I received quite a few responses to my posts last week on the evangelical qualities of arts management, despite our continual focus on business practice. Most respondents reflected the same sense of conflict and confusion between mission and marketing. Said one reader: The arts are being asked to prove their worth based on evidence, proof, […]
We can’t see where we don’t look
This article on jobs and the economy from the Sunday New York Times Magazine has wonderful parallels to our perspectives on the ‘arts industry’. The article underscores our quick perspective on jobs lost, and our inability to see jobs gained: In a quickly evolving economy, in which increased productivity constantly makes some jobs redundant, we […]
Do we sell the bottle, or the wine?
James Sullivan is a bit upset in the San Francisco Chronicle to think that the compact disc might be dead by 2007. With the growth of digital downloads, he says, the young folks are moving past the ‘stuff’ of physical recorded media, and the ‘collectible’ connection that drove a previous generation, and framed their relationship […]
Open source, not just for hackers anymore
This linked article in ArtsJournal on open-source software development rekindled my fondness and interest in the connections of that approach to arts and cultural management (especially on the community level). For those unfamiliar (the article above is a bit thick for the newbie), open-source is a way of developing software through the independent work of […]
Evangelists as arts managers
I’m getting some great responses to my recent posts on the evangelical qualities required of arts managers (I’ll post some excerpts from those responses soon). But I had forgotten how the comparison runs the other way, as well: religious organizations are vital arts administrators, too. I stumbled again on this arts and religion survey done […]
Museums and the perils of success
Two pieces in the UK Guardian explore the perils of success among museums (or any nonprofit/public cultural organization). In one, Tristram Hunt posits on the downside of popular temporary exhibits (ie, blockbusters) and their threat to the contemplative, quiet, and even sacred spaces museums are intended to provide. In another, Dan Glaister explores the Boston […]
But will the ‘living machines’ buy opera tickets
The techno-geek in me is compelled to point you to this series of articles in the February 2004 Wired magazine on living machines. For anyone interested in human interaction and the dynamics of social groups (which should describe most arts managers), it’s interesting to note that many of these properties and behaviors are now being […]
Action Speaks Louder than Studies
NOTE: I wrote this opinion piece on philanthropy and communications technology projects for The Chronicle of Philanthropy, where it was published in the March 7, 2002 issue. I include it here because it still rings true with the barriers and habits I continue to see among foundation-funded technology projects and other funded initiatives. — Andrew […]
The 100th Post
The counter on my weblog system tells me that this is my 100th post to The Artful Manager, a fair bunch of bytes since its launch in July of last year. In fact, if you printed out all of my ponderings and wanderings and laid them end to end…you’d clearly be someone with too much […]
Another place that classical music doesn’t fit
Fellow weblogger Greg Sandow has a great opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal on his frustrations with Apple’s iTunes system. It seems that the way iTunes and other on-line music services classify and categorize their individual audio files is incompatible with the standards of classical music recordings. Says Sandow: Before classical music is ever […]
