If you’re fond of tracking multi-hundred-million civic structures (and who isn’t?), your eyes would be fixed on Texas and New Jersey, where the money is flowing like Mentos and Diet Coke. The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts just bumped its fundraising goal from $275 million to $338 million. The Dallas Cowboys new stadium is […]
Greetings from South Africa (aka, Wisconsin)
I’m rather fond of maps that offer new perspective on familiar terrain. There’s a whole series of upside-down world maps, for example, that put the southern pole on top. The idea that north is up is a relic of past cultural preference (of the map-makers and their patrons). Why not nudge the presumption? Similar insights […]
Systematizing innovation, or the future of the B-School
Since I live daily at the intersection of cultural enterprise and higher education, I’m always pleased to hear that the two are mutually exclusive. Knowing my chosen environment (a business school) is contrary to my espoused value (innovative leadership of expressive endeavor) is both a personal badge of honor, and an extraordinary opportunity to blame […]
Curating impact through artists
One of the more radical phrases spoken during the recent Arts Presenters conference seemed to breeze over the room without much attention. In describing his collaborative research project, exploring the intrinsic impacts of live performing arts attendance, Alan Brown suggested that the cultural manager’s role was ”curating impact through artists.” In other words, our ultimate […]
Your customer doesn’t always care
Good thoughts from copyblogger Dan O’Sullivan (via Donor Power Blog) on the voice and tone of successful communications (to audiences, donors, conference attendees). Says he: When you’re working on new marketing materials, take a step back and assume the role of a skeptical customer. Ask yourself: Why should she care about your product? How will […]
Rules of engagement
I’m back from the Arts Presenters conference in New York with a head full of questions and a pocket full of business cards (two good indicators of a successful conference experience). I’ll be posting some of those questions and thoughts in the coming weeks, and reporting on the fantabulous work of my students on their […]
Presenters to the left of me, presenters to the right of me
I’m in NYC for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference. If you see me, flag me down. With more than 4000 participants this year, it may be difficult to spot me. So, consider it a real-world game of ”Where’s Waldo” (substitute ”middle-aged bald man” for Waldo). I’m sure there will be things to discuss […]
Way beyond butts in seats
Many of us have complained about the metrics we use in the arts to inform our management and measure our success. Number of tickets sold. Growth/decline in audience numbers year over year. Overall budget growth. These are inelegant and off-mission indicators that distract us rather than focus our work. But our complaints always ended the […]
Slicing the pie horizontally
ArtsJournal points us to a new study that challenges the assumption of a ”cultural elite” (a fact sheet about the study is available for download here). ”We are unable to identify any numerically significant group of cultural consumers whose consumption is essentially confined to high cultural forms and who reject, or at least do not […]
Learning web basics without looking stupid
There’s an interval after you meet someone in which it feels okay to ask their name again. But after that interval, awkwardness and self-reproach block many of us from asking what we don’t know. ”I can’t ask their name now! Any normal person would know it already. They’ll realize that I’m an idiot and a […]
