Purchase College Presents "Jandon Business of the Arts" Lecture

The School of the Arts, Purchase College, SUNY, is pleased to welcome Ella Baff, executive and artistic director of Jacob’s Pillow, as the speaker for the annual “Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture”, Monday, April 6, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. in the PepsiCo Theatre of the Performing Arts Center (PAC) at Purchase College (735 Anderson Hill Road). The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature Baff speaking on “Learning on the Job: Case Studies in Presenting the Arts”.

Established in 2012 through a generous gift from the Cecil family to mark the occasion of Donald Cecil’s 85th birthday, the “Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture” supports the Arts Management program at Purchase College. This endowed lecture reflects Don’s lifelong commitment to excellence in education, leadership in business, and passion for the arts. It is presented annually along with the Jandon Business of the Arts Student Achievement Award, which is given to a student in the Arts Management B.A. program.

Arts management is a growing and successful academic program at Purchase College. The B.A. curriculum emphasizes critical inquiry, creative thinking, and the core skills to produce, promote and support the arts and entertainment industry—all toward preparing a new generation of managers in arts and entertainment.

This fall, Purchase College will also offer an M.A. program in Entrepreneurship in the Arts which will address a critical need for imaginative and skillful leadership in both the commercial and nonprofit arts sectors.

This focus on the business of the arts is perfectly suited to the talents and experience of guest lecturer Ella Baff. Under her leadership, Jacob’s Pillow, an international dance festival, professional school, and dance archives located in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts, was designated a National Historic Landmark, and in 2011, was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama at the White House.

Ella Baff is from New York City, and has studied classical music and dance. Some of her past positions have included program director at Cal Performances at the University of California, Berkeley, and project director of national outreach for an arts series on WNET public television in New York. Ms. Baff was the executive producer of “Never Stand Still”, an award-winning documentary on PBS Great Performances series and released worldwide.

The School of the Arts at Purchase College provides the highest level of education and professional training in both established and emerging fields in the arts. The School prepares students for careers by emphasizing technique, history, inquiry, and innovation: thereby engaging the next generation of cultural producers and managers with a dialogue about the future. Purchase alumni work to instill broad public value for the arts through the creation and investigation of culture in New York City and beyond: they can be found working in major and emerging organizations around the world.

For further information, please contact Sheli Jeffry at Purchase College at 914-251-4456.