Artist Autonomy and the Contemporary Creative Economy

This book examines one of the most persistent concepts in modern art and cultural theory: the proposition that art can operate independently from economic, political, or social constraints. In an age defined by global interdependence, digital transformation, and shifting cultural policies, the notion of autonomy has acquired new urgency. This volume explores how artistic autonomy is negotiated and redefined within today's complex intersections of governance, markets, institutions, and technology. Bringing together critical essays, case studies, and reflective practices, this book reveals how autonomy is not a static or absolute state, but a living process shaped through relation, negotiation, and vulnerability. This book traces how artists and institutions navigate structural pressures while maintaining creative integrity, and how autonomy itself functions as both a protective space and a mode of engagement. Through a wide range of perspectives, spanning theory, policy, and artistic practice, the collection uncovers the paradoxes that define contemporary cultural production: freedom within dependency, creativity within regulation, and independence within systems of care. It invites readers to view autonomy not as separation from society but as the capacity to act critically and imaginatively within it. Essential reading for scholars, artists, policymakers, and cultural professionals, Artist Autonomy and the Contemporary Creative Economy offers a timely and compelling examination of what it means to be artistically free in an era of transformation and global interconnection.

Annick Schramme is a professor at the University of Antwerp (Faculty of Business and Economics) and program director of the Master's in Cultural Management. In 2018, she launched an international Master's in Fashion Management (AMS) and the executive program Leadership in Culture (LinC LL) for Flanders and the Netherlands, in collaboration with Utrecht University. Her research focuses on cultural policy, cultural entrepreneurship, governance, and sustainable business models. She is active as a policy advisor and evaluator at the European level, a member of the Flemish UNESCO Commission, and chair of the Strategic Advisory Council for Culture, Youth, Sport, and Media. In 2024, she was appointed holder of the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Entrepreneurship and Policy. In addition, she is actively involved in several Horizon projects, including Tracks4Crafts, as well as ECHOES (European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage) and Just Fashion (as leading partner instead of coordinating organization). In 2026, she was awarded an FWO research project focused on 'Between Patronage and Power: The Changing Relationship between Museums and Private Art Collectors'. Laura D'hoore has been enrolled as a PhD researcher at the University of Antwerp since 2026, where her doctoral research focuses on 'Between Patronage and Power: The Changing Relationship between Museums and Private Art Collectors', a fundamental research project (G067726N) funded by FWO. She holds a Master's in Art History from KU Leuven and a Master's in Cultural Management from the University of Antwerp. Since 2021, she has been a researcher at the Competence Centre for Cultural Management and Cultural Policy (University of Antwerp), contributing to projects on public-private collaboration in the museum sector, museum governance, cultural philanthropy, and the revaluation of crafts. Her work has been presented at international conferences, including the International Conference on Cultural Policy Research (2022) and the ACEI Conference (2025). She is the co-editor of Cultural Philanthropy and Entrepreneurship (Routledge, 2025). In addition, she is a member of the Flemish Arts Advisory Committee (Adviescommissie Kunsten).

Introduction 1. Regulating autonomy - A new approach to comparative cultural policy analysis 2. Balancing art and policy. How theatre managers negotiate their artistic autonomy within a multilevel cultural policy setting 3. Patron saint or patron Satan? Perceptions of autonomy in modern patronage interaction 4. Freedom of Artistic Expression under Pressure in Europe: From State Control to Self-Censorship 5. Navigating Autonomy 6. Artistic autonomy, does it really exist? 7. An-Aesthetic Autonomy and the Need for New Foundations 8. Artistic autonomy in a society in transition 9. Concluding statement. The illusion of autonomy versus the pragmatics of self-determination. A statement. 10. Concluding notes by the editors