{"id":65,"date":"2009-03-26T11:26:15","date_gmt":"2009-03-26T11:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp\/2009\/03\/a_culture_of_failure\/"},"modified":"2009-03-26T11:26:15","modified_gmt":"2009-03-26T11:26:15","slug":"a_culture_of_failure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2009\/03\/a_culture_of_failure.html","title":{"rendered":"A Culture of Failure"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>One thing you hear about the current economic mess is that some banks and companies are &#8220;too big to fail.&#8221; This is the idea that if a mega-corporation like AIG goes down, the repercussions are so enormous that other companies will fall in its wake and the whole financial system might fall apart. Thus an argument for tax-payer bailouts.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.born-losers.com\/\"><span class=\"mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image\" style=\"display: inline;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"losers.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/losers.jpg?resize=228%2C328\" class=\"mt-image-left\" style=\"margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;\" width=\"228\" height=\"328\" \/><\/span><\/a>That got me thinking about the culture of failure. Science is built on failure. Make observations, posit solutions, try them out, fail, learn from your failure and try again until you find a solution. Scientific breakthroughs wouldn&#8217;t be possible without failure. Funding for research is predicated on extremely high rates of failure. Ask a successful person what they learned on the way up and they&#8217;ll likely talk about how they dealt with their failures, not their success. <\/p>\n<p>The hippest, most interesting and successful arts programmer I ever knew told me once that the secret to his success was failure. &#8220;If more than 10 percent of the things I do are successful (he was, after all, a programmer of new work), I feel like I&#8217;m not doing my job,&#8221; he said. What he meant was that without trying many things that didn&#8217;t work, he couldn&#8217;t be open to the possibility of greatness. It was only his willingness to learn from mistakes and embrace failure that produced transcendent success.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Yet why does it so often seem that the goal of arts organizations is to neutralize failure or deny it? If AIG was &#8220;too big to fail&#8221; maybe it stopped learning from failure and found itself in trouble only after it was too late. In the 90s the arts economy expanded and many arts organizations got bigger and more institutional. With growth and soaring expenses, the cost of failing [read: the capacity to fail safely] often got priced out. And how many arts organizations, when they do do something that fails, rush to deny that it failed? Like admitting failure is a bad thing.<\/p>\n<p>Arts funders have tended to want more and more assurances that the things they fund are successes. One manifestation of this trend is the way so much arts funding has become project-based. Funders prefer to have projects they can point to for tangible, measurable results.So it&#8217;s much easier to raise money for a new building than it is for operational support to keep the doors open. And it&#8217;s much easier to fund programs in multiculturalism or arts education than it is a new play or symphony. <\/p>\n<p>As a result, we have a system set up to reward expansion of buildings and the building of infrastructure [a real estate bubble?] which then must be sustained in ways that make failure not an option. That is: guess wrong and you might put your organization in danger, so don&#8217;t guess wrong. And so we have arts organizations who are thought to be &#8220;too big to fail&#8221; even as they 1. get safer and safer in the artistic choices they make. and\/or 2. get into bigger and bigger trouble because they can&#8217;t afford the little failures along the way that they could learn from.<\/p>\n<p>The situation in the arts then, would seem to be exactly opposite of what we understand to be best practice in science. Funding for science is at a whole different level than funding for the arts, and yet, it seems to me that being good at funding the right kinds of failures in the arts might lead to a much healthier arts community. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One thing you hear about the current economic mess is that some banks and companies are &#8220;too big to fail.&#8221; This is the idea that if a mega-corporation like AIG goes down, the repercussions are so enormous that other companies will fall in its wake and the whole financial system might fall apart. Thus an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-65","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4ePZm-13","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1625,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2019\/12\/are-the-arts-to-blame-for-donald-trump.html","url_meta":{"origin":65,"position":0},"title":"Are The Arts To Blame For Donald Trump?","author":"Douglas McLennan","date":"December 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A few months ago I was at a conference of administrators of large arts institutions when a leading researcher in cultural trends made a bold claim: The election of Donald Trump is a result of the failure of the arts and culture sector.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;arts and politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"arts and politics","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/category\/arts-and-politics"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/trump-1350044_640.jpg?fit=608%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/trump-1350044_640.jpg?fit=608%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/trump-1350044_640.jpg?fit=608%2C640&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2532,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2021\/11\/five-observations-3-the-future-is-hybrid-or-not.html","url_meta":{"origin":65,"position":1},"title":"Post-COVID Arts Observations: #3. The Future is Hybrid (or Not)","author":"Douglas McLennan","date":"November 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"There are plenty of strategic reasons to use hybrid content to further artistic goals that don't have to be around making money. But ultimately the model, whatever it is, has to make sense.