David Tanner is not only a scheduling extraordinaire, coordinating more than 150 arts events each year for students, faculty and the community through Albright College’s Center for the Arts (CFA), he is also a pillar of the Berks arts community. Through his Arts Administration program and community outreach, he has made the arts accessible for countless people in our area and beyond.
Q: What makes the Albright Center for the Arts so unique? I think it is our interdisciplinary approach. We really work well collectively and there is a lot of collaboration between our various departments to make a project happen. It’s something that we’ve been recognized for nationally and continue to win awards for. Our theater program alone has won four national awards from the Kennedy Center in the last 12 years, and as far as I’m aware there is no other college or university that can lay claim to that distinction.
Q: What are the different disciplines? We have four academic departments: fine art, music industry studies, fashion and theater. Music and fashion are two of the biggest departments on campus in terms of enrollment. Additionally, the Freedman Gallery is a non-academic unit that reports to the CFA, and any student organizations with an art focus also collaborate with us. That includes the Domino Players as well as at least 30 other organizations on campus.
Q: What role do you play as the Director of the CFA? I coordinate all Center events and am responsible for most of the marketing. I also coordinate and teach the Arts Administration Program, which is a program that I have built over the 10 years that I’ve been with Albright. What’s unique about it is that every course provides an opportunity for hands-on experience, and the students are able to help me with a lot of the behind-the-scenes work to run the center as part of their studies.
Q: How do you think access to the arts has impacted our local community? Albright really fosters a sense of community and giving back that our students are really passionate about. One of the things I’m really proud of is that a few years ago our students created a local chapter of ASTEP - Artists Striving to End Poverty – and the mission of that group is to help foster the arts among underserved populations. As part of that program, they have been working with Olivet Boys & Girls Club to mentor students. And that’s just one example; all of our programs have taken on projects that have a real impact.
Q: Do you try to get involved outside of the university as well? Absolutely. I’m on the board for the PA Americana Region, which is our local visitor’s bureau, and through that role, and also as an arts leader and peer, I really think it’s important to support local programs. I can’t get to everything, but I do try to attend as much as possible to support my fellow arts administrators. I really can’t say how important it is to me to support the local community, especially because I am in a position where I am asking for support back.
