ARTSblog

You are the executive director, marketing manager, fundraiser, event planning guru, board and volunteer coordinator, and finance expert. Sound familiar? You are not alone. Well, sort of…

Many arts organizations, particularly those in small communities or rural areas, are run by one person. If not one, a few people. Small staffs are so common in the nonprofit arts that talk of wearing multiple hats has become a cliche. And yet it’s the reality for most of our members. 

It’s easy to feel isolated when you work in a small office, or you are the only arts professional in your town. But that’s where Americans for the Arts comes in. You are part of a national network of people all working toward the same goals. We provide a variety of programs and services just for you.

• Connect with other small organizations like yours through the Rural and Small Communities Peer Group. The peer group meets annually at our convention, and throughout the year on a listserv dedicated to your needs.
• Visit our Online Store and browse through books specific to arts in small communities, books that connect you with the field at large, and books to help you brush up on arts management skills they didn’t teach you in school.
• Create a network of people working in the arts in your community. We make it easy to hold a Creative Conversation during October, which is National Arts and Humanities Month, or any time of year.
• Raise awareness in your community about the need for arts education. Get involved in our Art. Ask for More. Campaign, visit our Online Resource Center for arts in public schools, and learn how No Child Left Behind might affect arts in your schools.
• Take advantage of free information resources, including Creative Industries Reports available online for every state legislative district in the country, and ArtsMarketing.org, a virtual clearinghouse for all things related to marketing the arts.

And don’t forget: you are much bigger than the size of your staff or the number of people in your town. You have a voice on the national level. And the work you are doing advances the arts for all Americans.

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On June 13-14, I had the pleasure of visiting Columbia, South Carolina.  My host was Andy Witt, who runs the Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties.  Andy got things off to a good start by making sure I had the regional food specialty of shrimp and grits!  Then it was down to work with a presentation of the economic impact data ($56 million in industry expenditures that support 2,206 jobs) to the Cultural Council’s board of directors’ an impressive group of business and community leaders. 

The next morning was the press conference which included a high-profile slate of speakers.  Margie Gilbert, whose Central Carolina Community Foundation funded local participation in the study, described this as one of the best investments they’ve made.  Not only is the AEP3 study good for the arts, but it is also good for the Foundation in their estate giving work.  The Foundation will use the study to provide tangible evidence to potential donors of how their contribution will have a lasting impact on the community. Other speakers at the Columbia press conference included: Ted Speth, Chair Elect, Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce; Rep. Jim Harrison, SC Arts Caucus Co-Chair; Representatives from U.S. House of Rep’s James Clyburn and Joe Wilson’s Offices; Ken May, Deputy Director of the South Carolina Arts Commission; and Greg Pearce from the Richland County Council.

More soon as I take the AEP3 show to the Golden State!

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We are pleased to announce our new and expanded employment resource: Americans for the Arts Job Bank. 

You have told us that you are concerned about who will be the next generation of leaders in our field. We hope this service will facilitate your search and become a one-stop shop to help you get connected to top arts employers and job seekers, including new leaders in the field all across America. Our strength is in our numbers-about 60,000 visits to our website per month-which will only increase your visibility.

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I am a new Americans for the Arts Action Fund member, now what?

On behalf of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund, welcome and we appreciate your support.  Within 4-6 weeks of joining, you will receive in the mail a Welcome packet including your personalized membership card and unique membership ID#.  You can begin to take advantage of your Arts Action Fund benefits including: Read the rest of this entry »

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I spent the first part of last week in Wisconsin, promoting both their statewide economic impact results and several regions within.  It was an action-packed trip with great press from the communities about AEP3.

Sunday night I arrived in Hudson, WI, a beautiful river community on the Wisconsin/Minnesota border.  It’s the kind of place that makes me want to stop traveling and stay.  The arts community came out in full force for three events on Monday, including a special preview session of the research, plus and advocacy briefing by Anne Katz of Arts Wisconsin and George Tzougros, director of the Wisconsin Arts Board.  Jill Shannon of the St. Croix Valley COMMUNITY Foundation did a spectacular job coordinating the event.  With 200+ attendees, 7 newspapers, and many state and local electeds from both WI and MN, it was a huge success!

