Culture, commerce, and civil society - Rethinking support for the arts

Although the arts in the United States are predominantly nonprofit. policy analyses concerning the nonprofit sector and the arts field have largely fo llowed separate trajectories. Thus, key policy challenges that have recentl y been identified for the nonprofit sector tit large have found little reso nance in the arts. This article reviews the implications of commercializati on as one of the key issues in the nonprofit field for the arts, discusses the reasons why this issue has not gained greater prominence in arts policy , and concludes by outlining alternative policy research options.