Toward a Theory of Minority Entrepreneurship in the Non-Profit Arts Sector

ABSTRACT

Throughout most of the entrepreneurship research literature, the entrepreneur is generally identified as a native-born White male who undertakes either self-employment or firm creation in Western developed countries. In addition, most of the literature frames these entrepreneurial actions as for-profit activities. Perhaps due in part to such prevailing frames, we know little about minority entrepreneurship, let alone as it occurs within the non-profit arts sector. To aid the field in new understandings, I review the minority entrepreneurship literature, identify minority entrepreneurship strategies, make connections to the non-profit arts sector, and propose new directions for theory development in the field.

KEYWORDS:

• Arts entrepreneurship
• entrepreneurship
• minority entrepreneurship
• non-profit
• not-for-profit

Notes

1. See https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2016/comm/hispanic-businesses.html

2. For a list of these laws, see http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/1-segregated/jim-crow.html

3. Foreigners who, as recent arrivals in a host country, start businesses as a means of economic survival.

4. This term is problematic for organizational classification, as it excludes White as a color, normalizes and standardizes arts organizations as White-led, and marginalizes all arts organizations led by a majority of non-White arts administrators into one homogenous group.

5. This term is problematic for classification, as it excludes White as a color, standardizes the artist as White, and marginalizes all non-White artists into one homogenous group.

6. i.e. the most popular pieces by artists of color (non-White) that feature the most famous performers and directors of color (non-White).

7. For an example useful for critical thinking and reflection, see http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-oscars-so-white-reaction-htmlstory.html

8. For two examples useful for critical thinking, debate, and discussion, see https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/may/19/edward-albee-denies-rights-black-actor-virginia-woolf; https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/10/martin-luther-king-white-actor-university