Photo by Zane Williams
Bolz Center graduate students work in most of the resident companies of the Overture Center, as well as with the Center itself. Arts Administration alumni working for the Overture Center or its resident companies include:
Overture Center for the Arts
Bob Palmer, ticket office manager
Tina Frailey, publicist
Benedict DiSalvo, group sales and sponsorships associate
Madison Repertory Theatre
Matthew Poulson, audience services manager
Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
Peter Schmeling, development director
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
Stephen Fleischman, director
Nicole Allen, director of development
Sheri Castelnuovo, curator of education
Madison Symphony Orchestra
Richard H. Mackie, executive director
Ann Healey Bowen, general manager
Madison Youth Choirs
Michael Paré, managing director
This fall, Madison celebrated the opening of the first phase of a stunning $205 million performing and visual arts facility, the Overture Center for the Arts.
Designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli, the Overture Center is expected to be a boon to the greater Madison community – not just for the arts, but also for the downtown business economy, and in terms of national recognition for the city and as an aid in corporate recruiting. Particular beneficiaries are the students and graduates of the Arts Administration program of the School of Business.
Andrew Taylor, director of the Bolz Center for Arts Administration, said development and construction of the facility has been, “an invaluable case study for our students, and will continue to be an essential hands-on element of our MBA program. The Overture Center will be a draw in attracting students interested in arts administration, and offer enhanced internship opportunities for our students. We also are pleased that many of our graduates have a leadership role in its success.” (see list at right)
Alumni of the program had the chance to experience the new facility this fall, during the Bolz Center’s alumni conference. The theme of that event, called “What’s It Worth?”, explored the value of arts and culture to people, places and the public purpose.
At the conference, more than 75 participants heard a talk on the va lue of the Overture Center by George Austin, president of the Overture Foundation and School of Business alumnus, BBA ‘74, MS ’76. Austin related to the group how a single-donor gift from Madison businessman W. Jerome Frautschi is enabling development of a world-class cultural arts district in downtown Madison and what its presence might mean for the city’s future.
Collegium keynote speakers were Bill Ivey, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, who directs the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University, and Adrian Ellis, an international consultant to arts organizations, foundations and governments.
According to Taylor, “In recent decades, we’ve stumbled through a number of efforts to attach value to arts and cultural activities. We’ve talked about economic impact, educational benefit and the ‘creative class.’ The goal of the conference was to have a conversation on how arts managers, leaders and supporters can place a public value on what they do, and work more directly to release that value to the world. The Overture Center provided a wonderful and tangible backdrop to that important conversation.”
To learn more about the “What’s It Worth?” conference, go to: www.bolzcenter.org/collegium. To learn more about the Overture Center for the Arts, go to: www.overturecenter.com.