Join Us for a
"Drinks and Dialogue" Discussion: Advocacy

Thursday, March 13 at 5:30
Prosperity Social Club

Join us for the third "Drinks and Dialogue" gathering at Prosperity Social Club in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood as we discuss the topic of advocacy and the arts.  This discussion is facilitated by Adam Sheldon '12, Operations and Finance Manager of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture. 

The "Drinks and Dialogue" event series features group discussions on relevant topics related to the arts management field in a fun, relaxed setting.  If you are interested in facilitating a future "Drinks and Dialogue" featuring a topic of interest to you, please let us know!  

RSVP to the March 13 "Drinks and Dialogue" on Facebook.

Arts Management Alumni Profile: Deidra Sibila '00 

In this issue, we spotlight Deidra Sibila '00, ticketing director of C3 Presents in Austin, Texas. Deidra was one of the first arts management graduates to seriously pursue opportunities in the for-profit arts world and has earned national recognition for her work in the concert ticketing industry. 

Brendan Reynolds '07 caught up with Deidra recently to find out more about her career and how a liberal arts education at BW has contributed to her success. 

Deidra Sibila, a native of Massillon, Ohio, has always loved music. “Music has the power to bring people together,” says Sibila. And that is what initially attracted Sibila to Baldwin Wallace. “I started as a music education major,” explained Sibila, “At that time, the sports, dance and arts administration program was still relatively new and somewhat experimental.” Eventually, Sibila became a double major in business and music and she began working in Cleveland concert venues like the Odeon. “It’s amazing to see how far the arts management program has come,” expressed Sibila, “It’s great to see the program grow.”

Sibila’s first job after graduation was with Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens in Akron. She worked with Susan Van Vorst, now director of BW’s Conservatory of Music, who at that time was Stan Hywet’s director of development.  In her role at Stan Hywet, Sibila worked on capital campaigns, special events, membership programs and other fundraising activities. “Stan Hywet was an incredible experience and I learned so much while I was there,” says Sibila. While working with Stan Hywet, Sibila continued to pursue her love of music by “moonlighting” at the Odeon. She worked in ticketing and promotions and she credits these early opportunities to the network that Baldwin Wallace provided. “BW’s tremendous network through Career Services and through faculty connections helps so many students find internships and work.”

Her evenings and weekends at the Odeon led to a full-time position in the Odeon’s box office. There she not only worked on a myriad of concerts but also with the Cleveland Browns and the Gravity Games (now known as the X Games).  During that time, management of the Odeon’s activities transitioned first from Belkin Entertainment to SFX Entertainment, next from SFX Entertainment to Clear Channel Entertainment, and finally from Clear Channel to Live Nation.  Working for a locally-owned concert and event production operation as it morphed into a company with a national network had its challenges and opportunities. One prime opportunity for Sibila came in the form of the chance to manage the box office at Cricket Pavilion in Phoenix.  Cricket Pavilion is a 20,000 seat outdoor amphitheater that has played host to many concerts and a line-up of impressive artists including Roger Waters (Pink Floyd), Aerosmith, Dave Matthews Band and Kelly Clarkson.  In addition to her responsibilities for overseeing ticketing at Cricket Pavilion, Sibila also traveled around the country to train other Live Nation staff members.

Read the full profile here.

Your Help Needed for Mock Interviews! 

As part of the BW Arts Management Senior Capstone course, students are tasked with participating in a number of activities related to finding meaningful employment following graduation.  This includes compiling a professional arts management portfolio, updating their resume, job searching activities, informational interviews and mock applications and interviews. 

As phone interviews become more and more prevalent, we would like to provide students the opportunity to participate in a mock phone interview.  Would you be willing to act as a hiring manager for a fictional position and participate in a mock phone interview with a current BW senior?  Participating students would “apply” directly to you and you would arrange to complete the phone interview at a mutually agreeable time.  After the mock interview, you would spend some time debriefing the call with the student to provide feedback and allow the student to ask questions about the experience.  This is a direct way to provide assistance to BW’s current arts management students and perfect for alumni who live out of the area but are looking for ways to stay connected. 

If you are interested, please email Arts Management Program Director Bryan Bowser (bbowser@bw.edu) with your name, preferred email and phone number by Monday, March 17.  Thanks, in advance, for your assistance! 
-Bryan Bowser, '97, '08

 Letter from the President

The Arts Management Association (AMA) was founded in 2004 to aid current BW Arts Management students in their professional development and networking. The following is a message from the current AMA executive director, Anna Fatica '13.

This year has been flying by so quickly!  AMA has been very busy per usual.  We have a lot of really exciting events coming up.  After the auction last semester, we decided to add a new location to our networking trip cycle, so at the end of March we will be heading to Nashville, Tennessee!

We are very excited to take on this new city and represent BW's Arts Management Program with pride. A few site visits are already in place, including the Nashville Ballet and the Street Company.  We are still contacting organizations and solidifying our schedule, so if you have any input on great places to visit or things to do, please email me.  We would love to hear from you.

AMA also has a lot of events coming up on campus, including the PRISM concert, and the Beatles concert, in which a handful of AMA members are performing and managing.  Please feel free to join us for these events - we would love to see alumni there.  The yearly grant writing workshop is also in the process of being planned, as well as some exciting breakout sessions for students and alumni to join together.  (See sidebar at left for details.) 

Thank you all for your endless amounts of advice and being true mentors to everyone in AMA.  We are very grateful.  Your hard work does not go unnoticed, and we are so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful group.  Looking forward to seeing some of you very soon!     -Anna Fatica '14

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