Our curriculum recognizes the needs of the 21st century to innovate. We believe creativity and artistry are a vehicle for economic growth and development for artist, community and business alike.


Our Mission Statement:
The IAE is committed to helping our students discover meaningful solutions to one essential question: As a person committed to the arts, how do I develop the knowledge and skills to create a successful, meaningful and sustainable life in today's world?

 

Our Structure:

The IAE is a two-year post-graduate certificate program open to actors, musicians, dancers, visual artists, writers, film makers, photographers, culinary artists and fashion designers.  Our two-year program fosters leadership strength and entrepreneurial vision, helping artists become relevant, meaningful, full-time contributors to society.


Our curriculum, which offers students over 750 contact hours, is comprised of 6 modules. Each module consists of one full week of class (Wednesday through Sunday), and 4 weekends (Saturday and Sunday).  Individual career mentorship is administered between meetings. The program is divided into Fall (September – December), Winter (January- March) and Spring (April-June) Terms.

 

Students from multiple disciplines learn to capitalize on their diverse artistic trainings and perspectives. At least one session each term is devoted to experiential learning projects called LEAPs (Learning Experiential Artistry Pods). Through each LEAP, students learn by working alongside peers and arts-based business leaders in real world scenarios. These activities test and shape knowledge and create new perceptions about developing products and services. Examples of LEAP experiences include fund-raising for an existing arts organization, volunteering for an arts-based start up, launching a student-designed product, and creating an original show.



2011- 2012 School Calendar:

About Our School Calendar:
Our curriculum is built around the idea that you need to be an active participant in developing how to effectively utilize the strengths of your gifts and talents to earn a living. To accomplish this, our curriculum is set up so that you spend 15 weekends plus 3 additional weeks each year, for two years, in school. Our curriculum structure allows you to apply what you learn in between sessions as well as gain valuable real world experience in between our immersion style of learning.

YEAR I begins January 2011
Module 1
WEEK: January 5-9 ( Wednesday through Sunday)
WEEKENDS: January 22-23, February 5-6, February 19-20, March 5-6, March 19-20
Module 2
WEEK: March 30-April 3 ( Wednesday through Sunday)
WEEKENDS: April 16-17, April 30-May 1, May 14-15, May 28-29
Module 3
WEEKENDS: June 11-12, June 25-26, July 9-10, July 23-24, August 6-7

WEEK: August 17-21 ( Wednesday through Sunday)

YEAR I and YEAR II begins September 2011
Module 1 & 4
WEEK: September 21-25 ( Wednesday through Sunday)
WEEKENDS: October 8-9, October 22-23, November 5-6, November 19-20, December 3-4
Module 2 & 5
WEEK: January 4-8 ( Wednesday through Sunday)
WEEKENDS: January 20-21, February 4-5, February 18-19, March 3-4, March 17-18
Module 3 & 6
WEEKENDS: April 7-8, April 21-22, May 5-6, May 19-20, June 2-3

WEEK: June 13-17 ( Wednesday through Sunday)


 

One classroom session each semester will be devoted to participating in a group experiential learning project or what we call a LEAP ( Learning Experiential Artistry Pod). Through each LEAP you will learn by working alongside your peers and other arts based business leaders in real world  scenarios to test and shape your knowledge, perceptions and ideas about your own product or service.

 Below is a sample of possible LEAP experiences.
SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP
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Raising Money to Serve Another
You will participate in a fund raising campaign to support a cause, person or institution you believe in. A time line will be established for your fund raising goals and you will seek to achieve them. Through promoting the ideas, beliefs or values of another you will learn, through service, to more effectively communicate passion and develop leadership strength.
Key Skills: Unconventional Ways of Raising Money, Service and Leadership, Follow Through, Finance, Networking, Vision Creation.

Volunteer for a Start-Up
You will volunteer and offer your gifts and talents to an entrepreneurial start-up enterprise that is less than five years old and who's mission or vision you believe in.
Key Skills: Service and Leadership, Working with Others, Networking, Idea Generation.


