Entrepreneurial Arts and Cultural Leadership
Entrepreneurial Arts and Cultural Leadership (Book)
Traits of Success in Nonprofit Theatre
Offers emerging and established arts and nonprofit leaders a deep understanding of establishing an entrepreneurial mindset, enabling them to adapt quickly to opportunities while meeting the demands of managing the complex operations of an arts and cultural enterprise. Both a classroom text and case study detailing practices. 13b&w illus.
Edition
A tactical guide for nonprofit arts leaders, revealing the entrepreneurial traits that turn creative passion into sustainable success.
Entrepreneurial Arts and Cultural Leadership focuses on real-world strategies to developing the entrepreneurial mindset necessary for leading and sustaining nonprofit arts organizations. Bonnie Fogel and Brett Ashley Crawford examine the leadership traits that drive innovation, adaptability, and long-term viability in the ever-evolving arts sector.
Through the case study of Imagination Stage, one of the top theatre companies for young people, they highlight how successful nonprofit theater leaders can navigate financial instability, advocate for equity and inclusion, and implement sustainable business models in a landscape forever impacted by national and global events. With practical insights, tools, and a resource-rich appendix, this book offers arts managers, educators, and nonprofit leaders a roadmap for resilience and growth. Whether you are an advanced student, a researcher, or an arts executive seeking inspiration, this book provides an essential framework for building the future of nonprofit theatre.
Imagination Stage was founded as BAPA (Bethesda Academy of Performing Arts) in 1979 in response to the urgent need for arts education for young people. The company was renamed Imagination Stage in 2001 in anticipation of its move to its downtown Bethesda theatre arts centre in 2003. Imagination Stage has grown from a handful of children in a single classroom to a full-spectrum theatre arts organization, with theatre productions by professional actors and artists. Unlike most children’s theatre companies, Imagination Stage commissions new works for children every year. These productions have been recognized with awards and productions by other companies around the world.
Bonnie Fogel is the founder and longtime leader of Imagination Stage, one of the top theatres for young audiences in the United States. Brett Ashley Crawford is a teaching professor and faculty chair of the arts & entertainment management programs at Carnegie Mellon University, USA.
Bonnie Fogel is the founder and longtime leader of Imagination Stage, one of the top Theatres for Young Audiences in the U.S., taking an entrepreneurial approach to build and guide the nonprofit over 43 years. As the executive head, Fogel advanced the mission through strategic leadership overseeing all aspects of the organization, deploying an entrepreneurial style she developed from her business background. Fogel succeeded through her vision, business acumen, entrepreneurial spirit, communication skills, and "people first" perspective that empowered others.
Brett Ashley Crawford is an Associate Teaching Professor and Faculty Chair of the Arts & Entertainment Management programs at Carnegie Mellon University, USA with a background in theatre management and extensive experience in the field. She has earned multiple degrees including a PhD in Theatre History and Criticism, and her research focuses on audiences, engagement, and how technology disrupts the arts and cultural fields. Crawford also had a career in theatre and worked her way up from stage managing to managing director roles in NY, MD, and GA.
List of Figures
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Why Is Entrepreneurship Critical in Arts Leadership?
Trait 1. The Vision Thing: The Entrepreneurial Leadership Imperative
Trait 2. It’s All about the People: Staff and Board
Trait 3. Igniting and Engaging: Entrepreneurial Leadership and the Board
Trait 4. Making the Difference: Partnership and Community
Trait 5. The Power of Your Voice and Advocacy
Trait 6. The Entrepreneurial Balance: Risk vs. Opportunity
Appendices
A. The Origin Story
B. Imagination Stage Chronology
C. Who’s Who
D. Board Responsibilities
E. Board Management and Governance Toolkit
F. Board Member Engagement Grid
G. Annual Strategic Goal Dashboard Sample
H. Sample Board Meeting Agenda
I. Sample Weekly Board Report (aka Bonnie’s Board Brief’s)
J. Arts Accessibility Logic Model
Endnotes
Bibliography and Additional Resources
About the Authors
"This book would have been a good guide for me when I was starting out... It was so interesting to read and took me back to my own days of building a creative community; as I read through the chapters I kept on saying ‘yep!… yep!’... Now with a deeper understanding of theories and business activities, I know this book talks a lot of sense.”
"Traits is a toolkit. It works in bite-size chunks. If you’re not wanting to read through a book from beginning to end, but you’re a creative and entrepreneur who is eager to learn, this works well."
"The nonprofit arts sector can no longer afford to operate with outdated models and wishful thinking. Entrepreneurial Arts and Cultural Leadership provides a vital roadmap for arts leaders ready to embrace business-minded, revenue-generating strategies that ensure long-term sustainability. This book challenges the status quo and offers the tools we need to reimagine the future of our field."
“For those of us living in the Washington, D.C. area, watching Imagination Stage has been an object lesson in entrepreneurialism, devotion to mission and effective management. How fortunate that Bonnie Fogel is now sharing her wisdom with everyone interested in cultural leadership.”
I teach a graduate course in arts leadership and can see the applicability of this book directly connected to the principles that are part of my syllabus. As such, the authors demonstrate a practical application of a process that entails the cultivation of a team of critical thinkers and creative problem-solvers to propel an organization forward.
The alliance of theory and practice is a model that can be an inspiration for emerging leaders in arts administration. It could also provide a catalyst to generate a new paradigm of thinking for seasoned leaders who need rejuvenation.
