June is conference month for the arts, and I’ve seen a LOT of plenary panels on a LOT of pertinent subjects. Common to them all has been a hope at the beginning that the session will go productively, that the temporary aggregation of intelligent people will find something useful to say, and that the moderator […]
Archives for 2014
Moving through the world with intent
I was honored to be part of a symposium this week co-hosted by the National Endowment for the Arts and the UK’s Arts & Humanities Research Council’s Cultural Value Project. The event drew an extraordinary group of researchers and practitioners, including many who had written defining works for my own learning journey in this field. […]
Exploring Arts Entrepreneurship
I’m part of a weeklong blogathon this week through Barry Hessenius’ blog on the definition, development, and state-of-play of “arts entrepreneurship,” an evolving frame for an ancient practice. And I’m thrilled to be exploring the subject with such smart colleagues: Linda Essig, Russell Willis Taylor, Adam Huttler, Anthony Radich, Richard Evans, and Ruby Lerner.
Ownership, without the air quotes
Many may be aware, and some may be annoyed, that I’ve been wrestling a lot with the concepts of “capital” — what it is, how it works, and what it does in the context of the nonprofit arts. The issue draws my focus for three broad reasons. First, it’s a big, recurring, juicy issue for […]
The fast and the spurious
Correlations between data sets are magical things — they tell us that two variables move together, and encourage us to claim that the two are linked. Politicians and advocates do this all the time. We hear it in advertisements and read it in promotional copy. Causality claims are so much part of the chatter around […]
The puppet and the purpose
Director, writer, performer and puppet maker Eric Bass offers a beautiful essay on what it means (and doesn’t mean) to be a puppet performer. And his points resonate rather deeply with what it means to work expressively in the world. He disputes two myths about puppet performance: That the puppeteer controls the puppet, and that […]
Worth asking: What is Wealth?
There’s been lots of chatter in the economicsphere about Thomas Piketty’s new megabook on Capital in the 21st Century (read a quick summary of the looooonnnnngggg book here). It offers a ponderous and rigorous overview of where economic inequality comes from, and why the marketplace alone won’t fix it. In the process, more to our […]
Which circle do you serve?
ArtsEmerson’s David Dower had a bit of a Jerry Maguire moment recently when learning new stuff about negotiation and influence. And no, I don’t mean a “You complete me” moment, nor a “Show me the money” moment (although, kind of). I mean a crisis of conscience moment as appears in the opening scenes (remember?).
Harry Potter and the Disregarded Entity
What if you could form an organization that maintained a persistent and separate legal presence, protected its founders from liability, could receive tax-exempt contributions, but didn’t require the usual baggage of a nonstock corporate structure, an IRS tax ruling, an annual tax return, or a separate governing board? In short, what if you could garner […]
Mayor, Governor, President
Freakonomics Radio offers a great conversation on the differences between serving the public as a mayor, a governor, or a president. All serve in the executive branch. All are accountable come election time. But the tools, tactics, and tone of their public service are dramatically (and necessarily) different.