News and Media

Article By: Piper Hale
Published: Nov 21, 2011

Lyndsey Lane majored in graphic design in college and then spent several years working at a studio designing products for children. Her work, ranging from pencils to lunchboxes, is still sold all over the world, which often catches Lyndsey by surprise. "It's weird coming across your own work in stores," she says.

Despite her success in the field during these years, Lyndsey says she didn't feel that graphic design work was fulfilling. She wanted to continue designing, but in a position that went beyond simply filling client orders. She decided that it was time for a career change.

She thought back on her childhood, when she had spent much of her time in theaters and museums, studying art and seeing plays that she says "completely blew me away," and she found herself wanting to share that experience with others. "I want to promote art to the community," says Lyndsey. "I want for other people to have the same opportunities to experience art that I had. And it's so important to get people involved with museums, because they restore and protect works of art to make sure that they are all available to future generations."

She began looking into programs that would help her with these goals, and decided to apply to SCAD Atlanta. "There really aren't that many arts administrations programs out there," says Lyndsey. "But SCAD had a great one that turned out to be a really good fit for me." After spending her first year studying on the Atlanta campus, Lyndsey became interested in some Savannah-specific electives and switched to Savannah to finish her coursework.

Since coming to SCAD, Lyndsey has amassed experience interning at the Office of Student Involvement and collaborating with other students on multi-media projects promoting art to the community. She even participated in Art Advocacy Day, a SCAD-sponsored event that flew her and other SCAD students to Washington, D.C., to meet with legislators and discuss the importance of publicly funded community art centers.

Lyndsey says these experiences, combined with the expansive curriculum, have prepared her for the positions she will seek after graduating. "The great thing about the arts administration program is that it allows you to learn so many different avenues," says Lyndsey. "You can tailor your degree into what you want it to be, unlike a lot of other programs. The experience gives you so many opportunities outside of school, doing either non-profit or for-profit. I have that choice. That's what makes this program different and better."

Already, Lyndsey has seen friends in the program branch out to intern and work at art institutions as diverse as the High Museum, the Alliance Theater, White Springs Gallery, the Atlanta Opera and the Atlanta Ballet.

Lyndsey says the students' very different strengths result in well-rounded collaborative projects and a range of specialized work for solo assignments. "With the more open-ended projects, everyone does completely different things," says Lyndsey. "It really showed me all the different avenues you have with the program." Her background in graphic design has led her to excel in assignments related to arts promotion, public relations and fundraising; posters, flyers and other elements of promotional campaigns are her specialty.

 

Lyndsey has put this specialty to work since graduating in her new position as a marketing and events coordinator for Ace Hardware. In this job, she organizes corporate events and contributes to local marketing for 90 stores in the greater Denver area.

Shortly before her graduation, Lyndsey completed her thesis, an exploration of keeping cultural property safe in times of war or upheaval, focusing on the Iraq museum looting of 2003 as a case study. She hopes that policy advancement on this front will ensure that no one loses access to the kind of immersion in art that she enjoyed as a child.