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A Single Customer Promise?

Posted February 21st, 2013 by Leave a comment
Program-level positioning statements

There is a question we get all the time in our Strategic Marketing seminar: should an organization be able to create a single positioning statement for the entire organization to summarize its value promise, or should it have a collection of positioning statements for different programs and target audiences? This always leads to interesting discussion but I've never felt we had a galvanizing way to answer the question. Earlier this week, Gail Crider and I were working on the design for a program in cultural entrepreneurship for a potential … [Read more...]

Topic: NAS Experience | Themes: , ,

Training ourselves to see the invisible gorilla

Posted February 14th, 2013 by 2 comments
Trafton Drew & Jeremy Wolfe

Earlier this week, NPR ran a story about some interesting research into the concept of inattential blindness that I think is incredibly instructive for arts leaders. The study went like this: an image of a man in a gorilla suit was superimposed upon a series of slides that radiologists typically use to look for cancer (see the image to the left). A group of radiologists were then asked to review the slides for cancerous nodules. The result? 83% did not see the gorilla.   “When you ask someone to perform a challenging task, without … [Read more...]

Topic: Reading List | Themes: , ,

Stories from the Field: Measuring Impact

Posted February 4th, 2013 by Leave a comment
Calipers

Over the past three or four years that I’ve worked in the US cultural sector, I’ve noticed that arts organizations are experimenting with the way that we count.  Or, perhaps it is more accurate to say that we are developing more holistic ways of measuring what really counts.  The recent Counting New Beans study challenged theaters to go beyond economic impact or numbers of “butts in seats” to measure the intrinsic value of their work.  Similarly, many organizations are striving to measure intangibles such as attitudinal change or … [Read more...]

Topic: Stories from the field | Themes: , ,

Handmaking America

Posted January 24th, 2013 by Leave a comment
HandmakingAmerica

National Arts Strategies is an apolitical organization, so this review about an unashamedly liberal and progressive book is a little off the beaten track for us.  But I think that every arts leader in America, whatever your political leanings, should read Bill Ivey’s latest offering:  Handmaking America.  In this beautifully written revisitation to the roots of progressivism in America, Ivey reminds us all of the extraordinary value that arts and culture have in shaping a meaningful personal and civic life, and the role we all could play … [Read more...]

Topic: Reading List | Themes: , ,

What’s your mandate?

Posted January 20th, 2013 by 3 comments
What is your mandate?

My fellow cultural leaders, I am here today humbled by the task before me, grateful for the trust bestowed by ArtsJournal and mindful of the sacrifices borne by my predecessors. We live in a time of unprecedented challenge. And, as we navigate the rough seas of uncertainty, we must set our course toward a guiding light:  the will of the people – our mandate. (Applause.) There have been many conversations here in the U.S. in recent weeks about mandates. What is President Obama’s mandate? What is Congress’ mandate? It’s a feature … [Read more...]

Topic: Conversation | Themes: , , , ,

Stories from the Field: The Loft Literary Center

Posted January 13th, 2013 by Leave a comment
The Loft

In the last several years, myriad organizations have moved into online education from different sectors. The proliferation of broadband and ubiquity of digital platforms enabling the distribution of high-definition video and related educational tools at low cost have converged to make this an option for organizations of any size. At National Arts Strategies, we first dipped our toes in the digital sea in 2009, presenting two series of online events: Talk with an Expert and Closer Look. I led development and presentation of both series. While a … [Read more...]

Topic: Stories from the field | Themes: , ,

Change at Work: The NAS Wellness Challenge

Posted January 6th, 2013 by 1 comment
photo: Mike GL via flickr

No alcohol for 30 days! Daily workouts! Low carb from now on! It’s a new year, and like every January, many of us are guilt-stricken over holiday indulgences and bad habits. We resolve that this year, we will be better. But inevitably and despite our best efforts, life takes over. February 15 comes around and we’re back on the bread, feeling even guiltier than we did on New Year’s Day. While personal change is on many of our minds right now, creating change in our work can be just as difficult. What can we learn from personal efforts … [Read more...]

Topic: NAS Experience | Themes: , ,

Stories from the Field: The Walters Art Museum

Posted December 16th, 2012 by Leave a comment
Art Bytes

For centuries, museums have been places folks go to see important stuff. (Museums are full of stuff.) That stuff has always been carefully chosen by experts – folks with information – in the museum. (Museums are also full of experts.) Digital technology has made information readily available to folks outside of museums. Now, not only can folks see stuff online, but they also consider themselves experts. What’s a museum to do? I went to Baltimore to talk with Dr. Gary Vikan, director of the Walters Art Museum and the museum’s … [Read more...]

Topic: Stories from the field | Themes: , , ,

The Competing Values Framework

Posted December 9th, 2012 by 1 comment
Competing Values Framework

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: We’re looking for new ways of doing things. We are a highly collaborative organization. Our work is dictated by process. Our staff is goal-oriented. We’ve all likely made at least one of these statements, each of which are indicative of an implicit value contained within our organizations’ cultures. The issue, however, is that some of these values are in opposition to each other. So, while we may have said these things, hopefully it was not in the same breath. Welcome to the world of the … [Read more...]

Topic: Conversation | Themes: , ,

Stories from the Field: Boston Children’s Chorus

Posted November 29th, 2012 by Leave a comment
Boston Children's Chorus

Frederick Douglas once said “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” That quote has resonated with me since the day I discovered it, and I would imagine Hubie Jones had a similar mantra in mind when he founded the Boston Children’s Chorus nine years ago. The potent mental and emotional memory of Boston’s racial past attributes to the city’s current racial tension and siloed communities. By investing in the city’s youth, Boston Children’s Chorus is working to dispel the past, and progress toward an … [Read more...]

Topic: Stories from the field | Themes: , ,
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