Archives for 2006

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 […]

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 […]

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: […]

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 […]

The good folks at the annual, invitation-only TED conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design) are finally sharing some of their big-wig keynote speakers through on-line video and audio. Of particular note is creativity and human resource guru Sir Ken Robinson, talking about creativity and education. Robinson believes our public education infrastructure conspires to destroy creative thought, and […]

I’ll be away from the weblog this week and early next week, tending to much-needed home chores and life maintenance. See you on July 6.

If you need a new sense of where you are in the universe (a common need for a Friday), just take nine minutes to watch Powers of Ten, the classic instructional film that’s finally available on the web. The film, created in 1977 by Charles and Ray Eames, begins with an image of a man […]

The job posting now on-line for the President & CEO of Madison’s $205-million Overture Center for the Arts includes multiple essay questions along with the resume and reference requirements. Two questions, in particular, are worth a moment for any manager of a large, professional-grade cultural facility: Describe what you believe to be the central role […]

For various reasons — as a board member, a staff member, an advisor, and such — I find myself in the middle of four separate strategic thinking efforts among four separate organizations and initiatives. Although these are non-similar organizations, with very different purposes and governance structures, the conversations have been strikingly similar. The most vexing […]

Some interesting thoughts over at Social Edge about the future of nonprofits, NGOs, social sector organizations, or whatever we might be calling them in 2016. According to the intro, a decade from now, these organizations will: Be mobile Offer instant transparency and social impact measurements Become rapid response social opportunity networks Access free, on-demand technology […]