Interview

A Conversation with Prof François Colbert on Arts Management

Dr Ritesh Ranjan  
Head of School, Jagran School of Design, Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal, India & Chief Editor, Chitrolekha Journal

^{Chitrolekha Journal, Vol. 9, Issue 2, 2025. https://doi.org/10.21659/cjad.92.v9n202}

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François Colbert is among the top scholars in arts marketing in the world, having published close to 200 works and being one of the most cited authors in his discipline. He is a professor of marketing and holder of the Carmelle and Rémi Marcoux Chair in Arts Management at HEC Montréal. He founded the Master in the Management of Cultural Organizations (in French) at HEC Montréal in 1988. He created and is currently the coordinator of the joint Master of Management in International Arts Management (HEC, SMU, Bocconi). He is the Founding Editor of the International Journal of Arts Management, published by the Chair in Arts Management. He has been the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Management from 2012 to 2018. In May 2002, he was awarded the Order of Canada for his achievements and unique contributions in developing the field of arts management. He also received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002) and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2005. He received the ACE Award 2006 from the Association of Cultural Executives and the honorary title of “International Master” by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology in 2018. He is also Honorary Professor at Peking University, the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, as well as at the Tianjin Conservatory of Music in China. Read more>>

The Conversation

RR: Professor Colbert, your career has redefined arts management as a discipline, blending rigorous scholarship with transformative institutional leadership—from founding the International Journal of Arts Management to advising UNESCO and the Canadian government. Your work connects economics, cultural policy, and creative industries. Could you trace the pivotal moments or mentors that influenced your interdisciplinary approach? Were there formative experiences that led you to view arts management as a catalyst for societal change?

FC: I did a lot of amateur theatre during my youth, and I also learned the flute and saxophone in addition to singing in a choir. I also earned my education working part-time as an assistant manager at an art-house cinema. My pivotal moment occurred in 1975. This moment was fourfold. I began my career at the University as a professor in 1973 and in 1975, my department director, seeing my interest in the arts, sent me to attend a seminar on cultural management at the Banff Centre for Performing Arts in Alberta, Canada. On this occasion, I met Jacqueline Lemieux who, with her choreographer husband (Larry Gradus), had started a modern ballet company (Entre-Six Dance Theatre). She asked me to get involved in her company. It was with her that I learned the world of dance. The same year, my best friend founded his theatre company (Théâtre sans Fil/Theatre Without Treads), and I also helped him for 15 years. Finally, during the seminar in Banff, I was asked to speak about marketing. The director of the Canadian Arts Council’s touring office was there. The office planned events for presenters, where management training was part of the weekend program. He asked me to be part of this program. So, I gave a talk on marketing at each of these events, which took place across Canada. Needless to say, for years I worked seven days a week between my full-time university job and the two companies I supported, plus the conferences across Canada. Fifty years later, I sat on 24 boards of directors in the arts in Canada. I am currently the chairman of the board of two companies, a children’s theatre and a classical music ensemble. It is my practical knowledge of the field that led me to publish my book on Marketing in the Arts and Culture in 1993, and it is this knowledge that made the book so pertinent that it has now been published in 16 languages and really started my international career.

RR: As Chairholder of the Carmelle and Rémi Marcoux Chair in Arts Management, you have emphasized the symbiosis between business acumen and creative practice. How might design education integrate your model of “cultural entrepreneurship” to prepare students for today’s hybrid creative economies? Are there specific pedagogical gaps in current design curricula that your research could address?

FC: I do not know the design curriculum much. What I can say is that art/design education in general should offer a course on self-career management. Indeed, every artist/designer must find their place in the market. For freelancers, knowing how to sell themselves and find their market is an essential concept for success. Many young graduates don’t know how their field works. They find themselves helpless when they leave school. An introduction to careers and how to manage them seems essential to me.

RR: Your advisory roles with UNESCO and the Canadian government highlight the role of policy in sustaining creative ecosystems. In an era of climate crises and digital disruption, how should design educators equip students to engage with policy frameworks—whether advocating for equitable access to cultural resources or sustainable design practices?

FC: It has become increasingly important to add training in sustainability as well as in cultural mediation to the art/design and cultural management training. In our Master of Management in International Arts Management, we offer a course on cultural policies, which addresses mediation—how to engage those who do not attend the arts. Similarly, we have added a course on Sustainability in the Arts, where we provide a knowledge base that can help future cultural managers integrate sustainability dimensions into their operations. This can be included in the design education.

RR: Your seminal work, Marketing Culture and the Arts, remains a cornerstone in arts management literature. Yet, the commodification of creativity (e.g., AI-generated art, influencer culture) poses new challenges. How can design research methodologies evolve to examine these shifts while preserving artistic integrity critically?

FC: New technologies have always been part of the dynamics in the arts field. Think of cinema, which competed with theatrical performances, then television, which had a strong negative impact on movie theatre consumption, then streaming platforms, which took away a significant portion of the conventional television market. All these new ways of consuming culture compete with each other. One thing doesn’t change, however: going to a show in a theatre or a movie theatre, or seeing an artist at a festival, offers the consumer a different experience than virtual consumption. One doesn’t replace the other. They are different experiences. Art is, above all, about having a hedonic experience.

AI can represent another way of creating works of art, but it will not replace works created by artists on canvas. Similarly, art critiques made by influencers are another way of getting information. I don’t think one will replace the other. They will coexist side by side. So, I don’t think artistic integrity is threatened as long as the artist remains authentic.

RR: As a Member of the Order of Canada, your legacy intertwines national identity with cultural innovation. What advice would you give to design institutions seeking to amplify their societal impact—particularly in regions like India, where traditional crafts and contemporary industries collide?

FC: I do not know the Indian state of affairs in the design sector. Traditional craft and contemporary industries, however, collide in all countries. The problems facing the arts and design are similar. Theatre, classical music, or art museums must fight for their place under the sun against the giants of the cultural industry. To survive or have an impact, you must know your strengths and weaknesses, understand your competitors, work together to increase your impact, and be innovative in your management and marketing methods. Management is certainly a matter of specific knowledge, but a good manager must trust their instincts and exercise sound judgment. Nothing is black or white in management. We are always swimming in a situation where solutions depend on the environment, competition, economic trends, etc., and where the manager does not have all the elements to make a decision. This is where the manager’s talent is put to the test.

RR: We sincerely appreciate your invaluable insights and thoughtful reflections. We are confident this conversation will inspire many emerging scholars, particularly in India.