{"id":1498,"date":"2025-09-23T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/?p=1498"},"modified":"2025-09-23T18:05:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T18:05:12","slug":"nonprofit-arts-leaders-and-funders-whats-it-gonna-be-people-or-buildings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2025\/09\/23\/nonprofit-arts-leaders-and-funders-whats-it-gonna-be-people-or-buildings\/","title":{"rendered":"Nonprofit Arts Leaders and Funders: What\u2019s It Gonna Be? People or Buildings?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\"><strong>With the industry in a nationwide, existential crisis, leaders may have to choose one or the other. If so, the choice is easy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/501c3.guru\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Artes-Tantum-Divitibus-Sunt1.jpg?resize=900%2C600&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Artes-Tantum-Divitibus-Sunt1.jpg?w=900&amp;ssl=1 900w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Artes-Tantum-Divitibus-Sunt1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Artes-Tantum-Divitibus-Sunt1.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">I&#8217;ll let you look up the Latin translation for yourself. (Image created through AI)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s 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 contemporary hits of today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Pittsburgh, because of money troubles, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wesa.fm\/arts-culture\/2025-08-22\/pittsburgh-public-theater-city-clo\">Pittsburgh Public Theater, City Theatre, and the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera<\/a> are figuring out a way to cut costs by working together. Shaunda McDill, who is a terrific arts leader, wrote about the now-familiar challenges in an email to Pittsburgh Public Theater supporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c\u2026shrinking federal arts funding, tightening demands on philanthropic priorities, and the erosion of traditional subscriber models amid ever-widening entertainment choices.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I wish, on some level, that she had written that email with leaders from the other two organizations, but no matter. If they decide to combine back-office duties into one larger department, it\u2019s not a bad way to start. <strong>But cutting back on people<\/strong> \u2014 as was done in both cities \u2014 is not a good response to the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What mystifies me is the continued genuflection to buildings over people. The funding and competition problems of 2025 are not new, but the solutions are. No longer will the solution come from a rising base of attendance and support from mid-1990s highs. It\u2019s just not going to happen \u2014 in Pittsburgh, in Seattle, in what\u2019s left of America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/501c3.guru\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"656\" height=\"437\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-12.jpeg?resize=656%2C437&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1500\" style=\"width:900px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-12.jpeg?w=656&amp;ssl=1 656w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-12.jpeg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">They&#8217;re not coming back. In droves. (Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know this may surprise you, but unless you\u2019re in a rural location with no arts organizations for miles around\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There are enough performing arts centers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There are enough museums.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There are enough stages.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There are enough church basements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>There are enough theater\/musical theater\/opera companies, ballet\/dance companies, symphonic\/jazz music companies, and galleries\/visual arts facilities. There just are. America doesn\u2019t need another boondoggle. We\u2019ve got plenty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We can\u2019t fill the arts centers we already have.<\/strong> During the Seattle arts building boom, the case was made for the Kreielsheimer Foundation to fund the erection of legacies (or was it the legacy of erections?). Thousands of additional seats\u2019 worth of spaces. The biggest players in the arts-mosphere were the worst (and most successful) culprits at gaining access to the millions upon millions of dollars\u2019 worth of money, come hell or high water (closing those smaller, pesty little companies that got nothing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Companies broke promises, acted badly, and committed illegal, corrupt acts up the ying-yang, allegedly. I will write the word \u201callegedly,\u201d but after doing the research and reading the entire contents of the archives of the Kreielsheimer foundation (located at the University of Washington), I\u2019ve seen plenty of evidence of terrible actions that are now bearing the rotting fruit of empty, underused, buildings created mostly for the White folks (Seattle Rep, the Symphony, the Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, ACT, Intiman, 5<sup>th<\/sup> Avenue, and the Seattle Art Museum). Feel free to read it yourself at the UW archives \u2014 it&#8217;s free of charge. Like me, you\u2019ll throw up in your mouth a little bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All it took was for the country to turn against the funding of the arts \u2014 a predictable outcome if you haven\u2019t been hiding under a rock for the last 30 years \u2014 for that effort to be revealed as the waste it turned out