Our p.a.v.e. program in arts entrepreneurship brought in a fabulous artist as its March speaker. Leni Schwendinger is a lighting designer and public artist whose work is visible in New York, Seattle, Glasgow, Philadelphia, Dallas, and elsewhere. She was also named by the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce...

I’ve been having a great time the last several weeks developing the syllabus for a course we’re calling “Foundations of Arts Entrepreneurship” that I’ll teach for the first time a year from now. It’s a challenge to determine the right balance between content related to creativity and innovation,...

There is an opinion piece in today’s Arizona Republic by Craig Barrett, former CEO of Intel, about creating an environment for innovation in the state in which I live. Among his other observations, he writes, “just look at the thousands of startup companies around Stanford and UC-Berkeley and Harvard...

Following my last posting on the fiscal health of theatres, my fellow ETA blogger Jim Hart contacted me with some provocative questions. I thought I’d address two of them – and forgive me, Jim, for paraphrasing slightly: 1. Can we teach our aspiring theatre artists to avoid the traditional path of...

As you may recall from a previous posting, I’ve been doing some research on the fiscal health of nonprofit arts organizations, specifically theatres. Prior research indicated that one could look at several factors (revenue diversification, operating margins, administrative expenses, and access to equity)...

Last week, I got to do the thing that I enjoy most in my job (I also got to do some things I enjoy least, but discussing those would be digressive).  My colleagues and I made six seed grants to student arts entrepreneurs.  If I ever feel down about arts education, I can go back and read the 24 letters...

I’ve been doing some research lately on measures of the fiscal health of not-for-profit arts organizations, especially theatres. This got me thinking about the factors that support the fiscal health of individual artists and arts entrepreneurs. In a 2001 article, Mark Hager examines four measures...

The literature on entrepreneurship often references the one “big idea;” the singular innovative vision for something new, often the invention of one singular talent.  But, as we know, it takes a team of many to actualize that one big idea.  I’ve been preparing to teach a unit next week on collaboration...

I’m participating in a symposium this week entitled PARTNERSHIPS FOR PURPOSE: INNOVATION, CULTURAL CAPITAL, AND RESILIENCE. The panel I’ve been asked to facilitate is organized around the question “How should the university contribute to the development of cultural capital/talent in the region?”...

As I work with student arts entrepreneurs, I’ve found that one of the biggest challenges they face is putting together meaningful, appropriate, and supportive project teams. Why is it harder for an arts entrepreneur to do this than a traditional business-focused entrepreneur? I think the answer lies...

Maybe it’s because I’m hosting a talk on “Intellectual Property in the Arts” later this fall, or maybe it’s because the new LORT (League of Resident Theatres) agreement with designers includes provisions for media reproduction of our work, but I’ve been thinking about the issue of competition,...

Because this is my first posting on the entrepreneur-the-arts-blog I thought I would take up space this week with some introductory information. I also want to lay out some of the questions that keep me awake at night. I’m a lighting designer, I’m an entrepreneur, I’m an educator, and I’m a...