BOSTON — Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) President Mary K. Grant announced a new Business of Creative Industries minor launching in Fall 2025, following a directive from Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey during 2025 Creative Sector Advocacy Day. The move aligns with a newly released Massachusetts Cultural Economy Advisory Council report focused on developing better economic tools for creative workers.

The Business of Creative Industries minor is a 15-credit program crafted to empower artists and designers with essential business acumen, specifically tailored to the nuances of the creative economy. 

“At MassArt, we are cultivating the next generation of founders, influential leaders of creative teams, visionary directors of cultural organizations, and innovative thinkers,” said Dr. Grant. “I’m thrilled we will be able to offer our students a path to bring their artistic practice and entrepreneurial spirit together and equip them with an outstanding foundation for business and creative success.”

“Massachusetts is fortunate to be home to the nation’s only independent public college of art and design, MassArt,” said Governor Healey. “For generations, they have trained talented artists and designers who make significant contributions to the cultural fabric of our state and our country. It’s great that they are launching a new Business of Creative Industries minor, which will provide students with the business skills they need to succeed in our creative economy.”

The new minor builds upon the success of the College’s Creative Economy Business Incubator. Led by Sara Hartmann, this program supports arts entrepreneurship with guidance from MassArt faculty, industry experts, and more than 50 visiting entrepreneurs every year. In 2022, MassArt dramatically expanded the Incubator program by partnering with the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture to create free professional development opportunities for Boston-based artists and creative entrepreneurs. 

“Congratulations to President Grant and her team for creating this new minor that will have positive benefits for our students, our creative sector and our economy,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Our arts and culture sector contributes so much to our communities and also generates billions for our economy. We look forward to even more students succeeding in this crucial industry.”

“At its heart, art mirrors entrepreneurship – both demand a powerful vision and the drive to bring it to life,” said Sara Hartmann, MassArt’s Program Director of Creative Entrepreneurship. “By fostering a strategic mindset in our emerging artists, we’re equipping MassArt graduates to thrive professionally and simultaneously enriching the Commonwealth with a uniquely creative and visionary talent pool.”

Moving beyond traditional business education, the Business of Creative Industries minor will consist of required coursework such as economic and financial analysis, strategic planning, and market analysis. All core skills will be viewed through the lens of contemporary challenges and burgeoning opportunities within creative fields. To learn more about the Business of Creative Industries minor, visit www.massart.edu/business.

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About MassArt
The only independent public college of art and design in the country, MassArt was founded in 1873 in response to a bold idea: art and design are essential to our daily lives, and key to improving our society and economy. What began as a school to teach drawing is today a bold, comprehensive art and design institution that spans 18 undergraduate and nine graduate programs, certificates, continuing education, and post-baccalaureate study.

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