{"id":6662,"date":"2023-02-08T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/?p=6662"},"modified":"2023-02-07T21:01:47","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T02:01:47","slug":"deadly-sin-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2023\/02\/deadly-sin-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Deadly Sin: I"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I have written about arrogance before, but in my last post (Cutting Back<\/a>) I promised to keep my hand in when it seemed important. The topic of arrogance in our industry bears further consideration. As I said in Beware Arrogance<\/a>, Arrogance, even unconscious arrogance, is a self-inflicted wound that can stop community engagement\u2013the development of relationships with new communities\u2013efforts in their tracks.<\/em><\/strong> So, if it is essential to substantially expand our base of support, our attitudes should be examined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are (at least) two kinds of arrogance: conscious and unconscious\/unexamined. In the world of nonprofit arts there is usually an effort to hide the former. The latter is more widespread and arguably more pernicious. There are also two primary areas of focus for the arrogance: the art we present and the public that is not taking advantage of what we offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conscious arrogance, which is almost never articulated except among “safe” gatherings of arts professionals or aficionados, comes out with respect to both the public and the art. “Art is for everyone” is paid lip service, but there are those (I leave to the reader whether “those” should be read as “some” or “many”) who do not honestly believe that what they present can truly be appreciated by “Bubba” or “Billie Sue.” As for the art, there is a deeply held belief that art of the European Aristocratic Cultural Tradition is superior to all other forms of creative expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, there are those who would be horrified to hear these things spoken and chagrined to believe that such assumptions were hidden away in their foundational beliefs. Yet, without realizing it, they often act upon them when selecting “target audiences” or works to present for “outreach” programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s look at some of these assumptions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Art of the E<\/strong>uropean A<\/strong>ristocratic C<\/strong>ultural T<\/strong>radition is superior to:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n