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(Email [email protected] for Alumni discount code, send your full name and VCUarts Qatar email)
This 8-week intensive masterclass offers an invaluable introduction to the world of art project management. The comprehensive curriculum equips emerging artists, new arts administrators, and budding creative professionals with foundational skill set for successfully planning and executing artistic projects. Through an applied, hands-on approach, participants gain a practical overview of essential concepts and processes involved in managing creative initiatives of different types and scales. From budgeting and scheduling to logistics, operations, marketing, and community engagement—the masterclass covers core fundamentals.
Highlights include:
The masterclass serves as a valuable first step for those eager to build viable careers in the creative landscape. Through experiential learning, theory, and skills training, participants emerge confident to advance their artistic visions through effective project management and implementation.
This introductory Art Project Management masterclass provides a solid foundation in the multidisciplinary skills required to plan and execute artistic projects in today’s dynamic cultural landscape. The curriculum combines strategic concepts with practical expertise, exploring topics from artistic curation and community engagement to budgeting and fundamentals.
Participants will gain a holistic understanding of developing a clear project mission centered on creative impact and vision. Critical areas like arts marketing, audience development, and fundraising for creative initiatives are covered, along with operational logistics. Legal considerations relevant to arts and cultural projects are examined at an introductory level.
With a grounding in ethical principles, the masterclass nurtures skills for arts advocacy and community-building. It provides a comprehensive primer on navigating core planning and managerial aspects from ideation through implementation. Overall, this program equips beginners with a solid foundation for further study or entry-level arts project roles.
Introduction to Arts Management
This module outlines a framework for impactful leadership in the arts and cultural sector. Participants will be introduced to organizational models that drive artistic vision and key principles for crafting a compelling mission statement. Participants will gain a taste of insights into stewarding creative talent and navigating unique arts environment dynamics. This high-level overview unpacks the multifaceted field of arts management. By the end of this module, participants will come away with a foundational orientation to core concepts.
Strategic Planning
Participants will be briefly introduced to developing achievable strategic plans that can amplify an arts organization’s creative impact. They will gain a high-level overview of environmental scanning techniques to informally align goals with sectoral trends and cultural policy shifts. Participants will get a taste of evaluation metrics that assess artistic and community engagement success beyond numerical measures. This module provides a foundation for strategic planning tailored to arts organizations.
Art Marketing
In this module, participants will be briefly introduced to innovative strategies for promoting cultural offerings and growing audiences. They will gain an orientation to brand storytelling, digital content creation, and integrated communications to begin cultivating advocates for artistic programming.
This module provides a foundation in leveraging marketing tactics tailored for the arts sector. Participants will get a taste of core concepts to elevate promotional capacity.
Audience development for the Arts
Participants will be briefly introduced to engagement tactics that build connections with current and potential arts audiences. They will gain high-level insights into motivations and barriers for participating in artistic experiences. Participants will get an orientation to community outreach initiatives
that foster inclusivity and broaden demographic reach. This module provides a foundation for strategically driving loyalty and participation.
Financial Management for Art organizations
Key financial management principles will be introduced to help ensure artistic visions are adequately resourced. Participants will gain an understanding of budgeting fundamentals and effective fundraising strategies to attract aligned donors. They will receive an introduction to governance best practices that promote financial sustainability. This module provides a foundation for managing organizational finances in the arts sector.
Arts Operations
In this session, participants will be oriented to optimizing organizational performance through streamlined operations. They will gain a high-level overview of staffing logistics, production workflows, and technology tools to enhance administrative efficiency and audience experiences. Participants will receive an introduction to key principles for providing an outstanding environment for creative excellence. This module lays a foundation for operations management tailored for arts organizations.
Art Law and Policies
This module will be oriented to navigating key legal issues to protect an organization’s interests and creative assets. Participants will receive a overview of intellectual property, contract negotiation, and policies governing the arts sector. Participants will gain an introduction to ensuring compliance with regulations while upholding ethical standards and moral rights. This module provides a foundation for confidently understanding the legal landscape.
Managing Artists and Creatives
Participants will be oriented to nurturing the creative process by cultivating an environment for bold artistic expression. They will learn project management fundamentals to realize ambitious productions. Participants will receive an introduction to talent recruitment, commissioning works, and facilitating collaboration techniques. This module provides a foundation for managing artists and creative professionals.
