Recently I was cleaning my closet and came across several items that no longer fit well or had long since gone out of style – yes, I am either “that old” or styles change rapidly, take your pick. I wondered why I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of those clothes. I am an organized and reasoned person so what was holding me back? And then I began to wonder if programs are like clothes in our closets, which was a great distraction because it kept me from dealing with the problem at hand. But think about it: we buy things that reflect who … [Read more...]
An Unlikely Partnership: Reinventing Swan Lake
Developing audiences, deepening engagement and expanding creative horizons are some of the biggest concerns of the leaders we work with at National Arts Strategies. With increasing entertainment options and access to technology, organizations feel the need to make their work more innovative and appealing to modern consumers, but many struggle in figuring out how to do so. For some, exploring new forms of collaboration can be the answer to remaining relevant and competitive in today’s environment. Earlier this year, Ballet Memphis Founding … [Read more...]
How should cultural institutions approach the creation and articulation of value?
Watch the following video in which Albino Jopela, archaelogist and lecturer at Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique and Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Leaders Fellow, suggests that considering the values of all of the stakeholders in a community will help ensure relevance and sustainability. Add your voice to the discussion. Use the comments below to weigh in with your thoughts. … [Read more...]
What does “sustainability” mean in the arts and culture field?
Watch the following video in which Diane Ragsdale, a faculty member of the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Leaders, asks some important questions about sustainability in the arts – what does it mean for organizations and for the field. Add your voice to the discussion. Use the comments below to weigh in with your thoughts on sustainability. … [Read more...]
Is Opera a Sustainable Art Form?
In a recent post on her blog, Jumper, Diane Ragsdale shares an excerpt from her keynote address on the topic, "Is Opera a Sustainable Art Form?" from the Opera Europa conference in February. Referencing Alexey A. Voinov's Paradoxes of Sustainability, Ragsdale eloquently asks us to consider where our motivations lie and what we are truly trying to save when we preach of a need for sustainability: "Forest fires naturally occur and burn down portions of ecosystems so that the forest ecosystem as a whole can persist. If we begin to prevent forest … [Read more...]