ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Winthrop University’s Master of Arts in Arts Administration (MAAA) program promises that its graduates will inspire audiences and their respective organizations, create innovative strategies and innovate.
With program faculty like Joy Young, it’s easy to see why that promise is fulfilled.
In addition to her classroom role, Young currently serves as the vice president of programs at South Arts, a regional arts organization supporting the arts through grants, fellowships and programs. This month, South Arts launched Southern Cultural Treasures, a multi-state initiative that will provide significant funding to BIPOC-led and –serving arts organizations.
Young’s work with South Arts was just spotlighted in The New York Times. An op-ed this month in ArtNet, “If You Want to Support the Arts in America, Invest in the South,” also highlighted Young and South Arts’ new initiative.
The MAAA program is unique in that all of its faculty members, including Young, are adjunct. Program Director Robert Wildman had embarked on a nationwide recruitment process to find the best educators who can apply real-world experience to the classroom.
“My work at South Arts allows me to bring to life textbook learning, which is in and of itself quite valuable, but has its limits,” Young said. “Not only am I bringing practical experience and introducing relevant and real-time ‘cases’ to the classroom, I bring ‘nuts and bolts’ approaches to the work of leading in the arts.”
Young holds a Ph.D. in organizational leadership from Johnson University and a M.A. in voice performance from Hunter College. Her more than 25-year career includes working as a performing artist, owning a music studio, serving with the South Carolina Arts Commission and serving as the executive director of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville.
She said the MAAA program provides students an excellent technical education in arts administration.
“My goal is to ensure MAAA students receive a broader understanding of how to apply what they learn,” she said. “The newly launched Southern Cultural Treasures becomes yet another opportunity for me to teach students the ‘how’ of arts administration. I teach because I love what I do. This work is, for me, about cultivating leaders who are prepared for the field.”
The MAAA program is offered both online and in-person. For more information on the MAAA program, visit the website or contact Robert Wildman at 803/323-3494 or wildmanr@winthrop.edu.
