Curriculum
The information below reflects the Visual Arts Management curriculum for students entering the program in fall 2027.
» Curriculum information for current Art Market Studies students
Visual Arts Management Program Structure
This information will appear in the official FIT graduate catalog in spring 2027.
Semester 1
- Art and Ethics (AM 501)
- Art Law (AM 633)
- Art Worlds and Markets (AM 510)
- Valuation and Provenance (AM 500)
Semester 2
- Art Economics (AM 533)
- Art Marketing (AM 531)
- Art and Technology (AM 530)
Summer 1 (Optional)
IC 592 (Optional)
Semester 3
- Auctions (AM 513)
- Curating (AM 654)
- Galleries (AM 511)
Semester 4
- Art Entrepreneurship (AM 602)
- Art Research (AM 600)
- Professional Development and Leadership (AM 656)
Semester 1
- Art and Ethics (AM 501)
- Art Worlds and Markets (AM 510)
- Valuation and Provenance (AM 500)
Semester 2
- Art Economics (AM 533)
- Art and Technology (AM 530)
Summer 1 or 2 (Optional)
IC 592 (Optional)
Semester 3
- Art Law (AM 633)
- Galleries (AM 511)
Semester 4
- Art Marketing (AM 531)
- Professional Development and Leadership (AM 656)
Semester 5
- Auctions (AM 513)
- Curating (AM 654)
Semester 6
- Art Entrepreneurship (AM 602)
- Art Research (AM 600)
Art and Ethics (AM 501): This course explores the ethical issues confronting art and its markets through an interdisciplinary lens. Historical and contemporary cases are analyzed through multiple ethical frameworks.
Art and Technology (AM 530): This interdisciplinary graduate seminar examines the relationship between art and technology, focusing primarily on the digital transformations of the art world and the art market. Students learn the foundational concepts and historical context of digital technology as they relate to the production, distribution, and consumption of visual art.
Art Economics (AM 533): Prepares students for advanced interdisciplinary research and analysis of the art market through rigorous exploration of the histories and theories of economics, finance, and accounting, as well as their cultural and sociological critiques. Applies theoretical understandings to practical business decision-making and cultural policy formulation.
Art Entrepreneurship (AM 602): Provides a hands-on approach to business innovation in the art market, with an emphasis on the influence of digital technology. Taught through lectures, discussions, guest speakers, creative exercises, and self-reflection. Students develop a comprehensive business plan and investor pitch for a new art market venture.
Art Law (AM 633): Considers legal and ethical questions particular to retail art establishments, museums, collectors, and artist including taxes, title, commissions, copyright, contracts, estates, reproductions, forgery, artists( rights} and the legal status of the art object.
Art Marketing (AM 531): Surveys the history, theory, and practice of marketing as it relates to both commercial and non-commercial arts organizations. Considers the commonalities, tensions, and exchanges between marketing in the arts and in other sectors, especially in terms of technological innovation and creative collaboration.
Art Research (AM 600): Research and analysis of art markets, with the end goal of producing a written article suitable for publication. Taught through lectures, research and writing workshops, field work, and guest speakers.
Art Worlds and Markets (AM 510): Explores the historical development of the production, distribution, and consumption of (visual) art from fifteenth-century Italy to the present through an interdisciplinary perspective. Provides students with a foundational understanding of the actors, practices, and institutions that have shaped definitions and valuations of art, including guilds, academies, galleries, auction houses, curators, advisors, art fairs, and museums.
Auctions (AM 513): Introduces students to the inner workings of the auction business by focusing on how property is obtained for sale, how auction houses compete for consignments, the inter-departmental coordination required to bring works of art to the auction block and, finally, the mechanics of an art auction.
Curating (AM 654): This course explores the history, theory, and practice of curating visual art. In addition to tracing the history of exhibitions and the development of curatorial discourse through case studies and key texts, the course addresses the practical challenges, such organizational dynamics and operational constraints, that curators must face in making exhibitions.
Galleries (AM 511): Examines the principles of gallery administration, with particular emphasis on commercial art galleries' business models, facilities, design, marketing initiatives, pricing, staffing and art fair participation.
Internship: Graduate Level (IC 592 — OPTIONAL): IC 592 is a customized, online course designed for FIT students in graduate-degree programs. It supports their experiential learning during industry-specific internships taken for academic credit. The course requires students to complete a minimum of 78 onsite internship hours during seven consecutive weeks during the Summer Semester. During these internships, students develop technical skills related to their graduate program by gaining real-life work experience at companies, nonprofit organizations, or other industry-related organizations.
Professional Development and Leadership (AM 656): A three-credit advanced professional development course to help graduate students articulate their near- and long-term professional goals, chart an effective path to meeting those goals, and strengthen their leadership capacity.
Valuation and Provenance (AM 500): Covers the fundamentals of art market research, from connoisseurship to the digital humanities. Students apply their knowledge of key resources and methodologies to the study of valuation.