CRITICAL AND STRATEGIC THINKING
-------------------------------------------
The Life of An Entrepreneur
Through a series of external internships you will work alongside up to 4 entrepreneurs for 7-14 consecutive business days. The objective of this LEAP is to help you learn by both observing an entrepreneur's daily activities and participating in their process of decision making. You will learn how each entrepreneur operates their creative venture and see how involved they are in how their business gets generated and completed.
Key Skills: Critical & Strategic Decision Making, Execution and Delivery, Managing Staff, Communication, Follow Through, Finance, Networking.


MARKETING
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Developing an Online Presence
You will blog, podcast, twitter, create online video's and learn about how to measure the effectiveness of your online presence to develop an online marketing strategy.
Key Skills: Guerrilla Marketing, Analysis, Social Media, Strategic Planning

Quick and Dirty Websites
You don't need to know HTML to create an awesome website for you and your business.  We'll show you how to get a site up and running to promote and sell yourself as an artist and how to maintain the site as your ideas develop into a real working creative enterprise. No design or coding experience needed.
Key Skills: Business Development, Online marketing, Social Media, Practical Marketing 

Create Your Own "Merch" (Merchandise)
"Merch" isn't just for musicians anymore.  No matter your product, learn how to make giveaways or sellables to promote your business or yourself.  You'll learn how to screen print t-shirts, pricing tricks, merch booth strategies, easy packaging and choosing the right product mix and more.
Key Skills: DIY technique, Branding, Salesmanship, Strategic Sampling, Screen Printing, Packaging

Your Public Identity
Go in depth and develop the vital components of your graphic identity, from logo design to key colors to product photography. 
Key Skills: Branding, Marketing, Design Theory

Creating Effective Materials
You've developed your graphic identity, now you need promotional materials.  You'll learn the basics of layout and design as you create brochures, sell sheets, flyers and whatever else you need to spread the word about your materials.
Key Skills: Branding, Marketing, Design Theory

Touring Lab
During your regular coursework, you've learned the importance of touring for any artist, no matter your discipline.  Now put those lessons to practice as you coordinate, book and promote an actual tour.
Key Skills: Time Management, Venue & Logistics Management, Marketing, Event Planning

The Organized Chaos Pod
We understand that individual disciplines have individual challenges, and this pod is your chance to develop special projects with the help of our faculty that will serve you as a unique artistic entrepreneur.



  From developing your idea to executing it as a business, each one of our six classroom modules will move you one step closer towards opening a creative venture that best suits your talents and interests. 

YEAR ONE: CREATIVE VENTURE INCUBATION

Module #1 - Mindset and Identity
(Who We Are and How We Think)
- Innovation
- Collaboration
- Emotional Intelligence
- Improvisation
- Self Analysis/Discovery
- Creativity
- Time Management
- Leadership
- Ethics
- Inventory of Skill Sets
- Risk
- Comfort Zone
- Strategic Thinking
- Brainstorming
- Problem Solving
- Communication

Module #2 - Opportunities In the Arts
- Careers and Opportunities in the arts
- Power(s) of the Arts
- Case Studies
- Cultural and Economic Environments
- Artistry and Relevance
- American Arts Culture
- International Arts Culture
- Goals of Artists
- New Professions: Teaching Artists, Health care Artists, Consulting Artists
- Leadership Models
- Basic Writing Skills

Module #3 - From Research To Commitment
- Market Research
- Differentiation
- Framing
- Need Analysis
- Budgeting
- Team Building
- Product Development
- Critical and Strategic Problem Solving and Decision Making
- Continuation of Writing Skills

YEAR TWO: EXECUTION

Module #4 - Operations and Funding
- Business Structures
- Accounting
- Fund raising
- Licensing
- Legal Issues
- How Have You Grown? (a debriefing of year one)
- Event Planning
- Venue Logistics
- Delegation
- Scalability
- Sustainability

Module #5 - Marketing Is Everything
- Technology
- Social Media
- Branding
- Networking
- Traditional Marketing
- Public Relations
- Design
- Writing
- Communication Skills

Module #6 - Taking the Leap
- Sustainability part II
- Starting a Business
- Creating Entrepreneurial Culture
- Employee Management
- Personal Finance
- Balancing Work and Home
- Advocacy
- Long Term Visioning
- Presentation of Business Plan
- Venture Funding and Launch

Are you ready to live life as an artist on your own terms?