About 20 years ago, when I was in graduate school, I came across the following poem:
When an old pond
gets a new frog
it’s a new pond.
I think the inverse also may be true.
I’ve often been the new frog jumping into an old pond. Since 1988, I’ve worked in the arts in the US in various roles (funder, practitioner, administrator, executive, teacher, and consultant), across a variety of artistic disciplines (theater, dance, film, and music), and in organizations and markets of varying sizes and types. In 2010 I jumped ponds again (quite literally this time) and am now living in Europe and pursuing a PhD in cultural economics.
I’m interested in the relationship between economic strategy and mission. As my advisor at Erasmus University, Arjo Klamer, would say, “financing is never neutral.” Jumper seeks to delve into the values, ideologies, politics, and principles that underpin current practices and purposes in the arts and to bring forward for consideration alternative (at times, perhaps, irrational) perspectives—from history we’ve forgotten or never learned, from other fields and industries, and from having been an outsider-looking-in for much of my career.
Recent Comments
Scott Walters on The sinewy stuff: It makes it hard to connect the dots
While Montgomery County is certainly not rural, Merion is an unincorporated town. The move to Philadelphia continues the urban centralization...Ben Donenberg on Funder knows best
Another curious bit of information may be discernable if the locations that are receiving NEA ArtPlace support to are compared...Ben Donenberg on Funder knows best
You forget that the NEA is not a private foundation. It is accountable to taxpayers and elected officials who must...Natasja Koole on Lessons in my struggles to learn Dutch
I can only speak from experiences with the Dutch financing system of the arts, but I can relate to your...Andy Buelow on Lessons in my struggles to learn Dutch
Diane, thank you for a thoughtful and thought-provoking post. The analogy between your struggles with Dutch and the struggles...Jeanne C. Fuchs on Lessons in my struggles to learn Dutch
Diane, your post comments remind me of Garrison Keillor's comment years ago - when he was married to a Dane...Scott Walters on Funder knows best
I remain skeptical about the justification of the arts in terms of economic development. Like the previous claims concerning student...Kevin Clark on Funder knows best
To me it looks like the danger isn't based on whether the model itself is good or bad. It seems...Ian David Moss on Funder knows best
Thanks for your very helpful elaboration, Diane, and I hope it's obvious that the respect is mutual. I completely agree...Margy Waller on Funder knows best
Diane, Ian is indeed wicked smart, and thanks for mentioning my name in the same sentence. It's been a real...