News
Graphic Design & Visual Studies Alum to study Arts Administration
September 01, 2017
Graphic Design alum Amber Stout (BFA ’12) completed her graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management at Harvard University this summer and this fall will be attending Boston University for a Masters degree in Arts Administration. Amber became interested in Arts Administration during her undergraduate studies at GVSU where she focused on coursework in Visual Studies as well as Graphic Design. She especially responded to the curatorial and organizational work in Curatorial Studio and in Civic Studio which she took twice; once during the inaugural ArtPrize in 2009 in a project on the Gillette Bridge over the Grand River, and a second project that was in residence in the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts that shadowed the organization as it closed its facility on Sheldon Avenue and opened it's current building on Division and Fulton. While in the program at GVSU Amber also did two internships; one with fellow alum Jenn Schaub in her Learning Lab, which is part of the Avenue for the Arts in Grand Rapids, and the other at UICA (Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts). While still in school she worked as a Student Web Designer for the Community Research Institute at the Johnson Center, and taught a graphic design course for ArtWorks at UICA. Teaching with ArtWorks in 2011 was particularly meaningful for Amber because she had been a student participant in the program in 2008.
After graduation Amber worked for the Grand Rapids Ballet in development, marketing, and graphic design eventually becoming their Marketing and Design Manager. During this time she continued to create collaborative and individual projects as a curator and project manager. She is currently Development and Leadership Gift Coordinator at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Amber is a recipient of the prestigious Junior Maven Award granted by the Women + the Arts Committee of UICA.
For more information on Amber Stout's work, visit https://amber-stout.com/.