Yesterday, I said I was busy with student orientation, but this article about libraries in the Guardian, and the corresponding report it discusses nudged me back into the weblog business. The report looks at the roles of public libraries in Great Britain, and suggests that they are increasingly disconnected from their communities, and operating in […]
A Brief Pause
It’s orientation time in the graduate business degree program I direct, so I’ll likely be a bit more spotty in my posts this week and next. Take the time you would have spent browsing the weblog and turn it, instead, to assisting an orphan puppy, or forming a philanthropic foundation. See you soon.
Bridging the Gap
The Knight Foundation has published a follow-up briefing to its massive study of classical music audiences. Bridging the Gap is a 16-page treatment of the full study report, but offers a nice segmentation model for orchestras (and any arts organization) to hone their strategies for engaging a wider audience. The brief reinforces the primary disconnect […]
Cascade Failure
There are so many juicy metaphors to be found in yesterday’s collapse of the Eastern power grid, it’s hard to know where to begin. But, in deference to the millions without air conditioning, public transportation, and Starbucks Frappuccino, I’ll only pick one and let it go: cascade failure. The news today is describing a classic […]
How Many Seats Make a Difference?
The LA Times has an interesting story on two entrepreneurs in California, making a bet on theater space (not for direct economic return, thank goodness, but for changing the face of their cities). Z. Clark Branson has sunk $5 million into a performance space in Pasadena. Tom Gilmore has a bid in to run the […]
The Domineering Donor
Backstage.com has a nice article called “Green Strings: Should Arts Donors Make Demands?” about the struggle between engaging contributors in the mission of an organization, and handing over the keys. One featured struggle is the pending lawsuit against the Metropolitan Opera by representatives of the late Sybil B. Harrington (covered in the Financial Times, and […]
That Darn Technology
A technology snafu has kept us bloggers from posting for the last several days, showing that the Internet giveth, and the Internet taketh away. The problem now seems to be resolved, at least for the short term, so I’m back in business. More thoughts later…just wanted to let you know I hadn’t vanished from the […]
The Box
Sometimes when we try to talk our way out of a problem, we end up reinforcing the problem…or even making it worse. Such is the case with ‘the box’…
On Being Nonprofit
Frumkin’s overview of the whys and wheres of the nonprofit corporate status provides a clear and balanced view.
The Lure of Something New…
There have been a large number of stories about ‘flash mobs’ recently (here’s one from the Philadelphia Inquirer, another in Canada, and one from across the pond in the EU). If you want more, check out this Google News search on the subject. A flash mob is a sudden gathering of strangers, usually drawn together […]
