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Americans for the Arts is pleased to announce applications for Americans for the Arts’ Professional Development Fund for Emerging Arts Leaders of Color. A total of five Joyce Fellows from the Great Lakes region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) will be selected to participate in this program in 2010.  Fellows will receive stipends of $3,000 to support their attendance at the 2010 Americans for the Arts 50th Anniversary Summit/Annual Convention, 2010 National Arts Marketing Project Conference, and 2011 Arts Advocacy Day. In addition, fellows will have special opportunities to meet field leaders, connect with mentors, and receive individualized career coaching.  Support for this program is provided by the Chicago-based Joyce Foundation.

Eligibility information and application materials can be found here.

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I’m pleased to be joining all of you on ARTSblog to discuss planning – and surviving – the next important meeting while mastering the art of facilitation.

As someone who has designed and run hundreds of meetings of all descriptions over the years, I am often asked what sort of training is best to become an accomplished facilitator. I don’t think it’s the diet of ginseng or soy beans or other brain food urged on me from time to time. Maybe the real skill is in the listening, and in knowing when to chime in. As the oldest son in a large, chaotic family, I was often called upon to mediate differences in ways that, in retrospect, set the stage for my professional career.

Whatever the skill or its source, it has served me well enough to know that every staff member and trustee should be given the opportunity to learn the art of facilitation.  The tips, insights and counsel that I have sought to impart add up to a lifetime’s work, with something to offer staff and trustees at all levels.  Of course there will be challenges.  But this guide is my way of going ahead, sending back intelligence from the field, and doing whatever I can to help you succeed.

Now let’s have some fun!

Order Herding Cats and Cougars:  How to Survive the Meeting You Are Running While Mastering the Art of Facilitation from the Americans for the Arts online store!

Do you have a question for William Keens or need some meeting-related advice?  If so, comment below!

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Bravo has been running a lot of this show lately, and since I’ve been laid up (or, more accurately, laid out, like a cadaver) with a wrenched back, I’ve watched a bunch of episodes. And I’m kind of hooked. I was initially sort of reproachful about the show’s premise–über-wench Tabatha Coffey (formerly of the first round of Shear Genius) goes into a failing/miserable/grody hair salon, knocks everyone around, makes a lot of noise, and teaches them but good. But you know what? The arts manager in me really likes this show a lot.

Last year I spent some time reading Michael Kaiser’s The Art of the Turnaround, which is basically a series of vignettes in which Michael, like Tabitha, goes into a failing/miserable/grody arts organization, makes a lot of important observations, puts forward a new agenda, and re-enlivens the staff and community.

Tabatha does go into salons that are basically on their last curling iron, and yes, she does brusquely put people in their place, and she can be a little terse. But she’s also encouraging, fair, professional, and, in the end, she turns the salons into high-functioning team environments focused on customer service.  Arts organizations might be able to find some inspiration for fostering change within themselves by considering what Tabitha does—which, in a lot of ways, is similar to Michael does in his book, but with the added dimension of hairdresser insanity.

Organizational dysfunction sometimes seems so common it has become “function.” Workplace environments are chock full of people with issues, people dodging responsibility, people viciously guarding their little fiefdoms, and people hating each other. Even the best teams I’ve worked on have had these elements to them in some proportion; at worst, that’s all there’s been. This is why the workplace is such a common setting for sitcoms. (And why The Office is funnier if, you know, you work in an office. See also Dilbert.) Read the rest of this entry »

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Recently, Maryo Gard Ewell was visiting our Washington, DC offices speaking with the Americans for the Arts staff about the early history of the community arts movement in this country. Maryo shared a quote that I really connected to as I’ve been thinking about the upcoming 50th anniversary of the arts infrastructure in America and Americans for the Arts 50th Anniversary, both being celebrated in 2010. The quote is from singer/songwriter Harry Chapin, who was the keynote speaker at the first National Assembly of Community Arts Agencies (a previous iteration of Americans for the Arts) convention in 1979, and it went something like this,

“You (arts people) can’t be the dance band on the Titanic…you must climb to the crow’s nest and gaze out into the waters ahead. As the eyes and ears of America, we artists and arts activists and arts organizers must help steer the ship of America through the icebergs… so that all of us journey safely to the future.”

The Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit, our 50th Anniversary Convention, will take place from June 25-27, 2010 in Baltimore, MD. Registration has just opened for this unique convening that will both celebrate past success and envision the future of the arts, while also delivering the training, tools, and professional development that you need and expect from our Annual Convention. Eclectic, fun, and funky, Baltimore is the perfect setting for this distinctive convening that will celebrate the past, engage in the present and strategize for the future. Read the rest of this entry »

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Have you been invited to Rome to attend the Pope’s upcoming arts event?  The Catholic News Service reports in an effort to “renew friendship and dialogue between the church and artists and to spark new opportunities for collaboration,” Pope Benedict XVI will be meeting with artists from around the world November 21 inside the Sistine Chapel.  The guest list is comprised of 500 representatives from the visual and creative arts, architecture, literature, poetry, music and the performing arts.  At press conferences leading up to the event, Antonio Paolucci, director of the Vatican Museums, said, “Over the last century,…artistic excellence and faith have separated and it’s the job of people of culture to try to mend the rift.”  Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, announced that next week’s meeting was to be the “first of many initiatives aimed at bridging the gap that has developed between spirituality and artistic expression.”  Read the rest of this entry »

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Over the past week, I have received a ton of feedback about the 20UNDER40/Emerging Leader Salon that took place October 19-23.  I even heard from Emerging Leaders who guiltily told me how much they enjoyed reading the blog during their downtime at work.  It’s okay, I’m not giving names! 

A few people wrote me asking for stats on how many visitors went to the blog.  They are listed below.  Some serious ARTSblog records were broken.  It’s clear there was a huge amount of energy in this conversation. 

Edward Clapp posted a blog about “What’s Next?“  Let’s not allow this great energy to fizzle out yet.  Read the rest of this entry »

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I want to express my appreciation to my fellow Salon bloggers last week and everyone who has commented—you’ve given me a lot to think about. Before I go, though, I want to make what seems to me like an essential point. We’ve spent a lot of time in this salon so far talking about problems, but solutions have been somewhat elusive. I think part of the reason is contained within a comment I wrote earlier last week on my Generation Y and the Problem of “Entitlement” post but didn’t realize the true significance of until later:

I think the generational shifts are a related, but separate phenomenon from the concentration of power in our field at the top and the frustration that many feel as a result of it, regardless of generation.

There are really two separate issues we’re talking about here, and that’s why our wires keep getting crossed. On the one hand, we have genuine ways in which Generation Y is different from all the generations that came before, particularly with regard to how technology has impacted our communications habits, our work ethic, our social norms, and most importantly, our expectations for ourselves and others. However, this is NOT the same thing as the second issue: the concentration of power in a few individuals that pushes out other voices, both at an organization level and in the wider field. THAT is not new at all, and in fact is probably in a better place now than it ever has been.

Read the rest of this entry »

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I want to congratulate the Emerging Leaders Network, the leaders of the 20UNDER40 project, and other stakeholders who helped make last week’s Emerging Leaders Salon possible. As one of the thousands of visitors reading these Salon posts on ARTSblog last week, I can say I am heartened not only by the keen level of discussion, but also by the great diversity of participants and readers who have commented. I find it striking and encouraging that the arts field always comes together in a united front to make our community stronger, despite the challenges of the economy and changing cultural landscape, as well as strong differing opinions.

These kinds of insightful dialogues between powerhouse voices in the arts field such as Eric Booth and Ramona Baker and vigorous burgeoning leaders such as Edward Clapp and Ruby Classen, make me feel proud of the inherent community the arts bring to us all. I am also humbled at the enormous amount of work so many members, stakeholders, and staff of Americans for the Arts have played over the last ten years to advance new voices in the arts. It was in 1999 at a Winston-Salem Convocation focused on the future of the arts that the Emerging Leader program was born. In just ten short years the Emerging Leader Network has grown from an idea and then a Council to a full-fledged collection of over 1,000 leaders and stakeholders of all levels who are looking to ensure the health of arts leadership. Where our staff once had conference calls with a few emerging leader representatives scattered across the country, our Network now hosts dozens of Creative Conversations from coast to coast—hundreds of emerging leaders deeply engaged in their own communities. Read the rest of this entry »

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It has been truly exciting and invigorating to follow this blogging experience. I have read great ideas (P.A.D.T.H.A.I), felt validated (A Lonely Place to Be), and seen that I have the same basic opinion as others but am there by an entirely different circumstance (Stop Blah, Blah, Blahing…). Indeed this project has shown that emerging leaders have much in common and share many of the same goals, fears, and visions for the future of this field. We are also incredibly diverse and ready for action.

To me one of the most important aspects of professionalism is follow through. Actually get your work done, return emails (sooner rather than 2 weeks later!), remember to attach the file, evaluate the work, use that data to make the next time even better, call the potential partner or new contact you just met, etc etc etc. Of course, this is not always easy as there are only increasing demands on limited time. But one cannot lead if one cannot meet these commitments (and then dream of new projects that require more follow through!)

