125 Stanford Stories

NO. 112
Stanford Today

Art is My Occupation

Stanford creates pathways for students to pursue arts careers

Art requires inspiration but also lots of preparation. Through several new programs, Stanford is applying its prowess in experiential learning to students who want to make a living in the arts.

Art is My Occupation, or AiMO, is an interdepartmental professional development program led by the Office of the Associate Dean for the Advancement of the Arts and including the Anderson Collection; BEAM Stanford Career Education; the Cantor Arts Center; the Institute for Diversity in the Arts; and the departments of Art and Art History, Music, and Theater and Performance Studies.

Part of Stanford’s 21st-century mission is to bring the arts into the lives of all Stanford students. Another is to enrich the world by nurturing gifted arts practitioners. AiMO furthers both goals by helping Stanford students launch arts careers.

I grew up in an environment where the arts were constantly overlooked in favor of sectors that could bring tangible benefit or economic growth – like engineering or science.  A grant from my alma mater, a university I have loved and respected, meant a lot.

– Writer Samantha Toh, ’10, MA ’11

AiMO offers Q&A sessions with successful young artists like comedy writer Seth Meyers, author Yaa Gyazi, ’11, and violinist/motivational speaker Kai Kight, ’14.

It prepares students for the practical aspects of arts careers through roundtables on funding and grant-writing and summer internships at music, art and design entities.

Through “BEAM Treks” in the arts, students visit and connect with museums, publishers and arts administrators.

A new professional development course, ArtsInst 50: Arts in Context: The Process of Cultural Production, sets students to work in small groups with professional mentors to plan and produce an arts program at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

Through Stanford in New York, students can spend the fall quarter working in a museum, design workshop or other arts entity while staying on track with their academic major requirements.

Finally, Alumni Arts Grants offer recent graduates up to $5,000 toward production, publishing or installation costs of work that can advance their careers.

It wasn’t until I got to Stanford that I started writing music. Why?

It’s OK at Stanford  it’s even celebrated  to diverge from the linear, expected path.

– Violinist/motivational speaker Kai Kight, ’14

Learn more about Stanford’s work to illuminate career paths in the arts.