Arts Incubation Research (AIR) Lab
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is pleased to be selected as a National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab and to collaborate with Americans for the Arts (AFTA) to launch the Arts Incubation Research (AIR) Lab.
The research team will study the intersection of the arts, entrepreneurship, and innovation at its incubation stage with a research agenda that intends to understand the economic potential of artists as non-conventional entrepreneurs and the impact of the digital divide upon arts-based entrepreneurs.
The main goal of the lab will be to inform arts programs across the nation about how to best integrate an entrepreneurship element into their curriculum. The lab expects to become the leading center of excellence with a focus on arts incubation. The lab will be hosted in the UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts, Department of Music, under the leadership of principal investigator, Dr. Stan Renard. It will also provide a safe space to experiment with arts incubation.
There are now 16 NEA Research Labs, including UTSA, across the country, forming a national network of university-based labs dedicated to investigating the impact of the arts through the social and behavioral sciences and funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. These labs illustrate not only the significant role that the arts play in advancing our understanding of other fields but also in showing the effectiveness of diverse teams—including researchers, artists, and arts administrators—working together to produce knowledge.
Our study will be positioned to answer the following Arts Endowment questions:
- How do entrepreneurship and innovation reveal themselves differently in the arts relative to other sectors? What is similar?
- In which industries, sectors, or geographic areas are arts-driven innovation visible and measurable?
- How do arts-based entrepreneurship and innovation benefits and related outcomes compare with those achieved by non-arts approaches?
UTSA Team
AIR Lab Director and Associate Visiting Professor of Arts Management and Entrepreneurship, Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts, The University of Oklahoma
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Lead Author, Project Manager, GIS Mapping, On-Site Interviews
Research Specialist, COB
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Co-Author, Digital Divide and Entrepreneurship Skills Analysis
AFTA Team
Vice President of Research and Information, AFTA
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Co-Author, Surveys Design, Dissemination of Surveys, Data Collection and Reporting
Senior Director of Research Services, AFTA
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Co-Author, Surveys Design, Dissemination of Surveys, Data Collection and Reporting
Technical Working Group
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs,
Baruch College, NY
Artistic & Executive Director, Say Si
Tune in to our CODA Podcast for the latest interviews of Artists and Entrepreneurs.
The CODA Podcast is an audio and oral history archive focusing on the music industry, creative entrepreneurs, and the cultural nonprofit sector.
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The opinions expressed in materials on this website are those of the author(s) and do not represent the views of the National Endowment for the Arts Office of Research & Analysis or the National Endowment for the Arts. The Arts Endowment does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information included in these materials and is not responsible for any consequences of its use. This NEA Research Lab is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts (Award #: 1861816-38-C-20).
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Arts Incubation Research Lab 