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As this week-long web salon comes to a very successful close, I’m sure a lot of people are amped up about the potential we have to impact conceptual change in the field of the arts and arts education. One big question on folks’ minds may be “this is so exciting—what’s next?” I think this is the wrong question.

We’ve generated a lot of discussion, but exciting dialogue of this variety (perhaps, though, not in this quantity) has been generated before. Rather than ask what we do next, I want to know what we do first.  And by do I mean DO.  Actively do something that puts the gears of change in motion. Something we can see. Something tangible. Something that actually begins to change the purposes, procedures, and principles that influence leadership and practice in the arts. Read the rest of this entry »

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I have spent the better part of this morning and afternoon reading through the comments on this blog salon, and am thrilled at the amount of energy, excitement, and dialogue that this week’s online event has generated. This week alone, we’ve questioned the term “Emerging Leaders”, defined (or attempted to define) what Leadership is, and debated with ourselves whether we have had enough success to really qualify us to lead. On the other side, veteran leaders have told us to stop our whining, complaining, and discussing. We need to start doing our jobs, make ourselves and our communities matter, and start seeing the bigger picture. And – honestly, we need to hear that.

Right now, it seems like we are working in silos. We have silo’d our communities, our art forms (read John Steinmetz’s comment to Edward’s early post), our generations, and in turn – ourselves. The great thing about the 20UNDER40 Project is that it has generated so much discussion and some of these silos are beginning to break down. It’s clear from this weeks’ posts and comments that the arts field needs ALL of the ideas that we ALL bring to the table – the veterans and the emerging leaders. Collectively, we are only as strong as we are individually.

I believe veterans do have the responsibility to mentor and pass down knowledge to the next generation, and not cast generalizations that their younger colleagues are lazy and impatient. I also feel like a great supervisor listens to those around them, and truly values the opinion of their colleagues. On the other side, Generation X and Y should respect the positions of the veteran leaders above them, learn what they can, change what they can, and accept what they can’t change until it’s their turn to jump into the leadership position. This doesn’t mean Generation X and Y can’t be leaders.  (Check out the audio podcast interview I did with Ruby Classen to hear her advice on leading in your organization and community from entry – middle level positions).  It just means that sometimes, you have to wait your turn to affect all the changes. Read the rest of this entry »

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Over the last decade the term “emerging leaders” has become the code phrase to use when convening a meeting, reception or forum for anyone employed in the sector who is under 35 with five or less years of experience in the field. Why emerging leaders vs. new arts professionals? What makes an emerging leader an actual leader?

How do we classify mid-career professionals? Aren’t they leaders?

What about veterans in the sector? Are they all leaders? Or are they a combination of leaders, contributors, honest workers, and even, ‘survivors’?

What is the value of a “label”?  Do we really need or want these labels? Do they bring us together, or do they divide us? Is emerging leaders the right “brand” to define this group of arts professionals? Read the rest of this entry »

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In response to Victoria Saunders’ “A Lonely Place to Be,” my advice as a former first-time executive director is to have an (un)official group of advisors. I began the practice of having my own personal board of advisors when I too realized that being an executive director was a lonely, isolating experience. Individually each of these people were mentors to me on various topics and levels. When I needed a partner to brainstorm wacky program ideas and new technologies, I called Anne Bray at LA Freewaves; for public broadcast questions, I emailed Eddie Wong at the Center for Asian American Media. The list goes on and on. I had an amazing network of support which helped in not feeling so isolated.

Since moving on from my position as executive director, my professional and personal needs have changed and my cabinet has evolved to match these needs.  I currently have a vacant spot that I’m trying to fill, a working mom who can lend advice on work/life balance.  Any suggestions?

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 8:14 — 7.6MB)

Do you hold the title of Associate, Coordinator, or Assistant in your organization? Take a listen to the podcast interview I conducted with Ruby Classen, Grants and Services Coordinator at the Greater Columbus Arts Council, where we discuss the challenges of being a low to middle level employee in the Emerging Leader Community.  Ruby offers some great advice to young emerging leaders who want to learn how to lead from the bottom or middle of their organizations.

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A message in my inbox closes with this line: “…I envy your position as an academic so that you can truly provoke these conversations…”  The author concludes by saying she is cheering me [and all of you] on quietly.

The message before that suggests that many young arts professionals—deviously checking in on this blog from the foxholes of their cubicles—are not safe to participate in this discussion.  The author suggests that my position in academia (one of the hats I wear) allows me to be more outspoken than others.  Though my outspokenness is not without consequence, I do acknowledge that this may very well be the case.  I, however, am not the only emerging leader contributing to this conversation, and perhaps if my job were on the line I’d be a little more guarded concerning what I put out in the world.   Read the rest of this entry »

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