Kati Nalbandian (’22)

Kati is an arts management professional with a background in theatre performance and a passion for fostering creative communities. From her involvement with Creative Collective to her current role as Senior Manager of Membership at Mass MoCA, she blends her expertise in marketing, event planning, and fundraising to support the arts.

Tell us a little about yourself and your background before you joined the Arts Administration Program.

I studied Theatre Performance for my undergraduate degree at Salem State University, located in the North Shore area, north of Boston. After graduating, I was involved with the local arts and creative community in Salem and across the North Shore. I began working with an organization called Creative Salem, which supported the creative economy in the Salem area. We focused on promoting live music, arts and produced other creative events. As Creative Salem grew and became Creative Collective LLC in 2017, we started a membership program for creative entrepreneurs and small businesses across the region. The program aimed to fill a need for creatives to connect with each other and get the support they needed in marketing, funding and more. As a result, I did a lot of marketing-focused work, including digital content campaigns and in-person events. This opportunity, both in person and online, benefited both us as an organization and for the community.

When COVID-19 came, I decided to step away from that role. Given my marketing and communications experience was more career-based than academic, I decided to expand my education into fundraising. The Arts Administration program at BU offered a Graduate Certificate in Fundraising Management alongside my Master’s Degree. This education was invaluable for deepening my understanding of non-profit structure, fundraising, and how to better support arts organizations and individual artists in my community. It also opened up new opportunities and roles for me.  Recently, I moved from the North Shore, where I had lived for nearly a decade, to take on a role at MASS MoCA in Western Massachusetts.

How has the BU arts administration program helped with your career trajectory?

The program helped me understand more about the arts industry. The Art Administration program exposed me to a global perspective of the arts industry; the nonprofit world here in the United States, and compared it to the global industry and how that all plays together. So many museums, galleries, and performing arts venues are working with artists from all over the world. How does that work? And why is that important? Arts administrators are also working hard to focus on the economy and the creative world in our specific communities. The program at BU helped my trajectory to get that perspective of the arts industry, and also, the tangibility of learning about fundraising, and philanthropy to help support arts organizations.

What does your job as the Senior Manager of Membership at Mass MoCA entail?

I coordinate with various departmental teams and external partners, including the wider community and our members themselves. Membership hosts events that support other programs and give opportunities for special engagement to our members. Although we fall within the annual giving and fundraising department, our work transcends fundraising by fostering a sense of community and belonging among our members. Our membership program spans individuals and families, to schools, libraries, and businesses who join because of their love for MASS MoCA, enjoying benefits like free gallery admission, special invitations, ticket promotions, and discounts.

In this role, I am managing one coordinator and together, we’re part of the broader advancement team. My responsibilities include fundraising and membership events management, mailings, and special promotions to retain and grow membership numbers. I am using skills that I had honed early in my career, marketing and communication, as well as the fundraising insights gained from my BU program. It’s incredibly rewarding and a lot of fun.

In your opinion, what is the most rewarding aspect of a career in development?

For me, fundraising is the most tangible way to support the arts. I chose a career in arts administration because I care about the arts and their power to support communities locally and globally– it navigates the important issues of the world as well as people’s expressions and experiences. Through fundraising, it allows me to get the money to make those things happen. It enables me to secure the necessary funds to bring artistic projects to life, making the support I provide concrete and visible. While in marketing you can see the return on a campaign, such as ticket sales; development work goes a step further. It’s about creating a campaign that raises a specific amount of money, from certain donors, and knowing exactly how and where those funds will be utilized. This level of tangibility and the knowledge that I’m directly facilitating the continuation and growth of the arts is immensely rewarding.

Imagine you are tasked with hiring a young student or a recent graduate for an internship or an entry-level job on your team. What qualities and attributes would you prioritize in a candidate to ensure they can contribute effectively to your organization’s mission and goals?

Willingness to learn is a huge one for me. Often, we have an expectation of what the role is and what you may already have skills in or knowledge of, but you show up and there’s always something to learn. You have to adapt to those processes and the culture of an organization. I’ve had a lot of different roles and jobs over the years that have compiled a lot of skills. Willingness to learn is not just helpful for me, but a key attribute I look for in anyone I would hire, whether an intern, part-time, or full-time position.

