Early this month, I talked about simulation games, and their potential to support learning for arts managers and other complex activities. Now there are a few more examples — beyond Roller Coaster Tycoon — to show the idea in action. The interesting twist is that games are now supporting an agenda, a point of view, […]
GETTY: The perils of partnership
I’ve got one more post in me about the leadership meeting hosted back in June by the Getty Leadership Institute and National Arts Strategies in Los Angeles. The meeting, as you might recall, focused on the connects and disconnects between the for-profit and nonprofit cultural sectors. The goal was to define the difference, explore the […]
Holding open the experience yet to come
I talk a lot about arts organizations needing to focus on the experience of art rather than just the production or presentation of it…not ‘experience’ in the flashy, theme-store sense, mind you, but in the essential connection between perceiver and perceived that great art moments provide. It’s so easy to get stuck in the production-oriented […]
What’s in a web site?
My weblog neighbor Drew McManus has been doing some heavy surfing lately, reviewing and rating 70 orchestra web sites in his First Annual Adaptistration Web Site Review. At the top of the list was the Chicago Symphony site, followed closely by the National Symphony (see the full rankings here). As an annoying academic, I’m always […]
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy
A rather bold attempt to capture the core canon of cultural knowledge required of an advanced American citizen. With section entries from The Bible to mythology to the fine arts, the reference could be the pocket guide for the culturally informed (although with 6900 entries, you’d have to have a wonking big pocket).
Let the galas begin
Madison, Wisconsin, is set to open phase one of its new $205-million arts complex, beginning this Saturday. Everybody who is anybody will be there during its full opening week of free and paid performance/exhibit activities (I’ll be there too, even though I’m not anybody). For those that want to dig deep into the unprecedented single-donor […]
For the wanna-be cultural literate
If you’ve forgotten what a Philistine is beyond the concert hall, can’t distinguish Chaplin from Chopin, if a friend mentions the Apocrypha and you think about the Apocalypse, there may be a book you need on your shelf (or in your web bookmarks). The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy (available on-line and in print) is […]
The IRS and executive compensation
Nonprofit arts leaders and staff responsible for payroll, hiring, governance, or financial reporting may want to keep an eye on the IRS in the coming months (more than usual, that is). Last month, they issued an advisory that they will be scrutinizing executive compensation practices for nonprofits, beginning with about 2000 throughout the sector (arts […]
Fill out this survey, or I’ll probe your brain
A recent article in The Economist, and another in Newsweek, explore the early stages of ‘neuromarketing’ and ‘neuroeconomics,’ or the use of brain scanning equipment in pursuit of consumer cash and decision making. Since people can’t usually describe their actual motivations (or they describe them incorrectly), a few research centers and consulting firms are hard […]
The joys of statistics
The fun and intrigue of a national election (especially in a swing state like Wisconsin) always bring me to wonder at the glory of statistical evidence, and its practical application to really important decision-making. We all take measures of things when deciding which way to turn, how to vote, how much energy, cash, or staff […]
