James Hart, Meadows’ new Director of Art Entrepreneurship.
Meadows School of the Arts’ 2012 academic year was one full of highlights that included that addition of Will Power as a theatrical muse, blazing (and critically acclaimed) Meadows Symphony Orchestra performances and, of course, a steady stream of diverse and entertaining programs and shows that brought artists from around the world onto campus.
However, while being a worldly arts program is something Meadows has always lauded, when it came to filling the new director position for Meadows’ Arts Entrepreneurship the program, the school decided to go with one of the own.
On Aug. 1 James Hart (B.F.A ’96) will assume the role as SMU’s new director of arts entrepreneurship/assistant professor of practice in the division of arts management and arts entrepreneurship.
This lengthy title essentially means that Hart will lead SMU’s Art Entrepreneurship Program (one of the only program’s of its type in the nation) and the minor that the course load offers.
“The Meadows School of the Arts is thrilled to welcome James Hart to lead the arts entrepreneurship minor,” Dean Jose Bowen said.
“The creation of this undergraduate minor is one of Meadows’ most significant curricular initiatives, giving our students the opportunity to learn how to turn their artistic dreams into sustainable business plans. Audition skills are not enough! With the appointment of James Hart – an artist and educator with extensive experience in the fusion of arts and entrepreneurship education – the Meadows School is already positioned as the leader in this new and critical field.”
What exactly qualifies Hart for the position?
Hart has taught at the Yale School of Drama, New York University, the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, Tufts University, Fu Ren University in Taipei, Taiwan, Harlem School of the Arts and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Hart also founded and was former dean of TITAN Teaterskole, a full-time professional theater training program and the first school in Europe to offer intensive training in arts entrepreneurship at the professional conservatory level.
“Arts entrepreneurship will become a staple in arts education – when students have both arts technique and entrepreneurial skills, they are able to compete for existing work and create profitable opportunities where there was nothing before – and the Meadows School is at the forefront of this field,” said Hart.
“I look forward to giving Meadows students the tools to build art and entrepreneurial skills and to empowering them to make a living from their creativity.”