Monday afternoon I drove across Wisconsin to Milwaukee.  We started the day on Tuesday with a great editorial board meeting at the Milwaukee Sentinel with Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton and George Tzougros.  The people of Wisconsin are fortunate to have a great arts champion in their Lt. Gov.  She really gets the value of the arts and its connection to the new economy.  The editorial board was followed by a presentation of the local data at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.  Then we raced across the state to Madison for another editorial board meeting and a presentation of the Dane County local findings at the Overture Center.  The day ended with Lt. Governor Lawton and I doing a “Live at 5″ interview on WISC-TV, the local CBS affiliate. 

Phew! What a whirlwind trip.  Overall, it seems like there are lots of people talking about the study and the arts in Wisconsin.  It was great to see their excitement firsthand and help them share their good news about the arts statewide.  Next up: Columbia, SC, and California!

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Apparently, the Washington Post article I profiled in April (Would you stop and listen? ) is still getting a lot of downstream play. Staff at Polysemy  captured two interviews with Joshua Bell and his recent experiment as a street musician in a busy Washington, DC subway entrance. World-class musicians aren’t supposed to be  street performers – or should they? Who was impacted the most?

PODCAST: The Joshua Bell Experiment, part I [Running time: 21:52]
Questions explored: What exactly is this an experiment in? Is the audience response a sign of widespread cultural decline? Is Joshua Bell no better than the  average rock band just starting out? What is a “venue”, anyway?

PODCAST: The Joshua Bell Experiment, part II [Running time: 15:17]

Questions explored: Why didn’t more people in the station slow down and listen? Do we have sensory overload, and no mental space for music like Bell’s? Why did every child in the subway want to stop to listen?

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I have been serving on the Communications and Marketing Advisory Task Force for Independent Sector, which met today and I thought would be a good opportunity to share some thoughts on our Blog about their efforts to change public perceptions of the sector. First off, the Task Force is really a response to the recent serious of major news stories that present a negative picture of nonprofits – from the Aramony/United Way scandal of a few years ago to the most recent stories about the Smithsonian and Larry Small.  Independent Sector has been doing some really interesting work on researching attitudes toward nonprofit groups.  We in the arts need to be following and taking advantage of this new research and the findings. What they found is that approximately 82% of American adults volunteer, donate or advocate with a philanthropic organization.  This group is what they consider the “engaged public.”  Among this group, those who think nonprofits are “on the wrong track” has steadily declined over the past year, from 32% to 24%.  Most interestingly, the percentage who are “not sure” is consistently extremely high – now at 41%.  The folks at Harris Interactive, who do the research, feel this is an extremely high “no opinion” response, and basically means millions of Americans are easily swayed by whatever negative story happens to be in the news. The other interesting finding: There are five qualities that the public rates as highly important in a nonprofit that are also rated as relatively poorly delivered – Selfless, Efficient, Accountable, Effective, Results-Oriented.  The public already gets that we are committed, caring and passionate about what we do, so we don’t have to work as hard change any hearts and minds on that front, though we certainly should take opportunities to reinforce our existing strengths in those areas. Independent Sector recommends that all nonprofits adapt their communications to especially emphasize these qualities. Here are some other important aspects of the “message framework” they are developing:

1. the phrase “nonprofit community” seems to resonate best when describing the larger sector (not words like charities, philanthropies – or sector)
2. find ways to illustrate the key values listed above
3. use plan language – nothing lofty, avoid jargon
4. don’t denigrate business or government – emphasize that all three sectors are needed 
5. Offer collaboration and solutions to problems, not complaints 
6. emphasize people, not organizations
7. tell our stories, and move from describing what you do to what impact it has on people

 While this research does not separate out the arts, as IS begins to roll out this messaging campaign (which is targeting not just the general public, but Congress as well), arts groups would do well to think about how their messaging can reinforce this effort.  These findings also reinforce what we learned in our National Arts Policy Roundtable about how the arts are perceived – that we need to be telling our stories better, and emphasizing the impact we have on the people we serve. Among all segments of the nonprofit community we especially have a tendency, I would posit, to use lofty and potentially alienating language in describing our work. Independent Sector’s annual conference, where a lot of this messaging work will be shared, takes place October 21-23 in Los Angeles. I’ll be there, and it would be nice to have some more arts folks participating. [Also, see the article about Arts & Economic Prosperity III on their Web site!]

