{"id":1687,"date":"2026-02-06T18:27:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T18:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/?p=1687"},"modified":"2026-02-06T18:27:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T18:27:19","slug":"hello-carol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2026\/02\/06\/hello-carol\/","title":{"rendered":"Hello, Carol."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are nonprofit arts leaders simply more susceptible to groupthink, even to their own detriment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A typical TCG, APAP, Opera America, or League of American Orchestras Conference. (Photo by Danielle Barnes on Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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After years of listening to artists and watching the 120,000 nonprofit arts organizations across this country, one pattern is impossible to ignore: the loudest, wealthiest institutions \u2014 the ones that issued grand equity manifestos \u2014 are the same ones now sprinting back to business as usual. They promised transformation and delivered warmed\u2011over mediocrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut the audiences!\u201d they whine. \u201cAudiences won\u2019t buy tickets unless the work is happy, conventional, or familiar!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me be clear. I have no problem with audiences using their admission dollars to sway arts organizations. It\u2019s their prerogative, mostly because those same nonprofit arts organizations have purposely, joyfully, and with great relief, abandoned their positions as charities in order to sell stuff. Selling stuff, of course, has nothing whatsoever to do with \u201ccharitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and preventing cruelty to children or animals,\u201d which is what they signed on to do when they applied for that IRS determination letter. More importantly, it is what their communities need them to do, which is why donations are, generally speaking, only coming from the wealthy White patrons. As we\u2019ve said in the past, the whole industry has devolved into a reality where donors are donating so that those same donors may attend (the textbook definition of elitism).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, charitable organizations sell stuff. But they do it to support their mission \u2014 not to justify another glossy production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you buy a t-shirt from the ACLU, they defend the First Amendment. If you hate the t-shirt, they still defend the First Amendment. And if you\u2019re donating because<\/em> of the t-shirt, you\u2019re missing the point entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you’re interested in buying this shirt and supporting the ACLU, just click on the image.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The penguins-on-an-iceberg photo at the top of this column is often misread by arts leaders as a symbol of organizations huddling together on a harsh cultural landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a metaphor for artists stranded on a landscape they didn\u2019t create. Each iceberg is a nonprofit arts organization insisting on going it alone or clinging only to similar icebergs. A few penguins hoard the resources. Those are the ones that make waves. But not many. Not enough. And most penguins either starve or leave the metaphor entirely \u2014 which is a loss for everyone except the organizations that caused the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Are dead penguins an imperfect metaphor? Sure. Accurate? You betcha.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the field continues to gorge itself on conferences, convenings, and consulting firms that promise \u201cinnovation\u201d but deliver the same recycled talking points. It\u2019s a feedback loop of self-congratulation masquerading as progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And let\u2019s be honest: shifting from self-serving programming to genuine community service is hard. It requires risk. It requires humility. It requires giving up the illusion that acclaim equals impact. And after so many organizations loudly proclaimed their devotion to equity \u2014 only to abandon it the moment it threatened their comfort \u2014 why would anyone believe they\u2019re ready to change now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These institutions cling to fame, fortune, acclaim, and high production values as if they were constitutional rights. They aren\u2019t. They\u2019re distractions. They turn organizations into clannish, gossipy clubs where artistic-vision aspirants compare r\u00e9sum\u00e9s and congratulate themselves for being \u201cleaders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, money is necessary to make art. Artists have known that forever. I sympathize. As a recovering artist, I understand the desire to create magic \u2014 to transform ideas into something new, sometimes collaboratively, where sparks fly and new worlds emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you\u2019re running a nonprofit arts organization, you<\/em> are not creating art. You are assembling<\/em> it. You\u2019re not building the house; you\u2019re hiring the people who build the house. You pay artists to make art, but the art is not yours. Boards and peer institutions have convinced you that your worth is measured in finances and acclaim \u2014 and no one cares about the acclaim except you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for those who missed it: the headline references the TV show Pluribus<\/em>, which explores the tension between collective thinking and individual dissent. Both succeed; both fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So ask yourself \u2014 honestly: Is your organization chasing popularity and financial security while offering only lip service to \u201ccommunity\u201d? Or is it isolated, clinging to artistic vision as a shield against accountability? Both paths succeed; both paths fail. The difference is intention. And courage. And whether you actually want to serve the people you claim to serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Scene<\/a>
If you want your nonprofit arts organization to thrive, just pick up this inexpensive trilogy. After all, it has about $100K worth of arts consultant work in it. If not, I can let you know how to throw “Going Out Of Business” sales. Just shoot me an email: alan@501c3.guru<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Thanks for reading through to the end. If you like what you’re reading, please consider buying me a cup of coffee by clicking on the cup. I’d really appreciate it!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are nonprofit arts leaders simply more susceptible to groupthink, even to their own detriment?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1689,"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":[21,20,100,40,32,29,28,23,24,19,18,17,99],"tags":[176,85,50],"class_list":{"0":"post-1687","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-book-recommendation","10":"category-change","11":"category-charity","12":"category-dei","13":"category-diversity-equity-inclusion","14":"category-executive-director","15":"category-freedom-of-speech","16":"category-leadership","17":"category-nonprofit","18":"category-nonprofit-arts-organizations","19":"category-scene-change","20":"tag-aclu","21":"tag-community","22":"tag-nonprofit-management","23":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Penguins-on-an-iceberg-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C562&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":543,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2023\/09\/19\/if-your-nonprofit-arts-organizations-audience-is-comprised-solely-of-ticket-buyers-you-missed-the-point-the-boat-and-your-chance\/","url_meta":{"origin":1687,"position":0},"title":"If Your Nonprofit Arts Organization\u2019s Audience Is Comprised Solely of Ticket Buyers, You Missed the Point, the Boat, and Your Chance","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"September 19, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Have you stuck by your audience? 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