A Groundbreaking Business Anthropology Course Reimagines the Future of the Arts at Howard
By Chad Eric Smith, Director of Marketing and Communications, Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts
Featured Image: The Business Anthropology for the Arts Inaugural 8 (including Professor Autumn McDonald) pose with Sunny Sumter, President and CEO of the DC Jazz Festival.
At Howard University, innovation often emerges not as a departure from tradition but as a continuation of it. This semester, that lineage took a compelling new form.
For what is believed to be the first time at an HBCU, the University introduced an undergraduate course in business anthropology—an interdisciplinary field long present at predominantly white institutions but now reframed through a distinctly Howard lens. Developed and taught by Professor Autumn McDonald, Business Anthropology for the Arts immerses students to learn at the intersection of cultures, business, and creative practice, asking a timely question: what happens when artists are trained not only to create, but to deeply understand the cultural systems in which their work lives?
At its core, the course is grounded in a simple but powerful premise. As Professor McDonald has written in Forbes, “everything we do, believe, and feel is rooted in cultures.” And understanding that supports the creation of meaningful work in the arts and business.
Building expertise around that premise, it turns out, is transformative.
Flowing from the intellectual legacy of Zora Neale Hurston—an anthropologist who understood culture as both subject and method—the course introduces students to three core dimensions: the anthropology of business, anthropology in business, and anthropology for business. Through this framework, students explore how cultures and cultural contexts shape everything from consumer behavior to global markets, and how those insights can be applied within the arts sector.
Importantly, the course merges theory and praxis. Over the semester, students conducted a micro-ethnography in collaboration with the DC Jazz Festival, engaging directly with the organization’s ecosystem. They conducted in-context participant observation, moderated semi-structured interviews, captured fieldnotes, and coded qualitative data—building a body of research that culminated in a formal business presentation to CEO Sunny Sumter and her leadership team.
The response was immediate and affirming. The students’ work was so well received that they were invited to return this summer and present their findings to the Festival’s Board of Directors.
For the seven students in the inaugural cohort—Mikari Tarpley, Lanashia Blyther, Trinity Garrison, Noah Pierson, Jeffery Baker, Jaden Michael Madgett, and Dillon DeBourg—the experience was not only academically rigorous, but personally expansive.
“It feels incredible to be part of this first class and help trailblaze a path,” said Jaden Michael Madgett.
That sense of first-mover responsibility carried through each reflection, often paired with a deeper shift in perspective.
“Being able to learn how to put cultural relativism into action has transformed how I see people and the world we live in,” shared Mikari Tarpley. “This knowledge has made all the difference in how I approach my artistry as a performing artist. I am more understanding towards the characters I play because I have the tools to dissect the why of who they are.”
For others, the course reframed their relationship to leadership and collaboration.
“As a person who looks to be in leadership positions, this course has equipped me with vital and necessary practices to maintain healthy teams and workspaces,” said Dillon DeBourg.
Lanashia Blyther, a filmmaker, spoke to the course’s impact on storytelling itself. “The knowledge I've gained through this course will be incredibly valuable in my creative career as a filmmaker because it has transformed the way I approach storytelling. Anthropology has given me the tools to approach familiar and unfamiliar characters with greater depth, honesty, and intention.”
Across disciplines, a common thread emerged: a recognition that business, often perceived as rigid or transactional, can, in fact, be deeply human.
“This class really changed how I see business,” said Noah Pierson. “I used to think of it as something rigid and a little intimidating, but now I see there's a more thoughtful, human side to it. It showed me that you can approach business with empathy and curiosity. I’ve been part of something historic through this experience, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to engage in such meaningful and inspiring work.”
Jeffery Baker echoed that shift succinctly: “Being in Business Anthropology changed the way I viewed a lot in the world of business and brought a level of humanity that I had never expected.”
And for Trinity Garrison, the course offered both clarity and forward momentum. “Taking Business Anthropology has been a truly transformative experience. It taught me the intricacies of community and the human experience, and this course challenged me to learn and develop business practices that will push me forward for years to come.”
Taken together, these reflections point to something larger than a single course. They signal a model for how arts education at the intersection of business can evolve—one that treats culture not as backdrop, but as core infrastructure; as dynamic and actionable.
In a field where the lines between artist, entrepreneur, and cultural worker continue to blur, Business Anthropology for the Arts offers a framework that is both rigorous and responsive. It prepares students not only to navigate existing systems, but to shape them, and in doing so, it reinforces that at Howard, innovation rooted in understanding—of history, of people, and of the cultural forces that connect them—is tremendously powerful.
