Major University Presenters association comprises 22 arts presenters from leading research universities
AMHERST, Mass. — The UMass Fine Arts Center has joined Major University Presenters, a national consortium of university-affiliated performing arts centers and programs. Founded in 2002 by the University of Illinois, University of Michigan and Arizona State University, the MUPs consortium now consists of 22 leading arts presenters at major research universities across the country. MUPs members, through connection and information sharing, strive to strengthen each others’ capacities to elevate lives through the power of the arts.
The Fine Arts Center was selected to join MUPs by the peer organizations that compose the organization. In taking a place among MUPs membership, the Fine Arts Center joins fellow New England presenters ArtsEmerson (Emerson College) and the Hopkins Center (Dartmouth College) in a national network that also includes Stanford Live (Stanford University), the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), and the Center for the Performing Arts (The Pennsylvania State University).
“The Fine Arts Center is honored to join Major University Presenters, a consortium that reflects our deep commitment to championing the transformative power of the arts in higher education and society,” said Fine Arts Center Director Jamilla Deria. “As we approach our fiftieth anniversary season, this membership strengthens our ability to collaborate with peer institutions, amplify diverse voices, and create meaningful connections between artists, students, and communities. We look forward to engaging in this dynamic network to further our mission of fostering creativity, inclusion, and artistic excellence.”
From its inception, Major University Presenters has facilitated opportunities for its member organizations to share information for benchmarking and improving programs, participate in high-value collaborative opportunities, increase program recognition at local and national levels, engage in national research activities, and have a positive, long-term effect on the performing arts presenting field.
MUPs membership is a natural fit for the Fine Arts Center, which will mark its fiftieth anniversary season in 2025-2026. The Fine Arts Center has stood since its opening in 1975 as a gateway to the UMass campus — both for students and prospective students and their families and for residents of the four counties of western Massachusetts — and as a beacon of the power of the arts to enrich lives and change the world.
The Fine Arts Center is the multidisciplinary arts and innovation hub of UMass, supporting the development of students and artists, and enhancing the cultural life of western Massachusetts. The Fine Arts Center operates in the belief that access to inclusive and socially engaged arts programs is essential to a quality public higher education, sparks joy and enriches personal wellbeing, fosters shared understanding and a sense of belonging, and advances society and leads to a better and more just world. To Fine Arts Center’s essential functions are to inspire and stimulate curiosity; cultivate experimentation and creative practice; provide an academic home for adventurous artists; present transformative works; facilitate integrated research; and empower artistic breakthroughs.
MUPs vision resonates perfectly with the mission of the Fine Arts Center. MUPs and its members hold to the vision that, “The arts are integral to higher education and our local/global communities, transforming the way we live and learn, deepening shared experiences and creating communities that are more inclusive, equitable, accessible, and sustainable for all.”
MUPs seeks to act on that vision by facilitating the need for leaders in university-affiliated performing arts to enhance their organizational capacities, foster community interactions, curate diverse programming, secure robust capital and philanthropic support and make a greater contribution to the work of their host universities. Each member engages with different institutions and communities, yet shares a commitment to a common purpose, central to discussions within this community of practice. The consortium supports leadership teams and staff in sharing challenges and successes, encompassing entire organizations to encourage collaboration among directors in marketing, development, finance, and production. The consortium also explores field-wide initiatives, such as creating a co-commissioning fund and mentorship programs for emerging administrators.
The Fine Arts Center looks forward to a long and fruitful affiliation with its fellow MUPs member centers, a full list of which follows.
- Arizona Arts Live, University of Arizona
- ArtsEmerson, Emerson College
- ASU Cultural Affairs, Arizona State University
- Center for the Performing Arts, The Pennsylvania State University
- Fine Arts Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Green Music Center, Sonoma State University
- Hancher, The University of Iowa
- Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College
- Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Lied Center for the Performing Arts, University of Nebraska at Lincoln
- Lied Center of Kansas, The University of Kansas
- Meany Center for the Performing Arts, University of Washington
- Moss Arts Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Newman Center for the Performing Arts, University of Denver
- Northrop, University of Minnesota
- Penn Live Arts, University of Pennsylvania
- Stanford Live, Stanford University
- Texas Performing Arts, The University of Texas at Austin
- University Musical Society, University of Michigan
- University of Florida Performing Arts, University of Florida
- Utah Presents, University of Utah
- Wharton Center for Performing Arts, Michigan State University