Author Archives: lindaessig

Unknown's avatar

About lindaessig

Linda Essig is Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Baruch College and principal/owner of Creative Infrastructure. The opinions expressed on Creative Infrastructure are her own and not those of Baruch College

What is the value of an ART degree?

Posted on January 29, 2014 by lindaessig

Earlier this evening, I shared a small stage at the Chandler Center for the Arts with my colleague Adriene Jenik, director of ASU’s School of Art, as we accepted first and second place awards in the Arizona Art Tank Business … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts education, Arts entrepreneurship, arts infrastructure, Higher education | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What Makes Art Art?

Posted on January 19, 2014 by lindaessig

In a recent Facebook post, Clayton Lord, vice president of American for the Arts and “Counting New Beans” blogger, posed an interesting thought exercise regarding two different means of replication: an app that lets you see and zoom in on … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts entrepreneurship, arts infrastructure, Arts management | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Passion and Action

Posted on January 16, 2014 by lindaessig

My undergraduate arts entrepreneurship class had its first meeting Tuesday, during which the students and I discussed the nature of entrepreneurial action.  Then they went off on their own to read the first chapter of Ann Bogart’s “And Then, You … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts education, Arts entrepreneurship, arts infrastructure, Higher education | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Class Prep

Posted on January 6, 2014 by lindaessig

Spring semester classes begin next week. One of my courses is an undergraduate course in arts entrepreneurship that I teach every semester. Each time I teach it, I try to look at the topic and the way I teach it … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts entrepreneurship, Higher education | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Quality, Diversity, and New Year’s Food

Posted on January 1, 2014 by lindaessig

Today is New Year’s Day.  For dinner last night, New Year’s Eve, I made blini with caviar and today I am making Hoppin’ John with black-eyed peas, a food traditionally eaten in the American south on New Year’s Day day … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture and democracy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Community Fellowship

Posted on December 27, 2013 by lindaessig

Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk writes a beautiful passage among many beautiful passages in his novel The Museum of Innocence that explains why the small screen, be it television, computer, or smart phone, will never replace the shared experience of being part … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture and democracy, Technology and arts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Arts Incubators and Theories of the Firm

Posted on December 17, 2013 by lindaessig

Sometimes we build theory by observing phenomena and sometimes we use existing theories to explain the phenomena we observe.  I’ve been reviewing “theories of the firm” recently and am beginning to form some ideas about how these theories can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts entrepreneurship, arts infrastructure | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Self-efficacy

Posted on December 5, 2013 by lindaessig

“I put this whole website together – and the band loves it!”  So said the student when she presented her final project, a website to promote her band.  The project is described as “a package of professional materials.”  Students can … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts entrepreneurship, Higher education | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Restaurants, Theatres, Communities

Posted on December 2, 2013 by lindaessig

A restaurant in my neighborhood closed recently. There aren’t a lot of restaurants in my neighborhood – I live in what is sometimes referred to as “the world’s largest cul-de-sac,” a sprawling suburban development that only has one entry and … Continue reading →

Posted in arts infrastructure, Arts management | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The New Normal

Posted on November 18, 2013 by lindaessig

In his Op-Ed column today, Paul Krugman reported on the not very rosy economic picture that fellow economist Larry Summers painted at the recent IMF annual conference.  “Mr. Summers went on to draw a remarkable moral: We have, he suggested, … Continue reading →

Posted in arts infrastructure, Arts policy, Culture and democracy | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment