Title: Geography
Submitted by: Gary Beckman
Institution: The University of Texas at
Austin
Course Title: "Entrepreneurship in the
Arts"
Division Offered: College of Fine Arts -
Fall 2006
Demographic: Undergraduates [Fine Arts,
Liberal Arts & Business] & Graduates [Fine Arts]
Date: 2/1/07
Type of Activity: Small Group Discussion
& Research (45 minutes)
Learning Objectives:
1) To assess various geographical areas for suitability of
an arts venture.
2) To demonstrate that different regions of the country
have differing strengths and weaknesses in their support of
an arts economy.
3) To explore the concept regional "entrepreneurial
ecologies."
Student Evaluation Method: None
Description: The class is divided into
small groups of 5-6 students with one student to lead the
research trajectory, one to present results of the research
and one who catalogs the findings of the group. Using the
only the internet, each group researches the following
topics focused on a specific region or city: Arts venues,
state support for the arts & entrepreneurship,
regionally focused private foundations who support the arts
in this area, regional arts culture, cultural tourism
efforts, regional economy and economic development efforts,
large and small scale arts NPO's, etc.
Allowing roughly 35 minutes for group research, five
minutes of research assessment and colation culminates in a
five minute presentation of the results to the class. Each
group decides wether the research region is a suitable area
for launching an arts venture, which ventures are more
likely to succeed, the arts needs for the area,
opportunities for the enterprising arts entrepreneur,
sustainability of new arts ventures, etc.
Instructor Comments: Here in Austin, there
is a perception that we have a thriving arts community.
Given this perception, many students believe there are
plenty of opportunities in the city and want to start arts
ventures here. However, the arts scene in Austin may not be
as vibrant for certain arts businesses.
The purpose of this exersize is to give students the
opportunity to investigate the "entrepreneurial ecology" of
different regions in the country and determine where their
ventures would be better placed - either here in "The Live
Music Capital of the World" or in other locales.
A perfect example is the "classical" music scene in Austin.
Finding a non-university sponsored string quartet concert
on any given Friday night is tougher than one might think.
So, if I have a budding string player in my class who wants
to professionalize a quartet and play the majority of gigs
in Austin, they can explore the string quartet "scene" both
here and surrounding areas. However, when confronted with
the market realities for string quartet music in central
Texas, they may change their mind and think about either
the Dallas or Houston area as a "home-base".
On the other hand, I've had some students who desperately
wanted to develop arts venues in Nashville. After
completing this exercise, almost all see Austin as much
better place to accomplish this goal for more business,
cultural and aesthetic reasons than I can mention.
A note about "entrepreneurial ecology." Students are mostly
unaware of this concept, even though it has received some
attention in the arts policy arena. I've found that this
concept is a great way to demonstrate the intersection of
economic development efforts, the broader cultural impact
of the arts in a specific region, competition evaluation,
proof of concept and opportunity recognition among other
topics.