to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/501c3.guru\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"487\" height=\"324\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-13.jpeg?resize=487%2C324&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1501\" style=\"width:900px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-13.jpeg?w=487&amp;ssl=1 487w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-13.jpeg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 487px) 100vw, 487px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Does the rotten apple represent the nonprofit arts organizations, the funders thereof, or their commitment to the community? Or does it merely represent a venue, available for rent, nonprofit or not? The answer: yes. (Image created through AI)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ACT\u2019s first artistic director, Gregory Falls, said in the early 1970s (that would be 50 years ago), \u201cTheaters are like grapes, they grow best in bunches.\u201d From the way some of the older Seattle folk revere those words, you might gather that this is the greatest thing anyone ever said about theaters in the history of people saying stuff about theaters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s flapdoodle, of course. It\u2019s not a crock because it was not intentionally bombastic. Falls meant well. He wanted a city full of theaters, everywhere you looked, all doing promising work. He didn\u2019t get that, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theaters, as it turns out, are only like grapes in that it\u2019s really easy to crush the little ones. Falls\u2019s innocent-sounding axiom ended up becoming more of a warning than anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/501c3.guru\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"520\" height=\"322\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15.jpeg?resize=520%2C322&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1503\" style=\"width:900px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15.jpeg?w=520&amp;ssl=1 520w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-15.jpeg?resize=300%2C186&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image by Mabel Amber from Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those same, on-the-surface-collegial-but-not-really, planet-eating, oxygen-sucking nonprofit arts organizations received anywhere between 70-90% of millions in funding by the Kreielsheimer Foundation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2024\/06\/25\/when-the-money-keeps-rolling-in-you-dont-ask-why-or-should-you\/\">as related briefly in an earlier article<\/a>. They were, as it turned out, ruthless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While they jammed their character shoes, ballet slippers, or bare feet on the necks of the smaller organizations \u2014 many (if not most) of which have closed down in the aftermath \u2014 they could be heard saying things like, \u201cThey had just as much a chance to raise those dollars as we did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Now <em>that\u2019s <\/em>a crock<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But worse than messes in Seattle, Pittsburgh, and hell, the rest of the country are those soldiers out there with orders to, yes, build another performing arts center. Undeserved legacy building (a.k.a. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2024\/06\/25\/when-the-money-keeps-rolling-in-you-dont-ask-why-or-should-you\/\">The Edifice Complex<\/a>\u201d) makes cities all the more rotten under the guise of making them healthier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/501c3.guru\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"476\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-14.jpeg?resize=476%2C294&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1502\" style=\"width:900px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-14.jpeg?w=476&amp;ssl=1 476w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-14.jpeg?resize=300%2C185&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 476px) 100vw, 476px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Are you building a building because someone has an &#8220;Edifice Complex?&#8221; Is it some deranged narcissist? Is that any less egotistical and narcissistic than this monstrosity? (Image created through AI)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Exactly how does another empty arts facility do anything but devalue the arts? Emptiness promotes obsolescence and superfluity, so, on behalf of the arts organizations in your community, thanks a hell of a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you subscribe to the ridiculous, fictional, incorrectly-attributed notion that \u201cIf you build it, they will come?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/501c3.guru\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"471\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16.jpeg?resize=471%2C326&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1504\" style=\"width:900px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16.jpeg?w=471&amp;ssl=1 471w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-16.jpeg?resize=300%2C208&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 471px) 100vw, 471px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you think of your company\u2019s venue as your company\u2019s home, you\u2019re already lost.<\/strong> In most cases, in urban and suburban regions across the States (United or Divided), there are ample places to perform your craft <em>for the good of the people you serve, right where they are (instead of making them come to where you are).