Arts Management Overview

Principles

Definition

Arts management is an interdisciplinary academic field and professional practice integrating business principles with artistic and cultural considerations to manage organizations and initiatives within the arts and cultural sectors. It investigates the application of strategic, financial, marketing, and operational methodologies to ensure the sustainability, accessibility, and impact of artistic production and cultural engagement.

Ontological type

Core Functions

Funding Models

Audience Development

Key developments

Key Figures

Market-Policy Governance era

Jennifer Radbourne [1] is active in the arts management field and is linked to Deakin University [3] and Queensland University of Technology [4]. Her key contribution, as detailed in the 2002 paper Relationship marketing, audience retention and performing arts organisation viability [5], highlighted how relationship marketing and audience retention underpin the viability of performing arts organizations and informed governance strategies of the time. Ruth Rentschler [2] is active in the arts management field and is affiliated with Deakin University [3]. Her contribution complements Radbourne's by applying audience development and service-quality practices to sustaining performing arts organizations, as described in the 2002 paper Relationship marketing, audience retention and performing arts organisation viability [5].

Co-constitutive Governance era

Doris Ruth Eikhof [1] emerges as a key author in this era, with the University of Stirling [3] among her institutional affiliations. Her 2007 paper For art's sake! Artistic and economic logics in creative production [6] articulated a synthesis of artistic and economic logics in creative production, expanding valuation and governance methods essential for co-constitutive governance. Daved Barry [2] is a leading author in this era, with affiliations to the University of Copenhagen [4] and Universidade Nova de Lisboa [5]. His 2010 paper Seeing More and Seeing Differently: Sensemaking, Mindfulness, and the Workarts [7] advances sensemaking and mindfulness in the Workarts domain, offering qualitative insights that support the coexistence of artistic and economic objectives in governance.

Education-Integrated Management era

Katherine Boydell [1], associated with the University of Toronto [3] and McMaster University [4] during this era, emerges as a key figure shaping arts-based inquiry within education-integrated management. Her contribution, exemplified by the paper Arts-based health research and academic legitimacy: transcending hegemonic conventions [6], centers on establishing ethical and methodological legitimacy for practice-led arts-based inquiry in health research and management scholarship, a pivotal move for the era's governance of education and entrepreneurship. Pia Kontos [2], connected with the University of Toronto [3] and University of Dundee [5] in this period, also advances arts-based health research within education-integrated management. Kontos's key contribution, reflected in the same 2016 paper [6], lies in co-developing the legitimacy and practical relevance of arts-based methods for education-driven careers and hybrid organizational forms, enabling participatory practice to inform labor-market strategies for artist-educators.