Studying the boldly colored posters with an attentive eye, Keira Francis ’26 finds herself enamored with Molly Crabapple’s art exhibit in New York City’s Poster House. The words “Utopia in our time” — the title of the exhibition — sprawl across the gallery wall in whimsical lettering with the posters, illustrated by Crabapple, surrounding them. Displaying themes such as the resilience of community, the power of solidarity, and the joys of celebration, they range from works highlighting activism against anti-Muslim sentiment to evocative pieces saluting Puerto Rican culture.
While the exhibition is captivating, it’s the call to action that Francis finds so intriguing.
“Art can often be viewed as purely aesthetic or something to passively interact with, but these posters invite you to come and join them,” she notes. Francis, a Marketing major, also can’t help but tie it to her own studies. “I'm looking around and I'm seeing myself being marketed to in a classy and purposeful way.”
Francis’s visit to Poster House was part of Bryant University’s Arts in the City program — an annual excursion that connects students with the arts, arts-related internships and careers, and alumni working in creative industries. Organized by the university’s College of Arts and Sciences and Amica Center for Career Education, the five-day trip plays a vital role in undergrads’ experiential learning opportunities.
Matching creativity with business
Approximately two dozen Bryant students navigated their way throughout Manhattan this January — partaking in everything from a showing of Wicked at Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre and a dance class at Pearl Studios to a private tour of the Whitney Museum of American Art with curator Kim Conaty and a stop at the legendary Apollo Theater. The group even visited Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Rangers and New York Knicks, for a tour of one of the world’s most famous arenas.
Experiences like these are eye-opening for students, says History, Literature, and the Arts Professor and Chair Amber Day, Ph.D., one of the Bryant faculty members who accompanied the students on the trip.
“This sort of learning extends much of what we are doing in the Arts and Creative Industries program in widening students’ understanding of the myriad different jobs and industries involved in the arts,” she says, also emphasizing the importance of the arts in civic life and for human wellbeing.
Planning the itinerary each year, Patricia Miernicki, associate director of employer outreach and development within the Amica Center, adds that students thoughtfully engage with one another and speakers through thoughtful and insightful discussions.
“Experiential learning adds value to a student’s education by translating theoretical concepts into tangible real-world skills, and accelerates career development, boosts confidence, provides valuable networking opportunities that set them up for success,” says Miernicki.
While the Arts in the City itinerary changes from year-to-year, one constant is the alumni panel and networking event, where undergrads hear from a moderated panel featuring four Bryant alums, followed by a social gathering where they can connect with their fellow Bulldogs. This year’s panelists included Piaget Marketing Manager Haley Jones ’16, VVA Drees & Sommer Business Development Manager Amy (Yankauskas) King ’91, 300 Entertainment Music Executive Samad Wagstaff ’12, and MultiVision Creative Executive Director and Producer Robert Weiss ’92, all of whom shared stories from their professional journeys and career advice.
“It's great to see alumni who are working in the arts field,” says International Business major Ian Cannon ’26, adding that the experience helped him to view business with a creative eye. Building rapport, and connections, with Bryant International Business grads through the trip has been an important part of his education, he notes.
Hearing from professionals in the field is a powerful supplement to classroom learning, says History, Literature, and the Arts Lecturer David Liao, Ph.D., who also attended the trip.
“It shows students that what they learn in the classroom is only part of the greater picture, and that their academic knowledge must be combined with hands-on experience with the unpredictability and dynamism of real people, institutions, and communities,” says Liao.
Embracing the whole ‘self’
For Cannon, a saxophone player, the president of Bryant’s Jazz Ensemble, and the president of the university's Council of the Arts, listening to David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band at the storied Birdland Jazz Club was a highlight of the week.
An Arts in the City veteran who’s attended the trip every year since he started at Bryant, Cannon says that one of his biggest takeaways from his time in New York City has been that there's always room for the arts in your life — whether personally or professionally — and that finding ways to express yourself creatively comes with its own set of advantages.
“I do a lot of improvisational solos for the Jazz Band, and that helps you think on your feet; it teaches you to use what you know in new and different ways and how to think critically,” observes Cannon.
In the past, Francis admits, her artistic and business sides have always felt separate. By day, she’s in the classroom studying business, and by night she’s serving as president of Bryant’s Advanced Dance Crew – choreographing and teaching peers in preparation for cultural showcases on campus. The Arts in the City trip, though, has helped her marry art and business together with the goal of making intentional art for marketing purposes.
While she’s always known that she could go into a creative field and pursue some business aspect within that industry, Francis notes that she’d never met anyone actively pursuing that path — until now.
“Arts in the City puts you in the room with people who went here and then did it,” Francis says.