 

Students choose Art Management because it allows them to connect their interests in the arts with work that supports people, communities, and culture. The Art Management program emphasizes collaboration, equity, and curiosity while preparing students to be thoughtful and impactful contributors within cultural institutions and beyond.

The Art Management program emphasized hands-on experience, mentorship, and practical learning, which really prepared me for the realities of working in the arts and nonprofit sectors.

Samantha Oleschuk

Senior Capstone

ART 4900 – Internship: Field Experience

An on-the-job experience with artists, museums, galleries, and other businesses related to the promotion of professions in the arts and cultural sector.

A group of ten people stands together in an art gallery for a photo. Behind them is a large colorful abstract painting, and to the right, a ceramic face jug is displayed on a white pedestal. The group smiles, dressed in casual and semi-formal attire, on a light wood floor against white walls.

SOCO Gallery Internship

As the Gallery and Shop Intern at SOCO Gallery in Charlotte, NC, Leah Hurwitz (front row in black top) gained a deeper understanding of the art world and the daily operations of a contemporary gallery. She admired SOCO’s role as a leading, women-owned gallery in the South and valued the opportunity to learn from its dynamic environment.