The College of Arts and Letters and the School of Entrepreneurship in the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration at Cal State San Bernardino partnered to create the new “Entrepreneurship in the Arts” minor, designed for all students in the arts.

“This new minor, Entrepreneurship in the Arts, was birthed from a desire to create an interdisciplinary educational opportunity between the College of Arts and Letters and the School of Entrepreneurship that will uniquely empower our students to be ready to be innovative, successful leaders in their field, and specifically, the arts,” said Lucy Lewis, associate professor of music, who helped created the minor. “We believe in the abilities and future potential of our students in the Inland Empire, and are thrilled to be able to offer this collaborative opportunity to our CSUSB student community.”

“The arts, like most fields of endeavor, is undergoing dramatic change. One way that the field and career paths can be reshaped is for artists and other creative professionals to think and work as entrepreneurs,” said Michael Stull, professor and director of the School of Entrepreneurship, and program director of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship, who also helped develop the minor.

The first core class, CAL 4000, The Artist Entrepreneur: Innovation and Leadership in the Arts, will be offered for the first time this spring semester, Monday and Wednesday, 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.

The course is designed for anyone who has experience with or interest in the arts and entrepreneurship, but is more tailored to students in the College of Arts and Letters who are majoring in art and design, communication studies, English, liberal studies, music, philosophy, theatre arts, and world languages and literatures.

The primary purpose of the course is to answer the question, “What and who is an artist-entrepreneur?” and will feature artist-entrepreneurs that are representative of all of the departments in the College of Arts and Letters as guest lecturers.

Throughout the course, students will examine the creative intersection between entrepreneurship and the arts, and address the basics of creativity, thought process and the freedom mindset. Students will also acquire an understanding of and healthy appreciation for the concepts of vision, storytelling, relevance, community, collaboration, networking, improvisation, creative spaces, mentorship and art leadership. Students will also have the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge they are developing through weekly assignments, in-class discussions and presentations, and a semester portfolio that will be of reference and value as students continue their artist-entrepreneur endeavors beyond the class.

“Infusing arts education with principles of entrepreneurship offers students a powerful model to pursue their careers with an entrepreneurial mindset and practical business competencies,” Stull said. “Entrepreneurship – which is really about creatively and innovatively pursuing opportunities – is ideally suited as both a mindset and set of competencies that can help professionals in the arts field create new jobs, products and services that will drive our economy.”

“Most artists will end up being entrepreneurs whether they realize it or not when they are in school, because the majority of us end up pursuing multiple endeavors and wearing several hats (usually simultaneously), throughout our career,” Lewis said. “Many artists are frequently self-employed, at least starting out, and so it is crucial that they are equipped with the business skills to know how to translate their craft into a sustainable income.”

For more information about the Entrepreneurship in the Arts minor, contact Lucy Lewis at lucy.lewis@csusb.edu.