A2RU and Identity: reflecting on my own path and education today


Previously, we shared Jordan Campbell’s reflections of the A2RU Conference. Next we’re sharing reflections from two student panelists:

By Gabrielle Piazza

I’m an Arts Hybrid?

Recently, Creative Generation team member Jordan Campbell wrote a blog about the concept of the arts hybrid - “A person with multiple professional identities whose work is interdisciplinary in nature, spans multiple fields or domains, and is grounded in arts & culture.” It is this framing that I have worked much of my education and now my career to rationalize and explain within siloed fields, especially in higher education. Though many colleagues and friends may identify similarly as Arts Hybrids, it is often difficult to share the value of that multi-speciality, when many opportunities call for a more linear set of experiences. 

As newly minted Assistant Director of University of Michigan’s EXCEL Lab, a “home base for performing arts entrepreneurship, leadership, and career services” within the University’s lauded School of Music, Theatre and Dance, I bring with me a wide range of experiences in teaching artistry, company management, patron services, and overall arts administration within a number of well known organizations and institutions. However, I also echo many of Jordan’s questions. How do I present my varied career path in a way that “justifies” my position? Will I be prepared for [insert niche arts administration challenge here] as I proceed in this new role?

A2RU@10

Taking part in the Alliance for the Arts in Research Institutions’ A2RU@10 anniversary convening helped to allay those questions by offering a space to come together with professionals that are working to support the next generation of Arts Hybrids. As a panelist representing the student perspective, the questions and subsequent conversations allowed me to contextualize my current student experience - online MBA candidate with a full time job - as well as reflect on the contrast between my time as an over-involved, double majoring undergrad at a tiny liberal arts college and a full time Arts Leadership graduate student at an R1 institution. What I realized was that my hybrid identity came from SPACE throughout my education and career. Space to explore, to individualize, to expand. SPACE that many students in demanding programs today aren’t encouraged to find. Much of this flexibility was self-championed. I entered college with the intention to double major, and did it against my advisor’s guidance. During my MFA, I took statistics and landscape architecture, despite encouragement to keep my electives within the school of theatre. Though I feel that I benefited greatly from the need to advocate for myself, what if that space and exploration were encouraged within all educational paths?

Fellow panelist Donald Rabin, DMA candidate at the University of Houston, and I found that we both championed our own interdisciplinary growth and recognize that in many lauded degree programs, regardless of discipline, it takes determination to expand on the path set for you. Though many questions persist, I did find validation in my path, in my hybridity. Joining those gathered to discuss what might be preventing more interdisciplinary work in R1 institutions and beyond, I felt that by creating my own path and finding success, I provide a kind of case study for a varied, but comprehensive educational path. I do not suggest that expertise and depth of study is to be neglected, but again, what if students were encouraged to take a course outside their field? Join a project with team members from varied backgrounds and interests? What if they received academic credit for that experience rather than trying to squeeze it into limited time outside of study and other required activities. 

What if it weren’t so hard?

The collection of deans, presidents, and educators gathered by A2RU@10 is poised to make change in their institutions, to provide more options and opportunities for exploration, and I hope that the conversations we started at A2RU do effect real institutional change. My hope is that future arts hybrids get to explain less and contribute more. That diverse perspectives only grow in their value and we continue to approach challenges large and small with interdisciplinary thought without having to champion its worth. 

Gabrielle Piazza (she/her/hers) is the Assistant Director of the EXCEL Lab within the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at the University of Michigan. Career development, especially within the ever changing landscape of the arts, is a passion of Gabrielle’s, and her work with the EXCEL Lab is an exciting way to build connections and relationships with and for the SMTD community. Prior to this role, Gabrielle supported a portfolio of student organizations as Program Manager in the Center for Campus Involvement’s University Activities Center, and worked as Assistant Manager of the Michigan Union Ticket Office, serving campus and community organizations. She has worked with a variety of arts institutions including the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Gabrielle spent 2.5 years touring the US, Europe, and Japan with music outreach group The Young Americans. She holds an M.F.A in Arts Leadership from Virginia Tech, received her B.A. in Mathematics and Musical Theatre from Adrian College, and is currently pursuing an M.B.A. from Southern Utah University. Within the national community, she serves as Annual Meeting Committee Co-Chair for Arts Administrators in Higher Education.