Leading an arts organization right now can feel like sitting at a blackjack table on a bad night. The stakes are high, the cards aren’t great, and the audience—the one group you can’t bluff—can see every move you make. When to Hold (on to your values) All we really have with our audiences is trust. That’s why the Smithsonian needs to hold its independence like a winning hand. No bluffing needed – smile, look the other players directly in the eye and let them know you’ve got a winning hand. … [Read more...] about When to Hold, When to Fold, When to Play a Different Game
Strategy
From Village Voice to TikTok: Rethinking How Audiences Discover Art
Like clockwork, every couple of weeks or more, I see artists lamenting the need to promote themselves in the current fractured media environment, mostly complaining about how much time it takes. I get it (and I’ve written about it on this blog before). Let's reframe that perspective—both by reminding ourselves of what really existed when a few media outlets held more power over the arts, and by pushing back against the learned helplessness I see all around us when it comes to connecting with … [Read more...] about From Village Voice to TikTok: Rethinking How Audiences Discover Art
Kennedy Center audiences vote with their feet. What happens next?
Boycotting is alive and well as a protest tactic. Based on ticket sales figures leaked to The Washington Post, Kennedy Center audiences are voting with their feet and staying away. Sales appear to be cratering. Here's the damage: The Center’s constituent arts organizations are suffering as well, with the National Symphony Orchestra’s subscriptions down 28% and the Washington National Opera down 25%. It’s just two weeks into the subscription campaign, but the staffer who provided the … [Read more...] about Kennedy Center audiences vote with their feet. What happens next?
It’s all about the Vibes: Lessons from the election for arts marketers
What can we learn about arts marketing from how people consume information about elections? Here are three observations: The 2024 Presidential election has been called the “vibes election”. Believe me, I wish people didn't just vote based on vibes and everyone spent serious time looking at high quality, factual information to inform their vote. But looking at the reality of how some people consume information, let's see what we in the arts can do to get more people in to experience art so … [Read more...] about It’s all about the Vibes: Lessons from the election for arts marketers
Imagine if the arts were funded with $27 donations
In a recent New York Times article, Barry Edelstein, Artistic Director of The Old Globe, a large nonprofit theater in San Diego, gave a quote that caught my eye. He said, "We’re not going to solve the structural financial problems facing the sector through Bernie Sanders-style $27 contributions. It’s going to take really significant infusions at the scale that Roy is doing them.” The person that Edelstein is talking about is Roy Cockrum. The Roy Cockrum Foundation has quickly … [Read more...] about Imagine if the arts were funded with $27 donations