Author Archives: lindaessig

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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

The Arts Venture and Needs Satisfaction

Posted on September 11, 2013 by lindaessig

I thought I would share the graphic I use in my class to explain that an arts venture can satisfy both the individual needs/wants of the artist and the needs/wants of a community: For more, see “Why Arts Entrepreneurship“

Posted in Arts education, Arts entrepreneurship, arts infrastructure, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Thinking about Thinking

Posted on September 8, 2013 by lindaessig

[An edited version of this material was originally published in Symposium Magazine under the title “Slow and Fast Learning in the Digital Age“] “Meta-cognition,” or thinking about thinking, is one of the habits of mind[1] that I encourage my arts … Continue reading →

Posted in arts infrastructure, Higher education | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

What is an “Arts Incubator?”

Posted on September 6, 2013 by lindaessig

I came across a website the other day of a municipally owned performing arts facility that describes itself as “the premier performance venue, arts incubator and advocate.”  To actually be an arts incubator, an organization or program needs to function … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts entrepreneurship, arts infrastructure | Tagged , , | 23 Comments

Censorship or Stewardship

Posted on September 3, 2013 by lindaessig

Members of the Phoenix arts community are, to put it mildly, a bit miffed about the cancellation on August 30 of a group show originally scheduled to open September 5 at the Herberger Theatre Center Gallery. Concerns were raised by … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts management, Arts policy, Culture and democracy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Another One Bites the Dust

Posted on August 29, 2013 by lindaessig

Make that two….or maybe three.  This week brought news of the closures of Shakespeare Santa Cruz at the end of the calendar year and Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre at the end of its current season.  Dance New Amsterdam (DNA), which … Continue reading →

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

“Arts Groups Struggle to Stay Relevant”

Posted on August 20, 2013 by lindaessig

“Arts Groups Struggle to Stay Relevant,” is the title of a recent column by Kerry Lengel, theatre critic for the Arizona Republic.  In it, he summarizes the challenges facing the arts and culture community of the region due to significant … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts funding, arts infrastructure, Arts policy, Technology and arts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Let the Kid Dance!

Posted on August 14, 2013 by lindaessig

Several semesters ago, a discussion with my arts entrepreneurship students about barriers to market entry turned into a discussion about barriers to audiences – physical barriers.  I commented that the fixed seating in a new performing arts facility with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Symposium Magazine

Posted on August 12, 2013 by lindaessig

[If you are looking for my piece refuting Peter Singer’s either/or philosophy of philanthopy, click here] “The academy,” “higher education,” “the university,” is stereotypically characterized as an “ivory tower” in which faculty in obscure subdisciplines of the sciences, arts, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture and democracy, Higher education | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Either/Or or And

Posted on August 11, 2013 by lindaessig

“Opportunity cost” is a basic concept in economics in which one considers the cost of doing one thing as the cost of not-doing something else.  It involves a binary decision: if I do X, I do not do Y.  This … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts funding, Culture and democracy | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Follow-up on Nonprofit/Commercial Coexistence

Posted on August 7, 2013 by lindaessig

In a post in June, I suggested that Commercial productions that benefit from nonprofit development pay a certain amount of after-cost profit into a fund, perhaps administered by an organization like Creative Capital or Doris Duke or even an agency … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts funding, arts infrastructure, Arts management | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments