EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
ARTS ENTREPRENEURSHIP 
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Traditional Issues
Cultural
Disciplinary
Departmental
Popular
Romantic Aesthetics
Faculty Resistance
Institutional
Outside Forces
Business Schools
K-12 Arts Education
Accreditation Standards
State Mandated Requirements
Bloated Degree Plans
Student Need
Career Services
New Trends
Cultural
Changes in Higher Education
Innovative Efforts
Creative Campus
Leadership Education
Creativity Education
Transitional Curriculum
Campus-Wide Entrepreneurship
Interdisciplinary Theory
Entrepreneurship as "New Thinking"
Financial Pressures
The "Moral Question"
A Lack of ....
Definitions
Intellectual Engagement
To further muddle the topic, popular perceptions of "Entrepreneurship" as New Venture Creation (NVC) tend to frame the entire conversation.
New Trends
Despite the perception of stagnation, higher education is a dynamic intellectual machine. New ideas emerge daily that change society in incredible ways. Likewise, new thinking and innovative efforts can change a discipline overnight. Arts Entrepreneurship is no different.
Changes in Higher Education - Of course, we could make the argument that higher education changes frequently (or not), yet some critical issues are coming to the fore. Reduced state appropriations for public institutions, a call for colleges and universities to develop a greater community commitment, constantly examining student outcomes and training, the perceived marginalization of Liberal Arts, curriculum reform, etc., are critical and simultaneous issues in the academy. However, efforts to develop a more responsive intellectual, educational and social environment for students are having a significant and positive effect on Arts Entrepreneurship programs.
Leadership Efforts - An oft batted about term, leadership initiatives abound in higher education including the arts. Perhaps the best-known program is the Eastman School of Music's Institute for Music Leadership.
Campus Wide Entrepreneurship - Many institutions are developing academic minors in entrepreneurship for their students - regardless of their disciplinary track. Some centralize the business school in these efforts.
Creativity Education - Perhaps the trend with the most traction, fostering creativity across disciplines has emerged as a beacon of change with many institutions experimenting with the topic; some have made it a core requirement in their campus-wide entrepreneurship programs.
Transitional Curriculum - Perhaps the least known method of Arts Entrepreneurship education, Transitional curricula exist almost exclusively in private institutions. The goal of the effort is to transition arts students from the college environment to a professional career in the arts.
Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurship Theory - A significant moment occurred in 1991 when Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice devoted an issue to interdisciplinary views of Entrepreneurial theory. This has expanded the discipline and set the stage for broader efforts such as Intellectual Entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship as "New Thinking" - Recently, "Entrepreneurship" has been equated with seeking "new outcomes" and "thinking differently" about the work of some disciplines - Arts Policy, for example. Though this may be a corrupted use of the term, "New Thinking" in an interdisciplinary context has more national traction than one might imagine.
Financial Pressures - A perennial problem for higher education, pressure on public institutions due to decreased state appropriations is forcing creative thinking about future funding streams. Arts Entrepreneurship may play a role in helping to solve this timely issue.
The "Moral Question" - Increasingly and openly, administrators and faculty are now questioning the purpose of a traditional arts education and its outcome for students. In short, the question goes something like this: "Is it fair to students to train them for non-existent jobs and highly competitive arts careers when we know they may very well never achieve their goals?"
Curricular Structures
Arts Entrepreneurship curriculum is in a developing phase, with distinct objectives, delivery methods and philosophies. Though this should be a question later in a development process, curricular content is only one in a string of variables that helps to define the classroom experience and educator prerequisites.
Generally speaking, there are four curricular models; New Venture Creation (NVC), Transitioning, Bridging and Leadership.
