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The Artful Manager

Andrew Taylor on the business of arts & culture

Pamela Tatge on Curatorial Practice

March 11, 2019 by Andrew Taylor

In support of this semester’s “Presenting the Performing Arts” course at American University, I’ve started a series of video interviews with performing arts professionals. Through my prep for the class, I found strikingly few resources available in any media about the craft, practice, and management of arts organizations in the live performing arts (beyond the usual-suspect books).

Pamela Tatge
Pamela Tatge

First up is Pamela Tatge, who took the reins at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in 2016, after a long career at the Center for the Arts at Wesleyan University. I was particularly drawn to her thinking and approach to the curatorial function of presenting organizations — designing and developing a season of works that serves the audience and yet stretches their curiosity as well.

While at Wesleyan, Tatge co-founded the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance, one of the few (if only) programs to explore and expand curatorial/aesthetic approaches to the live arts.

As you’ll hear in the video, Tatge’s most essential metrics for experiencing creative works and building a season for Jacob’s Pillow include:

  • Authenticity: a voice that is not derivative, but coming from a real place;
  • Intention: an immediacy and urgency in what the artists are doing, the work is happening now and in the moment;
  • Representation: ensuring a broad view of dance for the season, including diversity by geography, genre, heritage, history, and intersection with other creative forms.

More interviews are on their way. I hope this evolving resource is useful beyond the classroom.

Pamela Tatge, Director of Jacob’s Pillow

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Comments

  1. Janet Eilber says

    March 12, 2019 at 11:21 am

    Hi Andrew! I’m so looking forward to more of this series! A topic that has changed/developed so much in the last 20 years and becomes more and more essential to survival — especially in dance. It’s great to hear specifics from Pam!

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Andrew Taylor is a faculty member in American University's Arts Management Program in Washington, DC. [Read More …]

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