A strange story out of Lodi, Wisconsin, raises a question of how flexible a nonprofit should be when faced with prospective donor demands. Such is the case of Raymond Brown and the Lodi Valley Historical Society, where $500,000 awaits the organization if they make one minor change…their entire board. From the AP Wire story: When […]
Archives for February 2005
God saves the queen, but HSE saves everyone else
In many arts organizations, stress and exhaustion are worn like badges of honor…public evidence that you’re giving your all to the cause. Of course, the downside is that once you’ve given everything, the cause is out of luck. So, it’s great when individual organizations recognize the value of balancing stressors in the workplace where they […]
The future of philanthropy
There’s a world of wonderful things in this new website and its corresponding report on The Future of Philanthropy. Thanks to the good folks at the Monitor Institute and their über-think-tank, the Global Business Network, we’ve got a full-fledged exploration of the dynamic forces shaping philanthropic efforts over the next decades. Better yet, the extraordinarily […]
The no-overhead organization
Fixed costs can the bane of the nonprofit arts organization’s existence. Overhead expenses like rent or facility heat/light/security chew away at the bottom line, and are often the most difficult to support with contributed income (who wants to donate to keep a light bulb glowing in the basement?). So, I’ve often wondered how lean and […]
The imported local symphony
Florida’s orchestral buffs are in a bunch about a rumored deal between the ever-under-construction Greater Miami Performing Arts Center and the Cleveland Orchestra. Rumor has it that, because South Florida lacks a resident symphony since theirs went belly up, the new PAC is planning to outsource that job to Cleveland. The deal might include an […]
Midway between cool and creepy
Mobile communications have a strange way of connecting us and isolating us at the same time. We’re constantly in contact range of friends and co-workers thanks to mobile phones and wireless PDAs and such. And yet by using these devices, we detach from our immediate environment. A next generation of devices and services is working […]
Gifts of the Muse
In February 2005, the Wallace Foundation released its long-awaited report (at least, long-awaited by me), Gifts of the Muse: Reframing the Debate About the Benefits of the Arts. The 100-plus page study takes a hard look at all the benefits we claim for the arts — economic, social, educational, therapeutic, etc. — and works to […]
Public Art and ‘Piles of Sheet’
Arts managers who don’t watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central (could there be any?) missed a particularly sarcastic perspective on public art, as this Monday’s show focused one its fake news segments on Christo’s new installation in New York, The Gates. The fact that the segment was titled ‘Piles of Sheet,’ […]
Searching, searching, ever searching
I was off-line yesterday, serving on a selection committee for an arts-related position in our local community (won’t say which). This interview team was the fourth such search and screen process I’ve been part of in as many months (for positions ranging from public library director to campus arts coordinator to administrative staff), and I […]
Get them young-ens’ acculturated
The Christian Science Monitor offers a short article on Broadway’s attempt to woo the next generation of theater goers. Not surprisingly, the tactics include deep discounts, hip marketing (temporary tattoos, anyone?), and an emphasis on family-friendly content. Says the article: ”The movement is more toward producing material that will appeal to a wider age range,” […]