I read recently that Molly Smith will be retiring from her position as the 25-year artistic director of Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Molly is as liberal as they get in many ways, as am I. Many years ago, at a meeting about producing new plays, I listened to her process of development and asked a simple question. “If you were presented an excellent, unproduced … [Read more...] about Why Support Free Speech if You’re Just Going to Blackball?
Board of Directors
Why Successful Nonprofit Arts Organizations Are More Like Restaurants Than You Think
Read the menu. It’s for a restaurant called El Bistró Argentino (The Argentinian Bistro). Do you believe that French food is their specialty? Do they believe it? Peanut butter and banana toast? And with Wonder® Bread, no less? And did you notice the prices? Let me ask you: if you wanted a French, Italian, or Chinese dinner, or a greasy spoon breakfast, might you … [Read more...] about Why Successful Nonprofit Arts Organizations Are More Like Restaurants Than You Think
What’s the Difference Between Stocking a Buffet and Feeding Hungry People?
Thanksgiving’s coming (here in the US, that is. It already happened in Canada because they’re way ahead of us on so many things, like universal healthcare, eh?). It’s on the 24th of the month. As a typical American, you will spend the week cooking up a storm. Well, not so much a storm as a typhoon. Generally, you’ll roast a turkey, make an accompanying gravy, and fix your … [Read more...] about What’s the Difference Between Stocking a Buffet and Feeding Hungry People?
Can the Nonprofit Arts Sector Solve Whopper Syndrome?
A couple of thoughts as we close the election season of 2022—thoughts that the nonprofit arts community might be able address if they were so inclined. (Are you so inclined?) If you’re a resident of the United States, after watching the political ads that have assaulted the airwaves during the fall, you might be inclined to believe that an unprecedented trillions of … [Read more...] about Can the Nonprofit Arts Sector Solve Whopper Syndrome?
Why the Van Gogh Assault Matters to Nonprofit Arts Organizations
It's not what you think. On October 14, 2022, in Room 43 of the National Gallery in London, at approximately 11:00am, protesters threw tomato soup at a Van Gogh painting of sunflowers. It drenched the glass that protects the painting, something the protesters took into account before embarking on Tomato-gate. Pronounced “tō-mäʹ-tō-gāt.” In retaliation, I have thrown … [Read more...] about Why the Van Gogh Assault Matters to Nonprofit Arts Organizations