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MSU-GF offers a new certificate program in Creative Arts Enterprise this September

Building on the success of last year’s TRACE program, a project designed to help Montana’s artisans become more successful in business, Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology announces the beginning of a new certificate program, Creative Arts Enterprise, to begin this fall at the College.

The Creative Arts Enterprise Certificate program, which received Board of Regent approval in May, has gained credibility as an important component in the efforts to develop economic growth in the state’s creative sector. The certificate program will continue the work of TRACE in helping artisans develop a broader knowledge of business, while enhancing their skills in their craft.

Designed with both the busy schedules of working adult and the pressures of Montana’s distances in mind, students in the CAE program will meet for classes every other weekend starting September 9 and 10 at MSUGF. Students will also access on-line components of their classes.

“We want to respond to the needs of students who wish to develop sustainable careers from their creative endeavors,” said Dr. Mary Sheehy Moe, Dean of MSU-GF. “We are creating a program that is student-centered, that utilizes the resources of the real-world workplace in the community, that provides guidance and practice, all the while nurturing the individual’s creativity.”

This fall the Creative Arts Enterprise program will include Introduction to Artrepreneurship to introduce students to the art of the sale, Montana Ways to help students learn how to brand their art with what makes Montana, its people, and its culture of craft unique, Business Math to give students skills in dealing with finance, Making It I to provide students with opportunities to work with mentors and develop the discipline of their art.

Spring courses will include Arts Marketing, Making It II, Communication for Business, and Creative Technology. The program ends during summer session with Creative Entrepreneurship, Strategies of Business Communication, and the Capstone course, which is a show and sale at a major local venue.

Creative enterprise is a portion of the economy driven by the work of artists, artisans, arts-based businesses, and non-profit organizations. By marrying craft and entrepreneurship, the Creative Arts Enterprise program builds new pathways of learning for artists seeking to build a more sustainable lifestyle.

“Montana has long been recognized as a place that engenders artistic creativity,” said Dr. Cindy Kittredge, Creative Arts Enterprise Program director at MSUGF. “However, recent studies are showing that arts-driven economic development is becoming increasingly important to the state.” She points out that 8% of the state’s businesses lie in the creative sector and that a 2005 study documented that Montana artists alone have a $233 million annual economic impact on the state’s economy.

To register for the MSUGF Creative Arts Enterprise program or to find out more information about it, interested students should call the College at 771-4300 or contact Dr. Kittredge at (406)268-3713.

Project Name: Creative Arts Enterprise Certificate Program

Sponsoring Organization: Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology

Contact Name: Dr. Cindy Kittredge, Program Director

Contact Telephone: (406) 268-3713

Synopsis: As a follow-up to last year’s successful TRACE program designed to help artists build sustainable businesses, MSU-GF offers a new certificate program in Creative Arts Enterprise this September. For class or registration information, call (406)771-4300 or (406)268-3713.

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