I wrote this opinion piece for the July/August 2006 issue of Inside Arts, the magazine of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters. I reprint it here with my permission.
Archives for July 2006
Off again
A cluttered schedule and myriad deadlines will keep me away from my weblogging this week. See you all again on July 31.
The longer narrative on the ”long tail”
I posted back in 2004 about the idea of ”the long tail,” advanced by Wired magazine’s Chris Anderson. The gist of his theory was that emerging (primarily Internet) distribution models were dramatically altering the revenue potential of non-blockbuster material. In other words, while space-limited retailers like Walmart and Best Buy had to focus on selling […]
Escaping Atlanta
A featured link in ArtsJournal describes the exodus of the Atlanta Opera from its performance home downtown to a new facility in the suburbs next year. Says the article: The move is historic: It marks the first time a major-city opera company will leave its established location within a city and move all its performances […]
The Artful Manager turns three
Hard to believe that it was three years ago today that I launched this weblog with its first missive, and its statement of purpose. I’m astonished at the wealth of new friends and colleagues I’ve connected with, and the spectrum of wonderful thinking and resources I’ve discovered along the way. Thanks to all who make […]
Striving for clarity, watching for jargon
"Have something to say and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style." Matthew Arnold British poet and critic, 1822 – 1888 That wonderful quote launches ”When Words Fail,” the most recent of Tony Proscio’s three diatribes against the jargon of public purpose, and the vague and cluttered language […]
Content and commerce
Fellow blogger Tyler Green calls out the growing commerce-friendly focus of the Smithsonian Institution in this LA Times editorial. Says Green: The Smithsonian’s leaders and their congressional overseers are allowing too much of our national museum to be transformed into a series of pavilions where, in exchange for sponsorship money and other deals, corporations may […]
The art of data visualization
I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for great data visualization — that is, the graphic representation of statistical information. It may sound extraordinarily boring to some, but a well-designed graph or graphic can truly help people see their world differently, and challenge soft assumption with grounded observation. That’s why I’m so intrigued by GapMinder, an […]
Jugglers wanted
St. Paul theater critic Dominic Papatola writes an open memo to the Ordway Center for the Arts regarding their search for a new president (after David Galligan’s resignation a few weeks back). Papatola’s concerns about the job could well be said for any performing arts center with both a presenting wing and resident performing organizations: […]
Lawsuits and Lion King
Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts — dogged by budget problems and acoustic snafus since its opening — has found at least a short-term formula to turn a deep operating deficit into a sudden surplus: Broadway blockbusters plus litigation. The Center is waiting for auditors to confirm a $1.2 million budget surplus in its […]