Research and Publications
At its core, my research and scholarship focuses on two specific concepts that are critical elements of building and sustaining a resilient, adaptive, and vibrant arts, cultural and creative sector:
- The role of data, information, and knowledge management as a means to create institutional and sector-wide knowledge through improved performance and outcomes.
- The role of innovation and entrepreneurial approaches in the development of new enterprises, programs, business models, and funding/philanthropic structures.
My research ultimately seeks to understand and address the critical components that are necessary to build stronger organizations and a stronger sector. As someone who has spent significant time in leadership positions within the sector, I firmly believe that research in our field must be broadly applicable and contain an element of praxis. Our field needs research that can be used to inform leading thinkers and practitioners while also building a formal body of scholarship.
The formal study of arts administration is relatively new when compared to other long-standing fields of study and research. Thus, the best research and scholarship for our field is that which can provide relevant insights that are broadly applicable. I believe my research and scholarship is adding valuable knowledge to the field and is leveraging my expertise, skills, and interests. In all of my research and scholarship efforts, I seek to achieve my ultimate objective of adding significant value to the field while continuing to grow my role as a well-respected representative of my institution.
My research activities are relevant and necessary at this critical time when the arts, cultural, and creative sector is facing significant, structural challenges. These challenges have created a need for new organizational practices and a new type of leadership. Rapid advances in technology, changing demographics, and competition for limited resources are requiring the sector to evolve and adapt in order to exist in our fast-paced, knowledge-driven society. Many long-standing models and approaches are no longer applicable, and as such, research plays a critical role in supporting the advancement of the field. My role as a scholar is to continue to lead our field through my growing body of research that is advancing knowledge and building tomorrow’s organizations and leaders.
The types of research and scholarship I have undertaken to date all align with my research agenda described above. I have been able to lead a wide range of research projects that address both institutional and sector-wide issues in our field. My research methods combine both quantitative, data-driven methods and qualitative, ethnographic methods. In our field, these mixed-methods approaches are most successful in understanding the full scope of the issues I am investigating.
Research Projects and Publications
Sustainable Earned Revenue Strategies for Small and Mid-Sized Cultural Organizations
Funding Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS, via SAADA)
August 2023 – August 2026
Assessing the Impact of Archival Representation on Arts Communities of Color (Co-PI)
Funding Source: Wallace Foundation (via South Asian American Digital Archive)
January 2023-January 2025
Artura.org Planning and Development (Co-Pl)
Funding Source: Mellon Foundation (via Brandywine Workshop & Archives)
June 2021 - June 2023
"Making History at 250" Census of Humanities Project (Collaborator)
Funding Source: National Endowment for the Humanities
June 2020 - September 2021
The Future of Historic House Museums (Co-PI)
Funding Source: Drexel Areas of Research Excellence (DARE)
June 2019 - June 2020
Strategic Change and Sensemaking in the Performing Arts (Co-PI)
Funding Source: Drexel Faculty Research Grant
March 2018 – June 2019
Nonprofit Ecosystem Analysis and Visualization (PI)
Funding Source: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, sponsored by Stanford University
January 2017 - March 2018
Museums Count Research and Project Development (PI)
Funding Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services (a federal agency)
April 2014 – June 2016
Organizational Practices and Performance of Knowledge-Centric Arts Organizations (PI)
Funding Source: Westphal Faculty Grant
July 2014 – September 2015
Creation of a Scalable, National Model for Performing Artists’ Use of Historic Sacred Spaces (PI)
Funding Source: Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, sponsored by Partners for Sacred Places
October 2014 – January 2016
Knowledge-Centric Arts Organizations and Financial Performance (PI)
Funding Source: Westphal Faculty Grant and International Travel Award
September 2015 – July 2016
The Role of Arts & Culture in Underserved Communities (Co-PI)
Funding Source: Drexel University Office of Research and the Office of University and Community Partnerships
May 2013 – June 2014
Development of Online Arts and Cultural Knowledgebase (PI)
Funding Source: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, fiscally sponsored for WolfBrown through National Arts Strategies
August 2013 – March 2014
Jung, Y., Vakharia, N., & Vecco, M. (Eds.). (2024). The Oxford Handbook of Arts& Cultural Management. Oxford University Press.
