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The Artful Manager

Andrew Taylor on the business of arts & culture

The problem with purpose

March 29, 2004 by Andrew Taylor

So I get this pizza pan as a gift…I’m pro-pizza, to be sure. But when reading the promotional copy on the pizza pan, I find this:


Sensible and sublime, practical and whimsical, the objects envisioned by the world-renowned architect infuse our daily lives with joy.

Then I’m in Starbucks buying my mega-venti semi-caf no-foam mocha vanilla caramel latte and read this on the name badge of the attendant behind the counter:


Magic Moments: One human being at a time.

Then, I see a promotional flier for an Apple iPod:


What does music mean to you? Maybe it�s an escape from your daily grind. A place you go in your mind that is free, rebellious. A place where you get lost in stories of love. Joy. Pain. Rhythms and melodies that rush your blood. Make you drive faster. Walk quicker. Bob your head. Dance like a freak. Shake your head and spin. Or just close your eyes, smile, and remember when. It�s powerful stuff.

It used to be that the purpose and mission of nonprofit cultural organizations were unique in their communities. Other folks did the selling and crass service of consumer needs; we provided the more noble things in life. Nowadays, I can have my daily life ‘infused with joy’ by a pizza pan (it’s a nice pizza pan, I’ll admit), find ‘magic moments’ in a coffee-purchase experience, and be moved by the power of music by a fancy computer drive with headphones.

It may be time to pull out the old mission statements and crank them up a few notches. The big boys are swimming in our pool.

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About Andrew Taylor

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

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Recent Comments

  • Barry Hessenius on Business in service of beauty: “An enormous loss. Diane changed the discourse on culture – its aspirations, its modus operandi, its assumptions. A brilliant thought…” Jan 19, 18:58
  • Sunil Iyengar on Business in service of beauty: “Thank you, Andrew. The loss is immense. Back when Diane was teaching a course called “Approaching Beauty,” to business majors…” Jan 16, 18:36
  • Michael J Rushton on Business in service of beauty: “A wonderful person and a creative thinker, this is a terrible loss. – thank you for posting this.” Jan 16, 13:18
  • Andrew Taylor on Two goals to rule them all: “Absolutely, borrow and build to your heart’s content! The idea that cultural practice BOTH reduces and samples surprise is really…” Jun 2, 18:01
  • Heather Good on Two goals to rule them all: “To “actively sample novel experiences (in safe ways) to build more resilient perception and prediction” is about as useful a…” Jun 2, 15:05

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