Deborah Fisher, A Blade of Grass #artsbizinc
Arts entrepreneurship means recognition of new forms art can take
As part of our new program, Arts Business Incubator (ABI), we’re continuing to highlight successful arts entrepreneurs. Non-profit A Blade of Grass (ABOG) nurtures socially engaged art, providing resources to artists who demonstrate artistic excellence and serve as innovative conduits for social change.
Deborah Fisher, Founder and Executive Director of A Blade of Grass, answers the question: “What does arts entrepreneurship mean to you?”
“Arts entrepreneurship means recognition of new forms art can take. A company or organization is a form that unites individuals under a common purpose and manages resources in order to achieve that purpose. This purpose can be as simple as profit, as complex as technological or scientific innovation, as transient as the latest trend, or as noble as social service. Artists that recognize these forms of daily life as fertile playgrounds for artistic transformation are reaching new audiences in deep and innovative ways that keep the artists themselves in control of their own value proposition and market; model new roles for artists in society; and expand our sense of what art is, who it’s for and what it does. Not all artists need to our should operate as businesses. But when artists are making significant, transformative meaning collaboratively within a for-profit, L3C or non-profit institutional form, it’s important to recognize and support both the artistic and the practical value of this work, in equal measure.”
Tell us about your favorite arts nonprofit and for-profit businesses on Twitter at #artsbizinc and ask us questions about the Arts Business Incubator program. Applications for ABI close on January 23, 2015.
Connect with A Blade of Grass at their upcoming event, Parallel Fields: Alternative Economies on January 14, 6:00 PM. Meet ABOG Fellow Fran Ilich who uses alternative currencies, barter and other methods to work with Zapatista coffee growers and forge connections with politically aligned creatives in New York and elsewhere. In this program, his use of art as a means of supporting an alternative economy will be contrasted with viewpoints from financial journalist and blogger Felix Salmon, who will discuss ways of working within, rather than outside, the current system to promote financial reform and more equitable monetary policy. Location: 17 West 17th St, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10011. Space is limited, please RSVP via email: [email protected]
To learn more about A Blade of Grass, visit their website, follow them on Twitter and on their blog Growing Dialogue, which is a series of moderated online debates among thought leaders in social practice.