Vakharia, N. (2024). Knowledge Management in Arts and Cultural Organizations: A Conceptual Framework for Organizational Performance. In Y. Jung, N. Vakharia, & M. Vecco (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the Arts & Cultural Management., Oxford university Press.
Vakharia, N. & Poole, A.H. (2023). Knowledge management in museums: enhancing organizational performance and public value. Journal of Documentation, 79(5).
Vakharia, N., & Poole, A.H. (2023). Enabling Knowledge Management Practices in Museums: The benefits of and Barriers to Achieving Public Value. In: Sserwanga, I., et al. Information for a Better World: Normality, Virtuality, Physicality, Inclusivity. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13972. Springer.
Rosentstein, C., Kim, M., & Vakharia, N. (2023). Living Cultural Heritage and the Traditional and Folk Arts in the Nonprofit Sector: Data on Scope, Finances, and Funding. Journal of American Folklore, 136 (542).
Rosentstein, C., Kim, M., & Vakharia, N. (2023). Inequities Built into the Arts and Cultural Data Infrastructure and Avenues of Redress: Insights from Two Recent Studies. In: J. Woronkowicz & D. Noonan (Eds.), Institutions and Inequities in the Arts. Palgrave McMillan, in press.
Jung, Y., & Vakharia, N., (2019). Open Systems Theory for Arts and Cultural Organizations: Linking Structure and Performance, The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 49(4).
Vakharia, N., Vecco, M., Srakar, A., & Janardhan, D. (2018). Knowledge centricity and organizational performance: An empirical study of the performing arts. Journal of Knowledge Management, 22(5), 1124-1152
Vakharia, N., (2017). Mapping the museum universe: A systems approach. In Y. Jung and A. Love (Eds.), Systems Thinking in Museums: Theory and Practice, Summit, PA: Rowman & Littlefield.
Vakharia, N., & Janardhan, D. (2017). Knowledge-centric arts organizations: Connecting practice to performance. International Journal of Arts Management, 19(2), 14-31.
Hawkins, J. G., Vakharia, N., Zitcer, A., & Brody, J. (2017). Positioning for the future: Curriculum revision in a legacy arts administration program. The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 47(1), 64-76.
Zitcer, A., Hawkins, J., & Vakharia, N. (2017, February 22) The Arts as fundamental—and fragile—in community life”, Metropolitics, URL: http://www.metropolitiques.eu/The-Artsas-Fundamental-and.html.
Vakharia, N., Vecco, M., Srakar, A., & Janardhan, D. (2016). Knowledge-centric arts organizations and financial performance: An empirical study. Proceedings of the European Group for Organization Studies, Naples, Italy.
Vakharia, N. (2016). Perspectives on arts entrepreneurship: Knowledge centricity and the artist entrepreneur.” Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts, 5(2), 3-6.
Vakharia, N., Vecco, M., Srakar, A., & Janardhan, D. (2016). Knowledge-centric practices of performing arts organizations: New directions for organizational resilience.” Association for Cultural Economics International, Working Paper AWP-7-2016.
Vakharia, N. & DiLossi, K. (2016). Creating space: Performing artists in sacred spaces. GIA Reader, 27(2), 35-40.
Zitcer, A., Hawkins, J., & Vakharia, N. (2016). A capabilities approach to arts and culture? Theorizing community development in West Philadelphia. Planning Theory & Practice, 17(1), 35-51.
(Nominated for AESOP Best Published Paper Prize)
Vakharia, N. & Janardhan, D. (2015). The knowledge-centric arts organization: Connecting practice to performance.” Proceedings of the International Conference on Arts & Cultural Management, Aix-en-Provence, France.
(Named top-three strategic management paper by scientific committee)
Vakharia, N. (2015)*. [Review of the book Performing policy: how Contemporary Politics and Cultural Programs Redefined U.S. Artists for the 21st Century by P. Bonin-Rodriguez]. Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts, 4(1), 49-52.
Vakharia, N. & Janardhan, D. (2014). Towards a knowledge-centric arts organization. American Journal of Arts Management. 1(4).
Vakharia, N. (2013). The knowledge-centric arts organization: A critical role for grantmakers. GIA Reader, 24(3), 5-9.
Vakharia, N. & Janardhan, D. (2013). The knowledge-centric arts organization: Practices, processes, and the path forward.” Proceedings of the International Conference on Arts & Cultural Management, Bogotá, Columbia: 686-697.
