Skidmore appoints director of arts administration

David Howson of Richmond, Va., has been named the inaugural Arthur Zankel Director of Arts Administration at Skidmore College, responsible for establishing a new interdisciplinary program to prepare students for creative lives and management positions in the visual arts, music, dance, and theater. Howson, who will join the Skidmore staff in January 2010, will also hold a faculty position at the college.

The new program, scheduled to begin 2011, will draw on Skidmore's strong traditions in the visual and performing arts, as well as the college's Department of Management and Business, its Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, and its Zankel Music Center. The program will initially offer a minor in arts administration.

In addition to launching and overseeing the program, Howson will be responsible for teaching foundation courses in arts administration, developing internship opportunities for students, and establishing a program of residencies for arts-management professionals.

Howson comes to Skidmore from the University of Richmond, where he is interim executive director of the Modlin Center for the Arts, a multi-venue performing arts complex. He is co-director of the university's concentration in arts management, a program of study for arts majors or minors interested in exploring the business aspects of the arts.

Howson joined the Modlin Center in 2004 as associate director. Charged with increasing student engagement in the arts, he created programs to bridge academic and extracurricular life and to increase faculty interaction with students outside of the classroom.

Before joining the faculty at Richmond, Howson was associate managing director at Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Conn. Prior to that he worked at the University of Richmond as a development officer and as assistant registrar.

He holds a B.A. degree and a master of liberal arts degree from the University of Richmond, as well as a master of fine arts degree in theater management from the Yale School of Drama.

Said Muriel Poston, dean of the faculty at Skidmore: "We welcome David Howson to the Skidmore community. His experience in managing respected arts facilities and in working directly with students and faculty will be a tremendous asset as we create this new component of our curriculum. Our students will be well served by a program that connects a passion for the arts with an academic background in business and the opportunity for practical applications through internships."

Funding for the program in arts administration comes from the bequest of the late Arthur Zankel, a philanthropist and former Skidmore trustee with many ties to the college. Two of his four sons graduated from Skidmore, Kenneth '82 and James '92, as did nephew Harun Zankel '01 and daughter-in-law Pia Scala Zankel '92.

The Zankel bequest to Skidmore of $46 million is the largest gift in the college's history. The gift also provides funds for the construction of the Arthur Zankel Music Center on campus, scheduled to open in January 2010, as well as for student scholarships and other initiatives.