ARTSblog

Cross Posted to the Mission Paradox Blog:  missionparadox.typepad.com

So I’m having a conversation with a colleague.

We were having the sort of nerdy conversation arts administrators have.  Fundraising strategies, ideas for building arts infrastructure, etc.

Then she did something that stunned me.

She did one of those “dancer stretches”.  She basically balanced on one leg and pulled the other one to near her ear.

Did I mention this woman is in her 50′s?

It reminded me that this woman, who had served on various Boards, ran numerous arts organizations and would appear to be a prototypical arts administrator had within her the spirit and skills of an artist. Read the rest of this entry »

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:05 — 2.8MB)

Bob Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, discusses a recent conversation between Justice Ruther Bader Ginsburg of the Supreme Court of the United States and Justice Albie Sachs of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. This Americans for the Arts event focused on Justice Sachs’ use of the arts and the incorporation of artists in addressing the history of a notable South African prison.

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Time for a story.  I hope you see the parallel between this and marketing/selling your art.

So maybe a year or so ago, I went to a Chicago White Sox baseball game.  I bought the tickets online. That online ticketing system fed me into a database. Last week, I got a brochure from the White Sox selling season tickets. It was a pretty nice brochure.  Because it was pretty nice I didn’t throw it away.  Instead I just set it on a table and promptly forgot about it.

Yesterday morning my cell phone rings.  It’s a sales rep from the White Sox.  She wants to make sure I have the brochure and answer any questions I have.  She leaves me a direct extension number so I can get to her personally.

Three hours later I checked my email, it was a email from the lady who called me, basically saying what she said on my voice mail.

Six hours later I arrive at home and notice the brochure on the table.  I’m thumbing through it now, remembering the nice experience I had at the game before and now considering buying a season ticket plan.

Did you see it? Read the rest of this entry »

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It was not politics as usual in Washington, as the Congressional conferees’ final version of the bill seized the opportunity to provide much-needed stimulus support for the nation’s creative workforce. The National Endowment for the Arts will distribute $50 million of the stimulus funds to arts projects in all 50 states which specifically preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector that have been most hurt by the economic downturn.  Additionally, the final version of the stimulus bill further recognized the role the arts play in the overall U.S. economy by removing the Senate ban on state and local governments from using any of the recovery funds to benefit museums, theaters, and art centers.

The nation’s 100,000 nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences generate $166.2 billion annually in U.S. economic activity. They support 5.7 million jobs and provide nearly $30 billion in government revenue. This economic stimulus will minimize the concern that ten percent of arts groups could close this year and helps save thousands of arts workers from losing their jobs.

We applaud the leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Appropriations Chair David Obey, House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior Chair Rep. Norm Dicks, and Congressional Arts Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Louise Slaughter. Their clear understanding of the economic impact of the arts has helped to educate the entire Congress on this important issue. Read the rest of this entry »

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Just moments ago, the U.S. House of Representatives approved their final version of the Economic Recovery bill.  We can now confirm that the package DOES include $50 million in direct support for arts jobs through National Endowment for the Arts grants.  We are also happy to report that the exclusionary Coburn Amendment language banning certain arts groups from receiving any other economic recovery funds has also been successfully removed.  Tonight the Senate is scheduled to have their final vote, and President Obama plans to sign the bill on Monday – President’s Day.

A United Voice
This is an important victory for all of you as arts advocates.  More than 85,000 letters were sent to Congress, thousands of calls were made, and hundreds of op-eds, letters to the editor, news stories, and blog entries were generated in print and online media about the role of the arts in the economy.  Artists, business leaders, mayors, governors, and a full range of national, state, and local arts groups all united together on this advocacy issue.  This outcome marks a stunning turnaround of events and exemplifies the power of grassroots arts advocacy.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Podcast: Download (3.4MB)

Bob Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, discusses the economic stimulus package before Congress and how its support of the arts and creative jobs is crucial.

ArtCast related resources:

• Arts Action Center
• Arts and national economic recovery

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By guest blogger Merryl Goldberg

When I read that my particular profession was singled out (with a few other unlucky professions), in an amendment to the stimulus bill, I was reminded of the discrimination I knew  growing up Jewish in the 60s.  One night my parents came home ecstatic that they had won a raffle to play a round of golf at a club that didn’t let in Jews.  Very soon after they cashed in the raffle, invited other Jewish friends and after playing 17 holes of golf, they danced an enthusiastic hora on the 18th hole.  This memory came back to me as I read the news of the Tom Coburn amendment that bars stimulus funding from going to casinos, aquariums, zoos, golf courses and swimming pools, museums, arts centers, theaters, highway beautification projects, stadiums and parks. Read the rest of this entry »

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The United States Senate missed an opportunity today to provide much needed stimulus support to the nation’s creative workforce. By not including $50 million in recovery funds to assist nonprofit arts organizations from closing or laying-off more workers, the Senate has failed to respond to the very real economic crisis facing the nonprofit arts industry …. As the bill heads to conference, Congressional leaders and the White House need to recognize that the arts are a legitimate U.S. economic industry and must keep the arts recovery funds in the final version of the legislation. These funds will allow arts organizations—large and small—to play a vital role in reviving their local economy.

 Arts advocates are urged to take action by contacting their member of Congress and writing to their local media. Visit the online Arts Action Center to make your voice heard. Also, advertisements from Americans for the Arts with the title “The Arts = Jobs” are running Washington’s top political newspapers—Roll Call, Politico, and The Hill—this week. Click here to view the ads.

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When it comes to press outreach and relations, doesn’t it feel like the more you do, the less you get?  The more advisories and releases you send, the fewer reporters and critics there are and the less space there is to cover the arts.

I had the opportunity in January to participate in a panel convened by the League of Chicago Theatres and the Chicago-based Community Media Workshop titled “The Incredible Shrinking Media and What It Means for Your Arts Organization.”  We reflected on the obstacles and opportunities facing artists and arts organizations when it comes to both traditional and new media.

Gordon Mayer of the Workshop moderated, and broadcast superstar Sylvia Ewing, Catey Sullivan of examiner.com, and Kris Vire of Time Out Chicago were our other panelists.

Chicago Public Radio recorded the event: http://tiny.cc/shrinkingmedia.

A sampling of insights and stories shared: Read the rest of this entry »

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Right now, you need good people.
People you trust.
People who have some sort of perspective, maybe even a sense of optimism in this challenging time.

Because let’s face it, right now you are probably surrounded by some folks who are freaking out.

Maybe your donors.Maybe your Board.
Maybe you. Read the rest of this entry »

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ARTS North Carolina, founded in 1974 as the North Carolina Association of Arts Councils, is an extraordinary statewide arts advocacy organization. ARTS NC’s ambitious mission includes fostering arts leadership, unifying and connecting the State’s arts communities and advocating for equal access to the arts for all NC residents. Read the rest of this entry »

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Myths and pointers about social media that kept me on track in 2008.

This year was the year I finally tackled many social media sites to connect with arts audiences. When speaking with other professionals in the business, the question always arises: “What’s the best web 2.0/social media site?”  The answer is all of them and none of them. What many arts marketing practitioners seem to misunderstand is that there’s not going to be one application that be the solution to filling a social media void. In fact, the best approach may change each month. In 2008 we saw the rise of Facebook and Twitter over Myspace and other such applications. But now that everyone’s grandma is on Facebook, what’s the next hot web 2.0 tool for you to use to connect with audiences? That remains to be seen, but here are some social media myths and pointers that kept me on track in 2008, and which seem relevant in 2009. Read the rest of this entry »

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