<\/em> No additional building is necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think about all the community-based systems that exist already in your region. They might not be acoustically perfect, but if the people can hear you and join with you, that\u2019s irrelevant. They might be \u201cuncomfortable\/unsafe\/in bad neighborhoods\u201d as far as your board may go, but people still live in those places. Those people might be exactly those who need the kind of help your art might provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019re running a charity here. Not a country club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The truth is dark here.<\/strong> Foundations \u2014 who continually seem to have no actual idea what it is that arts organizations are supposed to do, who save the big funding only for their friends and those companies they\u2019ve heard of, who care more about the paperwork and reporting apparatus than about the impact of the program so they can lay claim to success to their shareholders \u2014 fund new buildings because they don\u2019t know how or why to fund art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Capital funding for the arts, whether it\u2019s governmental or through private foundations, has got to stop being about the next new building<\/strong>. Fix the buildings that already exist, for example. I have six years of horror stories about ArtsWest\u2019s (Seattle) struggle to keep afloat (in the literal sense, with 15 floods in the first six months) but very few people out there are willing to help a porous community asset, especially when that\u2019s a literal description. Build a new facility? Sure. Fix the one you have? No way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stupid.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After having experienced what good organizations do, how they\u2019re funded (even in emergencies), and why they deserve to succeed \u2014 the subject of my new, shamelessly-plugged book (pre-orders now accepted), <em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/beta-search?keywords=%22Alan+Harrison%22%2C+%22Scene+Change%22\">Scene Change 3: The Ones Who Get It<\/a> <\/em>\u2014 it\u2019s galling to see the Edifice Complex still dominate the funding machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, for the senseless \u201cIf you build it, they will come\u201d crowd, referenced above: W.P. Kinsella wrote, \u201cIf you build it, <em>he <\/em>will come,\u201d and that was about the lead character\u2019s dad. Therefore, I can almost guarantee that if you build some legacy building because some foundation only funds new buildings and not old ones, one person will show up. Someone&#8217;s dad. Bank on it. No guarantees beyond that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wanna have a catch?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3SZFIb0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"517\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?resize=1024%2C517&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Scene Change, Scene Change 2, and Scene Change 3 - 3 books to improve your arts organization\" class=\"wp-image-1423\" style=\"width:900px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?resize=1024%2C517&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?resize=300%2C152&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?resize=768%2C388&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">If you want your nonprofit arts organization to thrive, just pick up this inexpensive trilogy. If not, I can let you know how to throw &#8220;Going Out Of Business&#8221; sales.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ko-fi.com\/alanharrison\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"651\" height=\"345\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-4.jpeg?resize=651%2C345&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1454\" style=\"width:900px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-4.jpeg?w=651&amp;ssl=1 651w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-4.jpeg?resize=300%2C159&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 651px) 100vw, 651px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">I love that you&#8217;ve read this column all the way to the end. Could you find it within you to support my caffeine habit, either by clicking the cup or, if you&#8217;re in Seattle, getting together?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the industry in a nationwide, existential crisis, leaders may have to choose one or the other. If so, the choice is easy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1502,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,20,22,100,32,25,24,19,18,17,27,99],"tags":[157,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-1498","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-culture","8":"category-board-of-directors","9":"category-board-of-trustees","10":"category-book-recommendation","11":"category-charity","12":"category-development-and-fundraising","13":"category-freedom-of-speech","14":"category-leadership","15":"category-nonprofit","16":"category-nonprofit-arts-organizations","17":"category-philanthropy-and-donors","18":"category-scene-change","19":"tag-capital-campaign","20":"tag-community","21":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image-14.jpeg?fit=476%2C294&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":415,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2023\/05\/23\/framing-art-why-do-nonprofit-arts-organizations-hire-managers-instead-of-leaders\/","url_meta":{"origin":1498,"position":0},"title":"Framing Art: Why Do Nonprofit Arts Organizations Hire Managers Instead of Leaders?","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"May 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Leadership is not the same as management. Are we teaching people in the nonprofit arts world how to be leaders or how to get a job as a manager?","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Arts and Culture&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Helicopters-and-buggy-whips.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Helicopters-and-buggy-whips.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Helicopters-and-buggy-whips.