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The Art of Business

With a double major in Marketing and Art History, will Rusty Meadows become the next Andy Warhol?

Rusty Meadows takes a closer look at the work of Andy Warhol.About Me

I am a rising senior and a proud Gateway Scholar here at The College. I am also a double major in Business (Marketing) and Art History (Modern American Art), and I recently completed an honors thesis on Andy Warhol's approach to business. During the school year I work on campus as the Assistant to Development, Education, and New Media at The Muscarelle Museum of Art. There I design marketing and developmental material to engage both the general public and other students. In addition, I curated an exhibition on Andy Warhol that was on view at The Muscarelle this past winter. I am also the founder and president of The William & Mary Arts Company (WaMAC) which was developed to explore the interactions between the art and business worlds.

Because of my interests, my Individual Program of Study (IPS) is positioned directly between the fields of business and art. I have used my observations of both disciplines to study how businesses and artists become successful by utilizing the skills of the opposite industry. By studying marketing, it is clear that the advertising world relies heavily on the creative work that is produced by the broader art world. In a similar light, fine artists must use business tactics in order to maintain a successful career.

My IPS was most profoundly inspired by my studies of the artist Andy Warhol, and the success he was able to generate and sustain using various business skills. Warhol first entered the creative world as an advertising illustrator on the famed Madison Avenue during the notorious early ‘60s, a time when the "Ad Men" where in full force. From there he utilized many of the things he learned while working in the advertising world to generate the fame he is known for today.

Rusty Meadows examines art created by Andy Warhol.Impact & Engagement

By spending time working for The Muscarelle Museum of Art, I feel I am creating a lasting impact on our school. The College is on the brink of a major re-conceptualization of how it engages with the arts, and consequently our work at the Museum will have a major influence on it. In addition to The Muscarelle, I feel my work with the William & Mary Arts Company is providing opportunity and inspiration to a growing number of students looking to take their liberal arts education beyond the academic world. Through our various programs and trips to New York City, we are helping students make contacts and find employment in the art business field.

Highlights

One of the highlights of the Mason School of Business is being surrounded by an entrepreneurial spirit that is widely promoted by the faculty and staff. This past semester I had the privilege to take Entrepreneurial Ventures with Prof. Richard Ash, and I feel it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my undergraduate career.

I have also found the other events and activities connected to the business school to be very beneficial. This summer while interning in New York City, I attended a luncheon hosted by IBM and the Carnegie Council for Ethics in Internal Affairs called "Future Leaders and Global Business Values."  At the luncheon, results of a worldwide student survey conducted by IBM were reported.  Not only did I participate in this survey, but I participated in the discussion at the luncheon as well - and Prof. Chris Adkins (Director of the Undergraduate Business Program) was featured as a panelist at the event!

Next Steps

To tell the truth, I have been bit by the entrepreneurial bug. I am currently working in New York City with a firm called Alldaybuffet, which works to bring change through creativity and business. My experiences there curating and preparing an international conference on social innovation, named The Feast, have opened numerous doors and opportunities for the future.