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While I am in Wisconsin and South Carolina this week, several partners are unveiling their local reports across the US. One such example is the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington’s press conference in DC on Monday afternoon. The Cultural Alliance sponsored the AEP3 report for Greater Washington, including: the District of Columbia; Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland; Arlington and Fairfax Counties in Virginia; and the city of Alexandria, VA.

Jennifer Cover Payne, President of the Cultural Alliance, and her staff did a great job of putting together Monday’s event. They began with a performance from a local viola student at the Levine School of Music in DC, then welcomed my colleague, Chief Counsel of Government and Public Affairs Nina Ozlu to the stage to speak about the study findings. Nina did a great job detailing the national and local findings for Greater Washington, including presenting a wealth of comparative data for similarly sized study regions. An impressive panel of local leaders followed Nina, including: Kwasi Holman, President and CEO of the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation; Victoria Isley, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the DC Convention and Tourism Corporation; and David Robertson, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Each contributed valuable insight on how to use the study findings in building cultural tourism, forging alliances with legislators, and their own community development efforts.

The event was attended by over 80 people-what a success! Congratulations to Jennifer and her staff for a great launch!

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From left to right, top to bottom:Participants of the 2006 National Arts Policy Roundtable at the Sundance Preserve; Americans for the Arts President & CEO Robert L. Lynch with Eric Rogers, the 2007 Selina Roberts Ottum Award Winner, at the 2007 Americans for the Arts Annual Convention in Las Vegas; Jenny Holzer’s FOR LAS VEGAS commissioned by Americans for the Arts for the 2007 Annual Convention in Las Vegas; Wynton Marsalis testifying on Capitol Hill as part of the 2007 Arts Advocacy Day festivities; Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch with Robert Redford at the 2006 National Arts Policy Roundtable event at the Sundance Preserve; Haluk Akakce’s Skys the Limit presented by Fremont Street Experience for the 2007 Americans for the Arts Convention

Photographers: Jill Orschel (NAPR photos), Sylvain Gaboury (Annual Convention Photos), Jim Saah (Arts Advocacy Day photos).

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June 6 marked the release of the local study findings of Arts & Economic Prosperity III. We were able to partner with the Illinois Arts Alliance, the Arts & Business Council of Chicago, the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to announce the Chicago data as well as signal the release of local data for the 156 local partners.

The announcement event took place at the Chicago Cultural Center, a building that is itself a work of art and across the street from the great Millennium Park. The morning began with Ra Joy, Executive Director of the Illinois Arts Alliance, and I briefing 100 members of the arts community with a special preview of the Chicago data and a call to action about how to apply them.

This was followed by a national press conference to announce the findings. The press conference featured compelling remarks from: Robert Lynch, President & CEO, Americans for the Arts; Jonathan Fanton, President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, (read his remarks here); Lois Weisberg, Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for the City of Chicago; and Diane Swonk, Senior Managing Director and Chief Economist for Mesirow Financial. All passionately conveyed the cultural and economic value of the arts, both in Chicago and nationally.

Following the press conference, a panel of local leaders talked about how the arts drive tourism, business development, and strengthen the community fabric. The impressive group, moderated by Bob Lynch, included: Dorothy Coyle, Director of the Chicago Office of Tourism; Ra Joy, Executive Director of the Illinois Arts Alliance; Paul O’Connor, Executive Director of World Business Chicago; and Arthur Sussman, Vice President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

In addition to Chicago’s data, June 6 was the national release date for all of the local study partners. More than 100 stories appeared in newspapers across the county including numerous editorials. Visit our website for a sampling. And keep checking back with ArtsBlog for more updates On the Road to Prosperity!

