Toward a Theory of Arts Entrepreneurship

The Society for Arts Entrepreneurship Education provides a national inventory of Arts Entrepreneurship programs and currently identifies at least ninety-six institutions offering courses and programs dedicated to the study of entrepreneurship in the context of the arts. Research suggests such courses are commonly associated with new venture creation across the arts and creative sector, as well as the teaching and learning of skills, competencies and behaviors necessary for selfemployment in the arts and creative industries. However, despite the existence of such courses and programs, there currently exists no proposed theory or theories of arts entrepreneurship in nascent literature for guiding contextual entrepreneurship pedagogy and practice. In an effort to advance the concept of arts entrepreneurship, this paper identifies challenges to theory building, explores a theory of arts entrepreneurship, and proposes how a theory of arts entrepreneurship can inform program theory development