Arts Management and Technology Laboratory

In this installment of Let’s Talk, Chief Editor of Research Liz Forrey and Summer Social Media and Marketing Manager Maraika Lumholdt talk about what has been happening at the intersection of art and tech thus far in August. The conversation covers recent uses and developments with Dall-E and Crayion, how NFTs and apps like TikTiok are becoming relevant in the music industry, and how data privacy issues are already playing a big role in legal battles related to abortion in the United States.

The following articles are listed in order of discussion:

1. HitPiece Officially Launches Music Artist NFT Platform and Announces First-of-its-Kind Partnership with Audible Magic to Ensure Authentic Experiences

2. Ticketmaster and TikTok team up to sell tickets on your FYP

3. Surreal or too real? Breathtaking AI tool DALL-E takes its images to a bigger stage

4. This Is the Data Facebook Gave Police to Prosecute a Teenager for Abortion

In this episode, Liz and Summer Social Media Manager Maraika Lumholdt speak with Jacob Gursky, privacy engineering student at Carnegie Mellon University, about Ghostbots, Griefbots, and their role in the Arts. The conversation covers the complexity of these digital creations, how they are used in different settings, and their morality.

This is the second in a two-part conversation series with Andrew Plumley, the current Head of Equity and Impact for Arabella Advisors, and former Senior Director of Equity and Culture at the American Alliance of Museums, where he oversaw both AAM's internal DEAI work, as well as the Facing Change initiative, advancing museum board diversity and inclusion. In this episode, Victoria and Andrew discuss the four “Is” of oppression and how to counteract them, what decolonization efforts look like in the museum space given the history of stolen artifacts, and the top three changes Andrew suggests for arts organizations working toward implementing DEAI practices.

This is the first in a two-part conversation series with Andrew Plumley, the current Head of Equity and Impact for Arabella Advisors, and former Senior Director of Equity and Culture at the American Alliance of Museums, where he oversaw both AAM's internal DEAI work, as well as the Facing Change initiative, advancing museum board diversity and inclusion. In this episode, Victoria and Andrew discuss the biggest changes you’ve seen museums make in response to the socio-political reckoning of 2020, how to increase diversity in museum board leadership, and how arts organizations take a more active role in overcoming the discomfort Americans are often conditioned to feel when discussing the issue of race.

In this episode, Victoria Sprowls interviews Rachel Hite, the Advancement Officer at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and Liz McFarlin-Marciak, the Director of Major and Planned Giving at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Conversations touch on the pros and cons of virtual benefits, the case they both make for giving at their non-profits, and the most helpful technologies for planned giving - including some advice about crypto-giving.

In this episode, Victoria Sprowls interviews David Nutt, who has worked at the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra before landing in his current position as the Director of Sales and Advertising at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Conversations touch on the effect of the pandemic on ticket sales and marketing for operas and symphonies, utilizing social media as a marketing tool, and the impact the community the organization is located in has on the organization.

In this episode, Victoria Sprowls interviews Theo George, a Masters of Arts Management alumni here at Carnegie Mellon, and the current Director of Marketing and Communications at SNF Parkway Theater, which is also the home to the Maryland Film Festival. Conversations touch on the challenges of running an independent movie theater, how to instill a sense of community into the movie-going experience, and what the future of movie-going might look like given day-and-date movie releases on streaming services.

In this episode, Victoria Sprowls interviews two Carnegie Mellon, Masters of Arts Management candidates: Olivia Browdy, currently the Social Media Manager at Symphony Tacoma, and Veronica Lopez, the Management Coordinator at Volta Music Foundation. The three discuss ways to integrate technology into music education moving forward. The conversation touches on how technology can alleviate challenges facing music education in underserved communities, how technology has changed the approach to music education, and whether technology will lessen the need for in-person music education.

In this episode, Victoria Sprowls interviews Darren Mok, a senior computer science major at Carnegie Mellon University and entrepreneur/co-founder of Pyx_Labs. Darren and Victoria discuss the potential for fashion and NFTs to intersect in both the physical and meta world. Conversations touch on creating physical fashion pieces utilizing NFTs, why NFTs are not just a passing fad, what to look out for in terms of NFT scams, and what there is to look forward to in the future of fashion and NFTs.

In this episode, Victoria Sprowls and Andrew Wolverton interview Tom Kalnas, an AMT Lab contributor, and Eric Neal, a Third Act founder, about NFTs and their use cases in both film and theater. Tom Kalnas discusses the potential for NFTs as smart contracts that distribute royalties, as well as fundraising tools in indie film production. Then, Eric Neal highlights the future of NFTs in theater, answering many questions about how the process works and pointing out how NFTs can enhance the theater-going experience as commemorative, sought-after collectibles.