93-703 Arts Enterprises: Structures and Strategies
12 units, Carnegie Mellon University
Arts Enterprises: Structures and Strategy offers emerging arts managers and leaders a deep understanding of the business structures and strategies involved in running a successful 21st century arts enterprises. Perhaps more importantly, the course provides students with the opportunity to dissect and understand the complexities of the local, national, and international forces that make running an arts-based business unique. Almost daily, arts managers are faced with challenges and problems that affect internal operation dynamics and external stakeholder relations. A solid structure of values and strategies provide the frameworks to find successful solutions. During the course, students discover and analyze the operations of well-run, adaptive arts organizations and investigate moments of failure in order to uncover lessons learned. The course provides a lens into the nexus of institution-artist-audience within a framework of mission-impact and ROI. This course provides students with both the fundamentals and the emerging practices within arts enterprises. The course also creates a foundation for subsequent, advanced coursework. Students will encounter the economic and sociologic theories necessary to understand for profit and nonprofit enterprises. These theories become grounded by engaging in real-life experience, case studies, and course-exercises. The course is organized in 5 modules: Introduction / Frameworks; Public Policy/Cultural Policy; Business Structures; Governance & Leadership; Business Strategies & Strategic Planning For the purpose of this course, arts enterprises will be defined as those that create relationships between artists and audiences. Arts enterprises include, but are not limited to: orchestras, opera companies, music ensembles, museums, arts centers, theatre companies, presenting organizations, multi-media centers, artist agencies, galleries, media and dance companies.
Prerequisites: none listed
Offered: Fall 2026, Fall 2025
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