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Helicopters-and-buggy-whips.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Helicopters-and-buggy-whips.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1048,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2024\/09\/17\/nonprofit-arts-organizations-whats-a-community\/","url_meta":{"origin":1498,"position":1},"title":"Nonprofit Arts Organizations: What\u2019s a \u201cCommunity?\u201d","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"September 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Say it, out loud. What is the definition of \u201ccommunity\u201d to your nonprofit arts organization? It may not be the community to which you claim membership.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Arts and Culture&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/inigo-square.jpg?fit=1000%2C864&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/inigo-square.jpg?fit=1000%2C864&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/inigo-square.jpg?fit=1000%2C864&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/inigo-square.jpg?fit=1000%2C864&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1782,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2026\/04\/02\/doing-the-right-thing-with-nonprofit-arts-organizations-like-walking-in-high-heels-through-meat\/","url_meta":{"origin":1498,"position":2},"title":"Doing the Right Thing With Nonprofit Arts Organizations: \u201cLike Walking in High Heels Through Meat\u201d","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"April 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"...while the attention to charity has evolved, the nonprofit arts behemoth class has not.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Arts and Culture&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Three-women-walking-in-high-heels-through-meat.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Three-women-walking-in-high-heels-through-meat.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Three-women-walking-in-high-heels-through-meat.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Three-women-walking-in-high-heels-through-meat.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Three-women-walking-in-high-heels-through-meat.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":933,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2024\/06\/11\/nonprofit-arts-leaders-to-change-your-organization-for-the-better-you-actually-have-to-change\/","url_meta":{"origin":1498,"position":3},"title":"Nonprofit Arts Leaders: To Change Your Organization for the Better, You Actually Have to Change","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"June 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Generally speaking, a \u201cdominant response\u201d is the one reaction that is most likely to occur in the presence of a given array of provocations.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Arts and Culture&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/car-vs-wall2.jpg?fit=1200%2C707&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/car-vs-wall2.jpg?fit=1200%2C707&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/car-vs-wall2.jpg?fit=1200%2C707&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/car-vs-wall2.jpg?fit=1200%2C707&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/car-vs-wall2.jpg?fit=1200%2C707&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1728,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2026\/03\/12\/youre-not-still-planning-an-arts-season-from-your-perspective-are-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":1498,"position":4},"title":"You\u2019re Not Still Planning an Arts Season From YOUR Perspective, Are You?","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"March 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you still looking at plays and symphonies and exhibits as your starting point? A reasonable approach in 1976. Big mistake in 2026.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Arts and Culture&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Crazy-Clock.jpg?fit=1200%2C717&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Crazy-Clock.jpg?fit=1200%2C717&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Crazy-Clock.jpg?fit=1200%2C717&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Crazy-Clock.jpg?fit=1200%2C717&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Crazy-Clock.jpg?fit=1200%2C717&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":961,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2024\/06\/18\/the-seattle-arts-scene-today-full-of-hopes-and-full-of-fears\/","url_meta":{"origin":1498,"position":5},"title":"The Seattle Arts Scene Today: Full of Hopes and Full of Fears","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"June 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Good people making strained decisions because they keep thinking it\u2019s about HOW they produce art, not WHY.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Arts and Culture&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Arts and Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/category\/arts-and-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Will-the-last-theater-company.jpg?fit=1200%2C625&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Will-the-last-theater-company.jpg?fit=1200%2C625&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Will-the-last-theater-company.jpg?fit=1200%2C625&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Will-the-last-theater-company.jpg?fit=1200%2C625&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Will-the-last-theater-company.jpg?fit=1200%2C625&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1498"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1551,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498\/revisions\/1551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}