Category Archives: arts infrastructure

Gatekeeping and Board Diversity

Posted on February 8, 2014 by lindaessig

I don’t like being in a “gatekeeping” position but often find myself there, as a journal editor, as a member of my university’s promotion and tenure committee, even as a teacher.  I find the position troubling and try – especially … Continue reading →

Posted in arts infrastructure, Arts management | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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

Who Benefits?

Posted on November 18, 2013 by lindaessig

Last week, a triptych by Francis Bacon, “Three Studies of Lucian Freud,” sold at auction for $142.4 million, a record auction price.  The seller, an unnamed collector in Rome, gains significantly from the transaction as does the auction house and … Continue reading →

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Dinner Conversation

Posted on October 4, 2013 by lindaessig

On September 6, twelve arts and culture activists/leaders/thinkers gathered at the Djerassi Artist’s Retreat at the invitation of Barry Hessenius to discuss the following question: Traditional audiences are declining and participation patterns are shifting seismically, which is having a deleterious … Continue reading →

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Hip Hip Hooray for the ACA

Posted on October 1, 2013 by lindaessig

Some may remember today’s date, October 1, 2013, for the temporary government shutdown that resulted from political posturing in Washington.  If you work in the arts and culture sector, however, it is a day to shout “hip hip hooray,” because … Continue reading →

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