With the industry in a nationwide, existential crisis, leaders may have to choose one or the other. If so, the choice is easy. It’s 2025 and the nonprofit arts world is crumbling around us. In Seattle, ACT (A Contemporary Theatre) and Seattle Shakespeare are now part of the same company, a company that celebrates the 461-year-old Englishman performing the most … [Read more...] about Nonprofit Arts Leaders and Funders: What’s It Gonna Be? People or Buildings?
Freedom of Speech
Born in the DSA*: Remove the Social Security Cap
Did you make more than $176,100 this year? Did you tell your staff that you’re paying a lower Social Security tax than they are? I remember the moment clearly. In Alabama, I found myself in a quandary on a particular payday in late November. All of a sudden, I was receiving a higher take-home salary, even though I had not received a pay bump. I went to our finance office, … [Read more...] about Born in the DSA*: Remove the Social Security Cap
Have People and Write Stuff Down
The arts might be great for inspiration, but Sartre had it wrong. Over the last 12 months two of my partner’s brothers died. One in September 2024, the other in August 2025 (as in, last month). In both cases, my partner was in charge of the administration of their estates. These were her two favorite siblings, flawed in their own ways like any human, but ultimately good, … [Read more...] about Have People and Write Stuff Down
Consequences — If They Cut Funding, You Go Nuclear (or Go Home)
It’s a game of chicken. If your arts organization yields, everyone loses. Gerrymandering has been in the news of late. It’s a word I didn’t know until my eighth-grade history teacher, Mr. Ubick, gave us all a list of dangerous yet goofy-sounding political terms and phrases. “Gerrymandering” was at the top of a list that included “jingoism,” “filibuster,” “pork-barrel,” … [Read more...] about Consequences — If They Cut Funding, You Go Nuclear (or Go Home)
For Nonprofit Arts Organizations, It’s August and the Fan Is Clogged with S**t
Big protests about the war and immigration, but the arts? Just a little Monday night shindig. Before that, a subtle announcement. In early 2024, we laid out the problem and gave you a path. In late 2024, we gave you discussion prompts and rules to help you figure out the answers on your own. And now, in late 2025, we show you that not only can success happen when you … [Read more...] about For Nonprofit Arts Organizations, It’s August and the Fan Is Clogged with S**t