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FALL  2022 

 

BOOK REVIEW 

Innovation in the Arts: Concepts, Theories, and 

Practices 

Kathryn L. Brown 

North Carolina State University 

ABSTRACT: An arts entrepreneurship professor reviews Jason White’s Innovation in the Arts: 
Concepts, Theories, and Practices. DOI: doi.org/10.34053/artivate.11.2.184 

With Innovation in the Arts: Concepts, Theories, and Practices, Jason White has thoughtfully 

distilled the critical concept of arts innovation into its fundamental parts. As a result, 

artists, arts students, educators, researchers, arts administrators, and entrepreneurs all 

stand to benefit from the book’s precise explication of concepts, theories, and practices.  

In the “Introduction,” White takes the time to construct contextual frames around his 

theories, providing the audience with a primer on his approach. Briefly, he discusses the 

need for more representation of arts-specific innovation within general entrepreneurship 

and business management scholarship. I appreciated his awareness that “art” and 

“innovation” can potentially mean very different things to different readers. He ends his 

introduction by defining his key themes, preparing the reader for the book’s primary 

content. 

The “Introduction” and “Conclusions and Suggested Directions” sections also explore 

why innovation is an essential topic. Essentially, he argues, identifying and understanding 

patterns of innovation within the arts helps us to research, teach, and strategically utilize 

innovations in ways that are more sustainable, impactful, and rewarding. In my own 

experiences teaching arts entrepreneurship, I find that taking the time to discuss the 

benefits of innovation to arts entrepreneurs—and the various ways in which it may not 



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2 

be beneficial—typically results in lively, engaging conversation. Within entrepreneurship 

circles, “innovation” and “entrepreneurship” often appear so tightly interwoven as to be 

almost synonymous. However, entrepreneurship can be effective without innovation, and 

innovation often does not result in effective entrepreneurship. Additionally, both artists 

and entrepreneurs often feel pressured to innovate for the sake of innovating rather than 

because it makes for compelling art and/or entrepreneurship. White’s deeper dive into 

the usefulness of his topic encourages his audience to explore the relationships and 

differences between entrepreneurship and innovation.  

White further defines his terms in the second chapter, “Key Terms for Mutual 

Understanding.” Although this chapter is necessary, I predict it may prove challenging for 

some readers, especially students, because it is heavy on definitions. Should this book be 

used in a classroom setting, it may need to be prefaced through some exploratory 

conversations. For researchers, however, this chapter is essential in guiding scholars from 

business-oriented disciplines and arts-oriented disciplines through the distinctions 

between our respective fields and the nature of the “products” (often utilitarian vs. 

aesthetic) with which we work.  

White’s primary chapters outline three theories of innovation in the arts:  

1. A Theory of Art Innovation: the creation, diffusion, and widespread 

endorsement of a new form of art in the art world. 

2. A Theory of Art Movement Innovation: the introduction, diffusion, and 

widespread acceptance of a guiding ideology for a new art movement. 

3. A Theory of Audience Experience Innovation: the development, diffusion, and 

widespread integration of a structured experience design for visual, literary, or 

performing arts audiences.  

Beginning each chapter with a succinct definition, White then describes each 

theoretical framework in more detail, identifying and discussing the appropriate scholarly 

support for the theory. More in-depth discussion follows as he describes each theory’s 

unique characteristics, potential risks and challenges, strategies for gaining momentum 

and legitimacy within the desired art world, and desired outcomes. Each of these three 

chapters closes with concrete examples drawn from a wide variety of case studies in art 

history. The chapters are well organized with subheadings to help the reader navigate the 

underlying pattern in each type of innovation, which I found particularly helpful.  

I also appreciated White’s attention to how each movement gains momentum, 

establishes legitimacy, and overcomes challenges; it is here that I see the most potential 

for classroom exercises in strategic arts innovation. For example, one might ask students 

to design a strategic plan for legitimizing a new art form (art innovation), generate ideas 

for diffusing a desired artistic reform/desired social reform via art (art movement 

innovation), or design a distinctively new aesthetic experience with strategic plans for 

gaining acceptance among arts administrators (an identified challenge inherent to this 

form of art innovation). Along the lines of business school pedagogy, instructors may 



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generate discussion questions and short exercises designed to put the student in the role 

of CEO/artist/arts administrator of the artists and organizations profiled, generating 

alternative strategies. As for arts administrators, practicing artists, and researchers, the 

descriptions of each theory help the reader understand the typical patterns of innovation 

within the arts. Of course, there are always exceptions to these patterns, which beg further 

research exploring why these exceptions exist. White concludes the book with suggestions 

for further research, providing inspiration for researchers seeking new projects.  

Overall, Innovation in the Arts offers a thorough yet efficient exploration of how 

innovation is cultivated within arts contexts. White’s ability to thoughtfully distill a vast 

and elusive topic into a concise text is impressive considering the amount of content and 

research he shares. Although White’s primary audience would appear to be fellow 

researchers, this book is also beneficial to those working with artists in educational 

settings, as it can inform pedagogy. By bringing together concepts, theories, and practices 

in arts innovation, White has provided students, scholars, and practitioners with a timely 

and relevant text to inform their work and shape the future of innovation in the arts. 


