Entrepreneurial Arts and Cultural Leadership

Bonnie Fogel is the founder and long-time leader of Imagination Stage, one of the top Theatres for Young Audiences in the U.S., taking an entrepreneurial approach to build and guide the nonprofit over 43 years. As the executive head, Fogel advanced the mission through strategic leadership overseeing all aspects of the organization, deploying an entrepreneurial style she developed from her business background. Fogel succeeded through her vision, business acumen, entrepreneurial spirit, communication skills and 'people first' perspective that empowered others.Brett Ashley Crawford is an associate teaching professor and faculty chair of the Arts & Entertainment Management programs at Carnegie Mellon University, USA with a background in theatre management and extensive experience in the field. She has earned multiple degrees, including a Ph.D. in Theatre History and Criticism, and her research focuses on audiences, engagement and how technology disrupts the arts and cultural fields. Crawford also had a career in theatre and worked her way up from stage managing to managing director roles in NY, MD, and GA.

"This book would have been a good guide for me when I was starting out... It was so interesting to read and took me back to my own days of building a creative community; as I read through the chapters I kept on saying "yep!… yep!" Now, with a deeper understanding of theories and business activities, I know this book talks a lot of sense.’ ‘Traits is a toolkit. It works in bite-size chunks. If you’re not wanting to read through a book from beginning to end, but you’re a creative and entrepreneur who is eager to learn, this works well.’

• List of FiguresAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Why Is Entrepreneurship Critical in Arts Leadership?Trait 1. The Vision Thing: The Entrepreneurial Leadership ImperativeTrait 2. It’s All about the People: Staff and BoardTrait 3. Igniting and Engaging: Entrepreneurial Leadership and the BoardTrait 4. Making the Difference: Partnership and CommunityTrait 5. The Power of Your Voice and AdvocacyTrait 6. The Entrepreneurial Balance: Risk vs. OpportunityAppendicesA. The Origin StoryB. Imagination Stage ChronologyC. Who’s WhoD. Board ResponsibilitiesE. Board Management and Governance ToolkitF. Board Member Engagement GridG. Annual Strategic Goal Dashboard SampleH. Sample Board Meeting AgendaI. Sample Weekly Board Report (aka Bonnie’s Board Brief’s)J. Arts Accessibility Logic ModelEndnotesBibliography and Additional ResourcesAbout the Authors