{"id":38,"date":"2022-10-04T12:01:39","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T12:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/?p=38"},"modified":"2022-10-05T05:59:44","modified_gmt":"2022-10-05T05:59:44","slug":"nonprofit-arts-organizations-just-because-something-is-absurd-doesnt-make-it-offensive-does-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2022\/10\/04\/nonprofit-arts-organizations-just-because-something-is-absurd-doesnt-make-it-offensive-does-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Nonprofit Arts Organizations: Just Because Something Is Absurd Doesn&#8217;t Make It Offensive, Does\u00a0It?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Can-we-stop-going-backward.jpg?resize=1000%2C444&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-77\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Can-we-stop-going-backward.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Can-we-stop-going-backward.jpg?resize=300%2C133&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Can-we-stop-going-backward.jpg?resize=768%2C341&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption>The The Tar Tar Pits, All in the Family, and Mike Trout, a member of the The Angels Angels.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>The La Brea Tar Pits translates to \u201cThe The Tar Tar Pits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Los Angeles Angels translates to \u201cThe The Angels Angels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both of these items are well-known jokes to most Angelenos. But are they racially insensitive, somehow? Should someone who says these things out loud be pilloried for allegedly making fun of (and therefore, disrespecting) the Latinx culture\u2026when they\u2019re clearly not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or is it just an amusing bit of trivia?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recently, I watched a commercial for <a href=\"https:\/\/thefire.org\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">FIRE<\/a> (the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) which, evidently, is only appearing on the cable channel Comedy Central. <a href=\"https:\/\/judygold.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Judy Gold<\/a>, one of the funniest people ever to set foot on the planet, is the spokesperson for FIRE, whose mission is to \u201cdefend and sustain the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought\u200a\u2014\u200athe most essential qualities of liberty. FIRE educates Americans about the importance of these inalienable rights, promotes a culture of respect for these rights, and provides the means to preserve them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To that end, the commercial shows what happens when the <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/nonprofits-arts-politics-leadership\/nonprofits-its-not-funny-why-are-you-laughing-f8c00d8c61b9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Irony-Free Police<\/a> (IFP) morph into a mob mentality. It also shows what happens when members of an audience go to a comedy club expecting something other than, say, comedy. Watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Comedian Judy Gold wants more speech, not less\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2AHpNywIUEM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As you embark on your nonprofit arts organization\u2019s next project, are you being cowed by the IFP not to engage in free speech? Is it your responsibility to cut a moment in a play or concert that might challenge\u200a\u2014\u200aor yes, even offend\u200a\u2014\u200akey members of your audience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t get me wrong. I\u2019m not advocating for a return to blackface, yellowface, or other past forms of entertainment that cross the line in today\u2019s sensibilities. We\u2019ve moved forward. We\u2019re past that. Absurdity is not innately racist. Absurdity is useful when making a sharp point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/nonprofits-arts-politics-leadership\/what-is-free-time-whose-is-it-and-how-does-that-affect-your-nonprofit-arts-organization-and-you-bb7504ab6148\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Last month<\/a>, in an article describing the real meaning of \u201cfree time,\u201d there was a discussion about employers forcing employees, by virtue of the employee\u2019s passion for the work, to work 60 hours per week but only paying for 35. I used slavery as an example of bosses forcing their workers to work free of charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is <em>exactly <\/em>what I wrote (although I urge you to use <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/nonprofits-arts-politics-leadership\/what-is-free-time-whose-is-it-and-how-does-that-affect-your-nonprofit-arts-organization-and-you-bb7504ab6148\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this link<\/a> to read the entirety, at least for the sake of context):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"521\" height=\"728\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/slavery-clip.jpg?resize=521%2C728&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-78\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/slavery-clip.jpg?w=521&amp;ssl=1 521w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/slavery-clip.jpg?resize=215%2C300&amp;ssl=1 215w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 521px) 100vw, 521px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I used a public domain image from the University of Notre Dame to make a point. And while I am completely aware that snark is not easily translated to the printed page, I believe it was clear that I was using the extreme as a point. It was meant to impress what some employers have done to their employees, what some employees have done to themselves, and the absurdity of believing that behavior (on both sides) is okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was there to make a point. Just like Mel Brooks\u2019 <em>Springtime for Hitler<\/em>. Just like every single episode of <em>All in the Family<\/em>. Something that would be otherwise offensive, when presented properly, has more impact when it is couched in the absurd. Because sometimes, absurd is absurd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, predictably, one non-Black commenter complained that she was stunned by the use of the image and the \u201cjesting manner\u201d in which slavery was discussed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>As you embark on your nonprofit arts organization\u2019s next project, are you being cowed by the IFP not to engage in free speech? Is it your responsibility to cut a moment in a play or concert that might challenge\u200a\u2014\u200aor yes, even offend\u200a\u2014\u200akey members of your audience?