A good sense of humor is also important. Having a social personality really matters in the arts and humanities. Sure, there are roles that might be more data-driven, where you’re primarily analyzing data, but at the end of the day, we’re all working together with a lot of human interactions. So, have at least a good portion of willingness to be personable and to have a good sense of humor. There are a lot of things that don’t go the way you want them to.

Those two things, especially, are critical. There are specific skill sets that might be needed for certain jobs, but those things go, no matter what.

You are very active across multiple fields and have successfully balanced several jobs involving marketing, development, event planning, project management, and administration. Could you share what motivates you to pursue these varied roles simultaneously? And how do you manage your time?

This is the first time in many years that I’ve had just one job. They keep me very busy here. Staying organized has always been key for me. I find having a paper planner first is incredibly helpful; I start with that before transferring it to my digital calendar.

It’s always motivated me because I’m very much a doer. I want to be able to say, “Here’s the goal, and here’s what we’re going to do to get to that goal.” There are a lot of cultures at different jobs that I have had in the past where there are a lot of people talking about an idea. I’ve always been the one asking, “What can we start doing now?” You should of course strategize and think about how to best do that, but I always want to just do, so I think that’s why I ended up in so many of these different jobs early in my career to discover what works and what doesn’t work. I wanted to learn as much as I could and learn best or worst practices from different people so that I can be better.

Can you tell us about a recent accomplishment that’s meaningful to you?

Getting the role at MASS MoCA was a big deal for me. I feel like it was a thing that paid off my degree from BU. I think I had the experience outside of learning about philanthropy and fundraising, but it helps market me to some degree too. Moving here is also a big move for my personal life, as well as my career. Otherwise, getting the degree at BU was a big accomplishment for me, especially because I began learning on Zoom during the pandemic, and then finished, thankfully in person on campus for the last couple of semesters.

Have you ever faced a challenging time or crossroads in your career? How did you overcome it?

When I finished the program at BU in 2022, I was working at a small professional theater in Gloucester, Massachusetts called Gloucester Stage Company. They were going through some big changes, and I was finishing my degree. I was juggling a lot of things and trying to navigate how to prioritize my time. I was also going through some big personal changes and all of this combined, made that last semester of my program really challenging. But I stuck it out. I got the degree and then a couple of months later, I decided to leave that job at the Gloucester Stage which propelled me into getting another new great role in a grantmaking administration role. I think there are a lot of trials and tribulations in your career, but always listen when you have a gut feeling about something. Set yourself up for success, but then take the plunge. If you know it’s not right for you, just keep moving.

Do you see any major challenges or issues in today’s art world? What do you think we, as arts administrators should do to overcome them?

There are a lot of misconceptions about what art is and what the art industry is trying to do. Fine art galleries might not necessarily be trying to make a change in their community, but there’s a place for them. The artists they support are probably reflecting some experiences in the world that are valuable to the community. People from all over the world can experience art and have their own opinions about it. What people are capable of showcasing, whether it’s in performance or visual art exhibitions, is a very valid experience. When you see a piece of art, it’s okay to say I don’t like it. It doesn’t mean that you’re right or wrong, or that the art is good or bad. It just means that you’re human and experiencing something. Art can be something that you dislike, or it can offend you, because that’s kind of the point of art: it’s made for you to experience and have a reaction to.

As arts administrators, we’re not necessarily the artists themselves. We’re sometimes dealing with the communications behind that or with the press dealing with someone’s reaction to some controversial piece of art. But I think it’s all valid as long as you’re not purposely trying to offend somebody or do something violent. It’s all real.

The boring answer is the changing economy. The economy is always evolving. And what does that mean for the Arts? I don’t know. It keeps you on your toes.

Do you have any advice for current and prospective students?

Definitely the willingness to learn. If you decide to do this graduate program, discover and learn as much as you can. If you’re not sure that you want to focus on a specific track, like performing arts or visual arts, learn all of them. I think being versatile in this industry is helpful. You can put yourself in any role that you want if you know a little bit about everything. Take as many courses as you can while you’re in the program. I wish that I hadn’t graduated right away and had the chance to take a couple more courses before I finished. Learn as much as you can while you’re there, and absorb it all.

Interview conducted by Yufan Deng.