The University Record, December 17, 1996
Arts coordinator faces challenge of involving more students in arts
How do you get more students interested in the various arts programs presented on campus? Mary Craig, recently appointed arts coordinator, thinks she has some answers.
Filling the position recently established by Paul Boylan, dean of the School of Music and vice provost for the arts, Craig addresses the challenge with a sound background in the arts combined with solid program administration skills.
A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and of Oberlin College, Craig also studied textiles in Wisconsin and Oregon and did graduate coursework in linguistics and language acquisition. She is a practicing studio artist focusing on knitwear design while continuing to study voice.
“I bring a lot of personal experience and love for the arts to this position,” Craig says. “I’ve worked on an academic and professional level in music and theater—both on and off stage—and in visual arts. I’ve had the thrill of classroom interaction with major figures in the arts world, and I hope to provide that kind of inspiration to U-M students and to share the joy and meaning I find in the arts with as broad a group of students as we can reach.”
Craig is developing an advisory board and will be working with administrators, faculty and students to get more students involved in the arts through interdisciplinary activity in the classrooms and encouraging student participation in arts-related work-study jobs such as theater “shops.” Craig also envisions establishing an electronic arts calendar and “theme dorms” where those interested in learning more about various arts can enhance and expand their existing knowledge.
By making arts programming more accessible to students Craig hopes to make the arts an integral part of the University experience.
