The Global Arts + Humanities Discovery Theme’s Graduate Professional Development Grants support humanities and arts MFA and PhD students in a range of exciting graduate assistantship positions that expose them to innovative cross-disciplinary work, informing future career preparation. Built around an academic and professional mentoring framework, GAHDT’s Graduate Professional Grants help students gain valuable work skills and develop professional relationships that set them up for success after they graduate. Below, we profile two recent positions supported through the program in the fields of museum studies and theatre. 

Socially-Responsive Foundations and Community Engagement at the Columbus Museum of Art

This grant supported a collaboration between Ohio State’s Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy and the Learning and Engagement Department of the Columbus Museum of Art. Mentored by Professor Dana Carlisle Kletchka (AAEP), the graduate assistant worked on a series of important projects for the museum, including the innovative Museum in Progress project that brought together the Columbus Museum of Art with local Indigenous communities, artists and scholars. The graduate assistant developed a range of skills centered around program development and evaluation, community engagement, and exhibition development, including editing and designing visitor experiences. Along with strengthening ties between Ohio State and the museum, the graduate assistant also developed strong professional relationships in the museum field; by the end of the experience, museum staff saw her as a valued colleague and have employed her to do contract work as she completes her dissertation. The Graduate Professional Development grant allowed for what Associate Professor Carlisle Kletchka describes as “an incredible experience for a future museum professional.”

Lord Denney’s Players

Lord Denney’s Players is a theatrical group housed within the Ohio State Department of English that provides students and faculty with intensive experiential learning through the production of early English plays. Last year, Lord Denney’s Players Graduate Professional Development grant supported two students working on two ambitious projects: a production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream presented in downtown Columbus (autumn 2023), and a full-length documentary film about Elizabeth Carey’s The Tragedy of Mariam, the first play in English by a woman (spring 2024). 

Both graduate assistants were mentored by Sarah Neville, Associate Professor of English and Lord Denney’s Players Creative Director, who helped them funnel their academic expertise in early modern drama into public-facing arts performance and interpretation. During the Midsummer production, the first graduate assistant served as stage manager, developing skills in time and project management, leadership and pedagogy, and collaboration with faculty and students. The Midsomer graduate assistant also gained valuable theatrical experience in lighting and sound tech, managing actors' timing and entrances and the safety of cast, crew and audience during performance. In the spring, the second graduate assistant served as the documentary's digital stage manger, learning to professionally record and archive life performance, as well as create and edit a digital documentary. For both students, the Graduate Professional Development grant helped to connect their academic research to exciting professional possibilities in the arts. 

Without a doubt, arts and humanities graduate students at Ohio State gain important academic skills and a rich understanding of their fields during their course of study, preparing them for a wide range of careers. But it’s often challenging for students to translate their theoretical knowledge into career success. The Graduate Professional Development Grant’s robust mentoring framework and focus on experiential learning helps to fill that gap by supporting students in gaining the practical experience and continuing professional relationships that they need to flourish in their post-graduate career.