Updates from the AAGA

Tracy Buchanan, President of the AAGA

The Arts Administration Graduate Association (AAGA) has had a busy fall! We started out this year with some great events to welcome our incoming class to the program and Philadelphia. In early September we kicked of the term with a Welcome Orientation event at Pizza Rustica in University City. After a long day at the Graduate Orientation, we invited our incoming students to pizza and beer to get to know each other. A great time was had by all!

A few weeks later, in an effort to introduce our incoming class to current student and alumni, the AAGA hosted a Welcome Back Party at the Crane Arts Building. We could not have done it without Inliquid and 2009/2010 AAGA President Jen Schick who donated the Grey Area and the Ice Box for the evening. As an extra bonus, all who attended the party were rewarded with a sneak preview of the benefit v.11silent auction, Inliquid's annual auction that featured over 200 local artists and organizations.

In October, we celebrated arts and culture in Philadelphia, with our speaker event "Managing Arts and Culture in Philadelphia, Living, Working, and Playing in the City of Brotherly Love". Panelists included, Moira Baylson from the Office of Arts,Culture, and the Creative Economy, Tina Brock, from the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium, Tamar Lelkes from Live Connections, and Leigh Goldenberg from the Arden Theater. They did a fantastic job of discussing what they think makes Philly tick and why it is unique. After the speaker event, the AAGA called a member meeting in an effort to better understand and serve our population. We would like to thank our members for their contributions and ideas, keep them coming!

Throughout the term the AAGA board has been working hard to engage our students, listen, and create meaningful events. One of our biggest goals this year is to have an open and fluid conversation with our members and to create an agenda that reflects who we are collectively. In an effort to do so, we have surveyed members so that in the coming terms we can address, directly, the desires of the AAGA.

We are now starting our major preparation for the 8th Annual Art Auction, which will be held on Friday, February 25th at 7pm.  It is promised to be an epic auction, stay tuned for more information, and we hope to see you there!

If you have any questions about any AAGA events, or would like to get involved, please visit drexelaaga.com or email aaga@drexel.edu.