2008 Predictions for the Arts
January 2nd, 2008 at 03:23pm Gary Steuer
Barry Hessenius’s Barry’s Blog recently featured “year-end” predictions for the arts sector for 2008 from a number of participants in the “Hessenius Group” which he hosts on his blog. I thought I would share my contribution to his list. To read all the contributions, visit Barry’s Blog.
Happy New Year!
- I think the growing interest in consumption of artistic product by consumers outside of the vehicle of the traditional nonprofit 501c3 organizations will continue to drive a more expansive view of “the field” that includes informal arts, music clubs and concert venues, record labels, craft artists and organizations, faith-based arts, architecture and design, etc. It is still unclear how this will affect existing nonprofit arts organizations, service organizations and funders, most of which do not yet embrace this broader definition.
- Related to number one, the shift in how many Americans “consume” their arts and culture will continue to have a major impact on certain demographic segments, especially young people and immigrant communities. As some “traditional art” struggles with how to sustain audiences and relevance today, many of these market segments are in fact actively consuming art, just not through the supply chain the nonprofit arts industry has developed. This issue will only grow in importance in 2008.
- Related to both 1 and 2, I am optimistic that, spurred by the Metropolitan Opera and other innovators, arts groups around the country will begin to get much more creative about how they use new technology and creative strategies to better reach new audiences and create a revitalized sense of relevance.
- After essentially declining for several years up until 2005, and then rebounding a bit in 2006 (the last year for which data is available), I believe corporate support for the arts will continue to rebound albeit slowly both in dollars and in market share, as arts organization and advocates make a more powerful case for the relevance of the arts in fostering healthy communities and the personal qualities and behaviors that make better workers and better citizens
- I believe the much-touted “crisis” of a growing leadership gap in the nonprofit arts will recede as an issue in 2008, as it becomes clear we have an extraordinary cohort of smart, dedicated young leaders eager to contribute to the field. Demographically, there may be fewer Gen Xers than Boomers and Gen Yers, but the challenge may be solved by more openness on the part of Boards and senior leadership to give leadership opportunities at younger ages, something that has frankly already happened in business where 20-somethings are running multi-billion dollar corporations. It will also be a challenge for the field to adjust to a new generation of leaders who will lead in different ways, and will radically reshape the field and the organizations they are leading.
2 Comments
1. Norah | January 2nd, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Gary, do you see any trend of a decrease in the number of non-profit arts groups — either due to closure or to mergers?
2. Gary Steuer | January 2nd, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Norah - Don’t think we have seen this trend yet, though I believe the growth rate of new non-profit arts groups has slowed from its high level of the 70’s and 80’s. Also, these sort of statistics usually lag by a couple of years or more and are very hard to track. After an arts group goes out of business its 501c3 may still remain active for many years, and in the case of a merger, both 501c3’s may technically still exist. It does seem like many emerging arts groups are now choosing NOT to use the 501c3 model. Gary