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"The future of nonprofit arts organizations, large and small, depends on attracting the best new talent to administer their affairs, to serve as artists and audiences, and to act as advocates, boosters, and financial supporters. Given the shrinking pool of younger people and the increased competition for their attention, action to meet this pressing, and increasingly complex, challenge can no longer be left to a vague future date."
"Involving Youth in Nonprofit Arts Organizations: A Call to Action," The Kemper Fellows Program in Arts ManagementThe James S. Kemper Foundation of Chicago and six Chicago area arts organizations collaborate in the Kemper Fellows Program in Arts Management. The goal of the program is to help meet future demand for arts organization leaders by providing mentored internship opportunities in arts management for undergraduate students.
"This partnership is so important because it provides a way for the next generation of arts administrators to get hands- on practical experience, and it allows the arts organizations to devote the resources to fully mentor these young people."
Alex Levy, Artistic Director,
Pegasus Players The collaborating arts organizations include Chicago Chamber Musicians, Court Theatre, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Pegasus Players, The Ragdale Foundation, and Silk Road Theatre Project. Each organization has received a grant from the James S. Kemper Foundation to support the organizations in providing internships and to provide stipends for student interns. For sixty years the James S. Kemper Foundation has gained experience and expertise in helping college students prepare themselves for organizational leadership through experiential education in the Kemper Scholars Program. The Kemper Fellows Program offers the opportunity to put that experience at the service of arts and culture organizations. The Kemper Fellows Program responds to reports that retirements among leaders of arts and culture organizations in this decade will create a leadership gap. The foundation and the six collaborating organizations will provide internships and mentoring in arts management for college students with the goal of interesting more students in careers in arts management and providing them professional work experiences in the field. A 2007 study funded by the Hewlett Foundation reported: "As baby boomers in the arts approach the end of their careers, nonprofit organizations must act quickly to establish a flow of new, qualified, energetic leaders and decision-makers to take their place. This entails both offering new opportunities for youth involvement and also converting that involvement into long-term commitment." Internships are shaped to respond to the structure and needs of each participating organization. As part of the Kemper Fellows Program, all fellows receive a paid internship and mentoring by their host organization. Kemper Fellows participate in common artistic, social and educational events designed to create a community among the interns and the participating organizations. An annual Kemper Fellows Program Conference gives selected fellows the opportunity to make a public presentation about their educational experience. Kemper Fellows Internship ApplicationInternships are awarded by the individual organization in the Kemper Fellows Program. All organizations use a single application form which you can download by clicking here. After you have completed the form, do not send it to the James S. Kemper Foundation. Send it as an email attachment to your first-choice organization. Visit the organization’s website (see below for links) to find the proper email address for sending a completed application. The Six Kemper Fellows OrganizationsClicking on an organization’s logo will take you to its website for information about the organization and internship opportunities. Chicago Chamber Musicians
Two Prudential Plaza 
Founded in 1986, the Grammy-nominated Chicago Chamber Musicians (CCM) enjoys an outstanding reputation for artistic excellence and strong commitment to community service. One of the "indispensables of classical music in Chicago" (The Chicago Tribune) and named 2007 Chamber Ensemble of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras - CCM's ensemble of 15 world-class artists, including resident groups CCM BRASS and the Chicago String Quartet, has toured extensively, has commissioned 13 works from today’s leading composers, and has recorded on the Naxos, Summit, Cedille and Albany labels. CCM reaches more than 500,000 annually through its 75 live performances and radio broadcasts in Chicago and more than 5,000,000 through its nationally syndicated radio series on the WFMT Radio Network. In addition to its series and concerts, CCM offers a wide range of community initiatives. Court Theatre
5535 S. Ellis Avenue 
Court Theatre was founded in 1955 at the University of Chicago and produces five mainstage productions annually to an audience of over 40,000. Court Theatre's mission is to discover the power of classic theatre. By reviving lost masterpieces, re-imagining and illuminating familiar texts, and distinguishing fresh, modern classics, Court endeavors to make a lasting contribution to American theatre, actively expanding the canon of performance-based translations, adaptations and texts. We seek to clarify texts and deem them "classics" because the themes are universal and invoke a personal and participatory experience for our audiences and our artists alike. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
1147 W. Jackson Blvd. 
Under the dynamic leadership of Artistic Director Jim Vincent, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is among the most original forces in contemporary dance. Critically acclaimed for its exuberant, athletic and innovative repertoire, HSDC’s dancers display unparalleled versatility and virtuosity in performances that inspire, challenge and engage audiences worldwide. Continually expanding its eclectic repertoire with work by leading national and international choreographers, the company also contributes to the art form’s evolution by developing new choreographic talent and collaborating with artists in music, visual art and theatre. Pegasus Players
O'Rourke Center 
In the theatre’s 27 year history, Pegasus Players’ mission has always been two-fold: to produce the highest quality artistic work and to provide exemplary theatre, entertainment, and arts education at no charge to groups who have little or no access to the arts. The theatre was founded on the belief that art builds community, enlightening and inspiring people to see through the eyes of the other. The “acting out” of theatre is rooted in the word, and Pegasus Players is strongly committed to providing a theatre for voices that are frequently unheard and reaching new audiences who have not traditionally been theatre patrons. Pegasus seeks to bring diversity to every aspect of theatre from the choice of performances to the audiences that participate. Click the Pegasus Players logo to be taken to their website. Ragdale Foundation
1260 N. Green Bay Road 
Ragdale is an artists' retreat located on the grounds of Arts and Crafts architect Howard Van Doren Shaw's 1897 summer home in Lake Forest, IL. The artists' community, which is situated just 30 miles north of Chicago and overlooks 50 acres of prairie, now hosts over 200 emerging and established artists of all disciplines each year. These writers, artists, and composers come from around the country and the world to work and experience Ragdale's remarkable gifts of community, tranquility, and creativity. Silk Road Theatre Project
Silk Road Theatre Project 
Silk Road Theatre Project showcases playwrights of Asian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean backgrounds whose works address themes relevant to the peoples of the Silk Road and their Diaspora communities. Through the creation and presentation of outstanding theatre, we aim to promote discourse and dialogue among diverse audiences in Chicago. As Chicago's first ever theatre company dedicated to representing the experiences of such a broad grouping of peoples and regions, we give voice to cultures and experiences long absent on the American stage, and we aim to integrate these voices within the canon of American theatre. |
| © 2006 James S. Kemper Foundation, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 1823, Chicago, IL 60606 |