Arts Entrepreneurship in the Civic Sector

Artists are pursuing entrepreneurial actions across the civic sector to influence societal structures that sustain daily life from transportation and parks to public health and education. While public trust in government is eroding and civic problems are increasingly complex, civic leaders and communities alike are seeking new collaborators and new interventions. In response, artists are collaborating with organizations across the civic sector using creative methods and approaches. This work takes many forms such as artists embedded in government agencies for time-bound collaboration, new approaches to civic work that includes arts engagement, and activist tactics to advance community change. This work introduces arts entrepreneurship in the civic sector by presenting its history and context, analyzing relationship and partnership models, and details specific fields where the work is happening with short examples. The discussion is focused on the US context and draws on literature across cultural policy, entrepreneurship, arts, and planning.