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;arts &amp; tech&quot;","block_context":{"text":"arts &amp; tech","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/category\/arts-tech"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/iphone-gc54c9e550_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C555&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/iphone-gc54c9e550_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C555&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/iphone-gc54c9e550_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C555&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/iphone-gc54c9e550_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C555&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2771,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2024\/03\/how-subsidy-for-big-tech-wrecked-the-arts-and-journalism.html","url_meta":{"origin":65,"position":2},"title":"How Subsidy for Big Tech Wrecked the Arts (and Journalism)","author":"Douglas McLennan","date":"March 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Companies like Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, Spotify, Apple and Google have subsidized what they offer (super-cheap or free content, faster service and better accessibility) to capture audience and attention in ways that have played havoc with culture producers and artists everywhere, whether or not they create on any of these platforms.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;arts &amp; tech&quot;","block_context":{"text":"arts &amp; tech","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/category\/arts-tech"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/seo-441400_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/seo-441400_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/seo-441400_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/seo-441400_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":825,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2016\/03\/the-existential-arts-this-weeks-best-reads-on-artsjournal-03-27-16.html","url_meta":{"origin":65,"position":3},"title":"The Existential Arts &#8211; This Week&#8217;s Best Reads On ArtsJournal (03.27.16)","author":"Douglas McLennan","date":"March 27, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This week's best reads hover around existential questions. What arts organizations should exist? Does truth exist? Can theatre really change anything, and should it even try? Canada's new government makes an existential bet on culture. And do our tools define art? Arts Organizations At The Existential Crossroads: Some have argued\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Weekly AJ Top Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Weekly AJ Top Stories","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/category\/weekly-aj-top-stories"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/519048855_1280x720.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/519048855_1280x720.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/519048855_1280x720.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/519048855_1280x720.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/519048855_1280x720.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3227,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2026\/02\/why-the-death-of-american-leadership-may-run-through-your-local-orchestra.html","url_meta":{"origin":65,"position":4},"title":"Why the Death of American Leadership may run through your Local Orchestra","author":"Douglas McLennan","date":"February 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In the space of a week, we have lost two significant and iconic American institutions. But the shuttering of the Kennedy Center and the decimation of the Washington Post are neither isolated nor unrelated.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;arts and politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"arts and politics","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/category\/arts-and-politics"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/652234-stairs-1229149_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C637&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/652234-stairs-1229149_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C637&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/652234-stairs-1229149_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C637&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/652234-stairs-1229149_1280-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C637&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3311,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/2026\/03\/what-irelands-basic-artist-income-experiment-tells-us-about-a-new-arts-economy.html","url_meta":{"origin":65,"position":5},"title":"What Ireland&#8217;s Basic Artist Income Experiment tells us about a new Arts Economy","author":"Douglas McLennan","date":"March 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Ireland demonstrated something: economic insecurity doesn't just force workers out, it diminishes the overall creative economy. That matters enormously right now, because we are entering a period when a lot of people across a lot of industries are about to lose their job security.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;culture business models&quot;","block_context":{"text":"culture business models","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/category\/culture-business-models"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/rivera.jpg?fit=1000%2C598&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/rivera.jpg?fit=1000%2C598&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/rivera.jpg?fit=1000%2C598&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/rivera.jpg?fit=1000%2C598&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/diacritical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}