The NVC model is most popular in our nation’s public universities. With NVC as the popularly perceived purpose of entrepreneurship education, it's axiomatic that many programs concentrate on the business creation. In this model, Arts students are taught standard business skills similair to business undergraduates; accounting, corporate structures, management, economics, finance, etc. However, the NVC model can lack breadth. Non-profit topics are unevenly approached and grantsmanship is often excluded. In essence, arts students become typical business students – no distinction is drawn between them nor is there an effort to integrate the the arts industries or culture into business study. With some nuances, degrees in Arts Entrepreneurship usually comprise the amount of coursework as an academic business minor.
Transition models are rare and reflect a distinctive philosophy – to "transition students into professional careers in the arts." Occurring primarily in the conservatory environment, this model is designed for those students on a typical professional arts employment track. Indeed these students are trained for this possibility but it is the curriculum that partly defines this stance. Some stand-alone programs offer courses in professional development, entrepreneurship, arts leadership, intellectual property, self-marketing, grantsmanship and community outreach. It is easy to see how, through these offerings, that transitioning these students requires a concerted effort and is reflective of the number of skill sets students must acquire to complete the transition.
Other efforts manifest the philosophy differently; the transition occurs as an integrated effort. In these cases, professional development education is integrated into the core arts curriculum. Thus, students learn arts and professional development skills concurrently - in the same educational space and context at the same time. Coupled with a standard (non-integrated) NVC entrepreneurship curriculum and strong career service offices, the "transition to a professional career in the arts" becomes a crucial part of the educational experience rather than a series of distinct courses or electives adjunct to the degree plan.
The bridging model is a response to the NVC and is intended to link two distinct skill sets; the arts skill set students receive during their college training and a business skill set. The bridge itself is curricular; exposing the cultural and economic environment arts ventures inhabit. It introduces students to the broader context of the arts and the existing entrepreneurial ecology.
In the leadership model, the focus is student self-empowerment and shares some social entrepreneurship ideals. In this context, leadership is as much promoting good citizenship, serving and building communities, as it is audience development. Though few efforts such as this exist, some institutions in the development phase are considering this model. With the potential of "leadership" to address some critical issues in arts culture, it would come as no surprise to see the new wave of programs adopting this model.
Adapted from Beckman, Gary. "Arts Entrepreneurship Education: Defining Key Philosophical Structures.” 2006. (Presented at ARNOVA, Nov. 2006).
A Lack of...
As with all new disciplines, there are growing pains. Limits of inquiry, focus, terminology and methodology are but a few obstacles any new field must traverse. Yet the basis for many disciplines is a body of theory and some agreement on critical terminology - even if the agreement is to agree to disagree or, to freely interpret from various theoretical models.
Definitions - Perhaps the most immediate hurdle is understanding what needs to be defined and what does not. Obviously, the elephant in the room - "Entrepreneurship" - must be managed at some point. Yet other critical terms, limits and concepts should be defined in short order. For example, "Professional Development" in this context appears both muddled and easily managed in short order.
Intellectual Engagement - As Arts Entrepreneurship educators develop their field, a natural inclination to explore other theories and exemplars will emerge. To this point, a written record of these explorations and new understandings has yet to manifest. With over 50 years of years of theory in over 40 journals, Entrepreneurial theorists have spilled gallons of ink on the topic. Arts Entrepreneurship instructors will have to contextualize these sources, as well as emerging trends, to create a unique and dynamic field.
Putting it all together...
When discussing the state of the discipline - or any aspect of it - we must keep in mind that all of these forces are both intertwined and react with each other.
The success of any Arts Entrepreneurship effort must address many of these variables. This is not to say that each effort re-invents the wheel. Instead, through strong, experienced and determined leadership, these efforts find a stasis within their respective programs based partly upon the culture of the institution, the local department and administration. Granted, this may seem overwhelming to some but in reality, new efforts and movements in higher education occur frequently and confront the same realities; many are successful because of good planning, strong leadership and support from a variety of directions.
This analysis is meant simply to outline the basic forces Arts Entrepreneurship efforts must engage. It is not the purpose of the AEEN to provide solutions but to inform administrators, educators and curriculum designers about the topic.