http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oePXcW6axk Springboard for the Arts has been developing buzz in the creative placemaking world of late. I've heard presentations about their work at several conferences this year. At the Americans for the Arts conference in Pittsburgh in June I got to meet Laura Zabel, Springboard's extremely energetic ED. Springboard began life as a resource center for individual artists. It has expanded its work to find … [Read more...]
The Old Ball Game
October 2, 2013 by 3 Comments
In light of my recent posts about mission (The Buggy Whip Lesson: Recognizing a Mission Crisis, The Metamission of Arts Institutions), Sept. 29th's New York Times Op-Ed piece on baseball was fascinating. ("Is the Game Over?" by Jonathan Mahler) I found myself reading it and channeling discussions about the future of the arts into it. There are many points of overlap between Mr. Mahler's analysis of Major League Baseball and the state of affairs … [Read more...]
The Metamission of Arts Institutions
September 25, 2013 by 3 Comments
Where angels fear to tread . . . ! If changing environmental factors–like the rise of digital photography that decimated the world of photographic film production (remember Polaroid and Eastman Kodak)–threaten the future of the arts industry (The Buggy Whip Lesson), what should be done? We must seek an expression of the core purpose of art that is viable in the new landscape. For the photographic industry, the shift was from focus on a hard … [Read more...]
Heard NY
September 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Some time ago I commented [Engaged Mission: I], in response to a NY Times article, that social practice art–art with an explicit social service intent, while admirable, is not the only way to approach community engagement. It's a good and valuable way to engage, but it is not the sole means to do so. When I discuss community engagement I talk about the "issue" being addressed by a project, but an issue need not be a problem or something in need … [Read more...]
The Buggy Whip Lesson: Recognizing a Mission Crisis
September 18, 2013 by 2 Comments
In a summer's over "manifesto" of sorts, here is why I am so adamant about the need to more fully engage with our communities. Business schools and “common knowledge” both tell stories of the crisis faced by “buggy whip manufacturers” with the advent and then the transportation victory of the automobile. As the horse and buggy faded from the scene, the need (and market) for buggy whips plummeted. The companies that remained totally or largely … [Read more...]
Diversity Definitions
September 10, 2013 by 3 Comments
The Arts and Science Council in Charlotte has been involved in some serious work to promote diversity, access, and inclusion. I attended a session at last June's Americans for the Arts conference in Pittsburgh in which Robert Bush, now Interim Director of the Council, described their efforts. In the twenty years from 1990-2010, the population of Charlotte rose from 500,000 to 1 million. In the same period, the city had the among the highest … [Read more...]
In the Vineyards of Diversity
September 4, 2013 by 8 Comments
In July, Barry Hessenius posted an Interview with Aaron Dworkin, on Barry's Blog. Mr. Dworkin is founder and President of the Sphinx Organization, "the leading national arts organization that focuses on youth development and diversity in classical music." I was aware of Sphinx's work in identifying and supporting young people of color who aspire to careers in the classical music world. The desire to make our orchestras (in particular) less … [Read more...]
Why We Do It
August 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment
I love Chicago. I love jazz. I love jazz clubs in Chicago; and one of my favorites is Andy's, a place my wife and I discovered because it has a show that begins before my bedtime. (Being a jazz lover and not being a night owl creates some real challenges for me.) We were recently in the Windy City and had the pleasure of hearing saxophonist Jimmy Ellis's quartet. (Click here for an article about him.) Mr. Ellis is in his 80's and is a legend in … [Read more...]
Not “Or”, “And”, but . . . .
August 21, 2013 by 2 Comments
A recent Op-Ed piece by Peter Singer in the New York Times, “Good Charity, Bad Charity”, has been the subject of considerable discussion in the arts world. Singer's premise is that a way to make choices in charitable giving is to evaluate social return on investment. He specifically compares "health and safety" giving to "arts, culture and heritage" contributions and comes to the conclusion that the former yields greater benefits for society. … [Read more...]
Benefits of the Arts Follow-Up
August 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment
A commenter on Benefits of the Arts asked a great question: observing the similarities between the Rand Corporation’s Gifts of the Muse intrinsic/instrumental categories, wasn't my core/ancillary division simply a re-naming? (And Ian David Moss's later comment was in a similar vein.) Here was my semi-immediate response: While the whole concept is still baking, I’d say no on two grounds. First, the rationale for the core/ancillary distinction is … [Read more...]
Recent Comments
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Excellent post Doug! The paradigm shift as a classical musician came for me when I realized that most people (who think...richard kooyman on Discovering Humility
Trevor, Your comment isn't rock bottom nor is it true. Institutions don't need customers. They need users. That...Trevor O'Donnell on Discovering Humility
Thanks for writing about humility, Doug. You've expressed the issue eloquently. The rock bottom truth for so many traditional...Doug Borwick on Discovering Humility
Well said. You have identified a requisite piece of this process!David Tang on Discovering Humility
Beyond needing to consider "the interests, needs, and modes of operation" of communities we hope to reach, we might also...Doug Borwick on The Metamission of Arts Institutions
You're right that "and" is almost always superior to "or." It's just that in terms of fundamental mission (metamission), it's...Jim Respess on The Metamission of Arts Institutions
So here's a proposal for something that is maybe a middle ground between the two options that you propose, Doug....Heather Beasley on Magical Thinking
I could just as easily follow your first two examples with: "The problem is that theater companies just aren't trying...Michael Wilkerson on Magical Thinking
Doug, It Will Not Happen is a wake up call for those who think (magically) that a great shift is at...richard kooyman on The Pursuit of Excellence
Great art doesn't come " out of awareness of people’s current interests and concerns." It comes out of the...