Curatorial Practices in Visual Arts
This module will allow participants to gain insights into strengthening their curatorial vision and applying contemporary theories to develop impactful, visitor-centered exhibitions. They will receive an orientation to essential collections management capabilities and scholarly research fundamentals.
Participants will get a high-level taste of designing interpretive experiences aimed at sparking curiosity and broadening perspectives through art. This module provides a foundation for elevating curatorial practice.
Exhibition Design and Management
Participants will be introduced to core competencies involved in producing compelling, highly-attended art exhibitions. They will gain insights into exhibition design, art installation, touring logistics and marketing engagement fundamentals. Participants will receive an introduction to seamless art handling and venue operations aimed at providing visitors with impactful artistic encounters.
Community Arts Engagement
Participants will introduced to methods to amplify community impact and diversifying participation through innovative engagement initiatives. They will receive a high-level overview of co-creating arts education programs that empower learners. Participants will gain insights into forging local partnerships to deepen cultural enrichment. This session provides a foundation for measuring social, civic and economic impacts that demonstrate public value.
Arts Education Programs
In this session, participants will be oriented to developing imaginative, high-quality arts curricula that foster creativity, critical thinking and cross-cultural appreciation. They will receive an overview of designing immersive tours and experiences centered around artistic inquiry. This module provides a foundation for arts education programs aimed at lifelong learning for learners of all ages. In-depth training on curriculum development and educational experience design.
Future Trends and Vision
This session will explore future trajectories poised to disrupt the arts world through technology, data and emerging practices. They will gain high-level insights into anticipating paradigm shifts and societal forces shaping audience behavior and institutional roles. This module provides an orientation to formulating a vision for responsibly harnessing innovation in the arts. It lays a foundation for
analyzing future trends and strategic visioning.
Arts Entrepreneurship and Innovation
In this introductory overview, participants will be oriented to unleashing their entrepreneurial mindset to bring imaginative arts concepts and cultural ventures to life. They will gain high-level insights into crafting compelling proposals that secure funding and investment. Participants will receive an introduction to evaluating revenue models and partnerships that balance financial viability with creative impact. This module lays a foundation for arts entrepreneurship and innovation.
This session will showcase the participants’ learning journey through their capstone project presentations. They will demonstrate their ability to apply key concepts, strategies, and insights gained throughout the program. Participants will present their proposed solutions to real-world challenges in the arts sector, highlighting their capacity for critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and strategic planning. This module provides a platform for peer learning and professional growth, allowing participants to receive constructive feedback and engage in meaningful discussions. It serves as a springboard for implementing transformative ideas in their respective organizations and the broader cultural landscape.
Through achieving these outcomes, graduates will possess the cross-functional skills and entrepreneurial mindset to thrive as next-generation leaders and change agents in the multifaceted arts management landscape.
Participants who register for this course will earn a digital badge upon successful completion of all coursework, provided they maintain a minimum attendance of 70%.
Start: Mon, 7 Apr, 2025
End: Wed, 28 May, 2025
Lessons: 16
Days: Mondays and Wednesdays
Time: 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Location: Online
Cost: QAR 4500 (Free for VCUarts Qatar Alumni)
Aysha Alkooheji
Aysha Alkooheji is an art and culture professional with extensive experience in the Gulf region. Her expertise spans various aspects of the art world, from program development to community engagement.
Over the years, Aysha has developed and implemented a diverse range of art programming initiatives. Her portfolio includes building local and international art residencies, community and public engagement outreach programs, public art festivals, and art education programming: encompassing both community education and executive education. She also offers training programs for art professionals.
Aysha’s professional toolkit includes a wide array of skills in the art and culture sector: community engagement, strategy development, administrative establishment, program management, consultancy services, and curriculum design. These competencies have enabled her to create impactful and sustainable art programs, effectively bridging the gap between artists, institutions, and the public.
Aysha’s professional journey reflects her dedication to promoting art and culture in the Gulf region. She currently works with Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and has previously held positions at Misk Art Institute in Riyadh, Virginia CommonWealth University, School of arts Qatar, and Alriwaq Art Space in Bahrain.
Alkooheji obtained an Executive Certificate in Arts & Culture Strategy by The University of Pennsylvania and is currently pursuing her Masters in Arts and Culture Management.