{"id":3474,"date":"2014-03-05T06:58:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-05T11:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/?p=3474"},"modified":"2014-03-05T06:58:00","modified_gmt":"2014-03-05T11:58:00","slug":"indispensability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2014\/03\/indispensability\/","title":{"rendered":"Indispensability"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BecomeIndispensable\"I recently had a conversation with a friend in which I used that phrase, \u201cmaking the arts indispensable.\u201d While he agreed with my intent, he was concerned that one view of it would be to reinforce a sense of entitlement that some in the industry feel today. \u201cYes, the arts are special and since they are, we should be supported to continue doing what we are doing.\u201d Clearly that was not my intent so I thought it might be useful to pursue it a little further in spite of the fact that it’s not been long since I touched on this idea. (Make Yourself Indispensable<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Beyond my friend\u2019s concern, there are those who would object to the very premise. Everyone who works in the arts industry believes, as an a priori<\/i> truth, that the arts are<\/i> indispensable, that there is no need to make them so. And that is true. The arts are<\/i> indispensable. However, when \u201cthe arts\u201d is thought of as synonymous with the organizations that comprise the arts industry as it exists today, it is demonstrably false in any objective sense.<\/p>\n

The intent of the phrase is to support work that makes the public aware of and believe in the arts\u2019 indispensability, an indispensability in which arts organizations play an important role. Certainly one might argue that it is possible to be indispensable without recognition of the fact (like trace elements in our diets), but that does nothing to serve the sustainability of the arts industry. Support only arises from awareness of value. It does no good to exist in functional oblivion as in the unforgettable words of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl<\/em>,
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

I’m the greatest star.
\nI am by far,
\n. . . but no one knows it.<\/i><\/p>\n

The community outside the arts is largely unaware of the arts\u2019 power. To be viable in any long-term sense, the industry needs to be viewed as essential, not merely \u201cnice.\u201d (Elizabeth Merritt has recently amplified on this idea in Why You Don\u2019t Want to Be Nice<\/a>.) As long as we are an amenity, as long as we are \u201cnice\u201d we will struggle to get the attention of a world that only has time for that which is understood as essential. When we engage, when we seek to serve the community good, we begin to gain traction as being necessary. That is a substantial base upon which to build.<\/p>\n

Engage!<\/p>\n

Doug<\/p>\n

\n
Image: \"Attribution\"\"Share<\/a> Some rights reserved<\/a> by quinn.anya<\/a><\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When we engage, when we seek to serve the community good, we begin to gain traction as being necessary. That is a substantial base upon which to build.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3475,"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":"","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":"Indispensability-A meditation on becoming indispensable: http:\/\/wp.me\/p1G6h9-U2","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[12,13,22],"class_list":{"0":"post-3474","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-principles","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-community-engagement","10":"tag-public-good","11":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/BecomeIndispensable-e1392744802805.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1G6h9-U2","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6034,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2020\/09\/community-engagement-network\/","url_meta":{"origin":3474,"position":0},"title":"Community Engagement Network","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"September 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Community Engagement Network\u2013offering support to people working in the arts and community engagement.","rel":"","context":"In "Community Engagement Network"","block_context":{"text":"Community Engagement Network","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/community-engagement-network\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Network.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4126,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2015\/05\/engage-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":3474,"position":1},"title":"Engage Now!","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"May 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Arts organizations cannot long survive without earning impassioned support from the communities they serve. 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