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So the convention has now faded a bit into the past, and visions of pink flamingos (and slot machines) have stopped haunting my dreams. Now I can try to put the frenzy of activity in Las Vegas into some perspective. All in all, I thought the convention was a great success. I was especially pleased with how the new track structure worked.  For the first couple of conventions after the Arts & Business Council merger, I was not sure we had really delivered on the promise of the convention adequately representing the addition of a Private-Sector focus. I really feel this convention began to get where we want to be in this area. Sessions on voluntarism, the National Arts Policy Roundtable, corporate arts support and young philanthropists, just to name a few, were reasonably to very well-attended, and the participants seemed to cover the spectrum of Americans for the Arts constituencies.  The MetLife National Arts Forum, which featured SirKen Robinson, and was a collaboration with the arts education track, seemed to be a smashing success, had a packed house, and also incorporated a lively panel conversation and an interactive working session facilitiated by Eric Booth. Mark Brewer, the Private-Sector Innovator, also delivered a great talk, briskly and entertainingly presented, with refreshingly light and effective use of the dreaded PowerPoint. Of course, he was essentially telling us our model of fundraising is dead in the water, so it was a good thing the news was delivered in a manner that allowed for no slumber. So, let’s make the 2008 Annual Convention even better than 2007 – please contribute session and speaker ideas!  (One more comment – thanks to the Private-Sector Staff, especially Julie Peeler, Jay House and Valerie Beaman, for a job well done.)

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American Evolution: Arts in the New Civic Life

2008 Americans for the Arts Annual Convention
Philadelphia, PA
June 20-22, 2008

Call for Session Proposals – Deadline: August 3, 2007

Philadelphia is the birthplace of American democracy, and today it is a leader in the evolution of civic life. From history to hip, the city is alive with creativity. Cultures abound in Philadelphia, an open and engaged metropolis that welcomes a diverse community of artists, innovators, and creators. 

At this convention, Americans for the Arts will come together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first percent for art ordinance in the city that created it. We’ll visit traditions in arts education that date back to the founding of the country and continue on the cutting edge. We’ll also fast-forward to a new vision of civic leadership being crafted daily by the collaborative spirit of Philadelphia’s artists, arts administrators, business innovators, and elected leaders. 

Civic life is evolving in all of our communities and the arts are at the center.  In this year of democratic decision-making, more than 1,000 of your colleagues will gather together to laugh, listen, learn, and lead in the place where it all began, and is happening again.  Proposing a session is your opportunity to share your strategies and secrets for the future of creative communities.

The proposal deadline is August 3, 2007.  More information and the electronic proposal form is available at http://www.AmericansForTheArts.org/Convention/Proposals/

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Again I am writing from Minneapolis where Theatre Communications Group is holding their national conference.  Today was the last day of the conference, and I am starting to get a little tired (mostly because I had one day of rest between our Annual Convention and this conference).  Thankfully I convinced my body to get up and going after a couple of cups of coffee, and I headed off to the morning plenary session entitled “Visions of Tomorrow’s Theatre: A Roundtable Discussion.”  On the panel this morning were the following people: Kristin Marting (HERE Arts Center), Clove Galilee (Trick Saddle), Joseph Haj (Playmakers Rep), Ruben Polendo (Theatre Mitu), Dan Rothenberg (Pig Iron Theatre), and Sean San Jose’ (Campo Santo). Read the rest of this entry »

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I am writing from Minneapolis where I am attending the Theatre Communications Group National Conference.  This evening I had the pleasure of listening to keynote speaker, Molly Smith, Artistic Director of Washington, DC’s Arena Stage.  I wholly expected Molly to discuss artistic issues in the theater since she is a director–issues such as copyright, unions, visas, co-productions, etc.  So when she started off by asking the audience how many people have heard of Second Life, I was shocked. Read the rest of this entry »

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With the convention over, it’s nice to part with the chaos that is Las Vegas and apply some of the advice and models offered during the leadership track sessions. During convention there were many conversations, but now it’s time for the action. I think this is most important considering the arts is a sector that is criticized for commissioning many reports, but not leveraging more action beyond the thick reams of paper. Furthermore, many think that these reports only remind of what what we already know.

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