Art and business may be two unlikely companions on first thought, but students studying arts entrepreneurship at N.C. State would argue the opposite.

Arts entrepreneurship began as a minor-only program in August 2011. Students and professors involved in the program are eager to sell their aesthetics, whatever they may be. 

“It’s about making a living with your art, but more importantly in the N.C. State space, there are a lot of students who are interested in supporting the production of art,” Gary Beckman, director of entrepreneurial studies in the arts, said.

Beckman, who managed to organize the program within two weeks of his arrival, said it has grown to be the largest of its kind in the country, with 150 students currently enrolled in arts entrepreneurship courses and 35 currently pursuing the minor.

Beckman designed the program, which came to fruition about two months after his arrival. Currently, only two other universities in the country — Ohio State University and Southern Methodist University — have a comparable program.

The program currently comprises students engaged in music, visual arts, fashion design and film, all interested in marketing their art. Among them is Jason Sharp, a junior in history.

Sharp said he always had an interest in music, but didn’t know how to apply his skills to a job until he met with Beckman. After speaking with Beckman about the program, Sharp began pursuing the minor and said the experience has been enlightening.

“You figure out why arts aren’t just another thing you can sell, you have to sell it correctly,” Sharp said.

Beckman said the program goes beyond basic arts-venture management, tying marketing, geography, economics and art together. 

Sharp is currently working on a project to condense local concerts into a simple, accessible calendar format for computers and mobile devices with skills from the arts entrepreneurship program.

“I wanted to create a single online concert calendar,” Sharp said. “Everything right now is not efficient.”

The program is completed following a “capstone” course, where students get hands-on experience being around and working with entrepreneurs.  

Anna Wolfe is currently finishing her capstone course for the program and said she has “turned her minor into a major” in a way. 

“[The minor] basically blends everything together that I like,” Wolfe said. “I definitely want to be entrepreneurial in business and the minor has helped me identify how to do that with being an artist as well.”

Wolfe currently runs JANT, a music marketing company based in Raleigh and gave a talk on the business of art at N.C. State’s edition of TEDx at the end of last month.

“Artists are already out there selling their stuff,” Wolfe said. “Even if you don’t want to be the artist selling the painting, you can be an entrepreneur on the art side of things.”

Beckman said that an important aspect of the arts entrepreneurship program involves incorporating the skills from students’ majors into their entrepreneurial ventures.

Currently, the program has graduated three students who Beckman said are using their main course of study along with their entrepreneurial minor.

“They are leveraging things they have done outside the minor for internships,” Beckman said.

Sharp said he hopes to do the same.

“This minor is a way that I can do something I love and make it profitable,” Sharp said.