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the thing: when we, as a society, progress, we also note the point of no return. It\u2019s why it was shocking to so many that the Supreme Court decided that women did not have the right to their own reproductive system. It was a return to an obscenity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before <em>All in the Family, <\/em>popular television comedies often used the cutesy phrase \u201czany hijinks\u201d to describe the plight of their main characters. After <em>All in the Family<\/em>, people learned not only to roll their eyes at Archie Bunker, they learned that his bigotry was ugly and made him look ridiculous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than 50 years have now passed since the debut of <em>All in the Family. <\/em>Should television go back to the days of <em>Here\u2019s Lucy <\/em>(the top-rated sitcom on television the year before <em>All in the Family<\/em> debuted) and her zany hijinks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A popular question among television professionals is, \u201cCould <em>All in the Family <\/em>be produced today? Or is it too offensive?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a question that makes me tired. It makes Judy Gold angry. And it\u2019s causing standup comedy\u200a\u2014\u200awhich, in my view, is theater (script, character, and flow)\u200a\u2014\u200ato engage in a battle that has already been settled. And that battle has leaked into the rest of the arts as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just a few years ago, pre-Pandemic, a local theatre company licensed and produced the Reduced Shakespeare Company\u2019s hilarious sendup, <em>The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), <\/em>in which all 37 plays are condensed into a single evening. Like the Marx Brothers before them, this RSC has combined intelligence with absurdity. Smart dumbness, if you will, produces laughs, like any farcical contradiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this romp, <em>Othello <\/em>is presented as a rap song, sung with high energy (and no flair, on purpose) by a couple of white men. It\u2019s intended to make fun of the white men as being ridiculous, much like the <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/sCGhHNBS4xM\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">current Corona commercial<\/a> with Andy Samberg and Snoop Dogg. However, the local director thought it made fun of Black art. He cut it from the show. Forget that the licensing agreement doesn\u2019t allow that; he and the cast felt uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Collectively, we all took a step backward when that happened. We infantilized ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The shock is not in the nature of art offending anyone, let alone its purveyors. The shock is in the nature of going backward.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Can we please stop going backward?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"58\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Line-Flourish-2.png?resize=1024%2C58&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-73\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Line-Flourish-2.png?resize=1024%2C58&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Line-Flourish-2.png?resize=300%2C17&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Line-Flourish-2.png?resize=768%2C44&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Line-Flourish-2.png?w=1174&amp;ssl=1 1174w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ko-fi.com\/alanharrison\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/buy-me-a-coffee-for-bottom-of-articles.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Based in Kirkland, Washington, <\/em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/501c3.guru\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Alan Harrison<\/em><\/a><em> is a writer and speaker specializing in nonprofit organizations, strategy, and life politics. His columns appear regularly in major publications. Contact him directly at <\/em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"mailto:alan@501c3.guru\" target=\"_blank\"><em>alan@501c3.guru<\/em><\/a><em>. Alan would be delighted to engage with your board or staff.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Yes, there is a book in the works. More information on that soon. Maybe sooner, with your help?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Alan is always looking for good opportunities to write and consult for nonprofits that need a hand. And, of course, that elusive <\/em><strong><em>Perfect Opportunity\u2122.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>And hey, if you\u2019re feeling generous, feel free to click on the photo and buy Alan a cup of coffee. Not mandatory at all, but gosh, it\u2019d be nice.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As you embark on your nonprofit arts organization\u2019s next project, are you being cowed by the Irony Free Police not to engage in free speech? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42,"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":[21,20,22,23,24,19,17],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-38","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-executive-director","11":"category-freedom-of-speech","12":"category-leadership","13":"category-nonprofit-arts-organizations","14":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Can-we-stop-going-backward-1.png?fit=1930%2C856&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":989,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2024\/07\/01\/this-just-in-a-new-and-unedited-review-for-scene-change\/","url_meta":{"origin":38,"position":0},"title":"This Just In: A New (and Unedited) Review for \u201cSCENE CHANGE\u201d","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"July 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\"It clearly comes from a place of love for the subversive and utopian possibilities of the arts.\"","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\/07\/Collective-Ink-Book-Cover.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Collective-Ink-Book-Cover.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Collective-Ink-Book-Cover.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Collective-Ink-Book-Cover.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Collective-Ink-Book-Cover.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1683,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2025\/12\/30\/scene-change-3-just-named-to-kirkus-reviews-25-best-indies-of-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":38,"position":1},"title":"&#8220;SCENE CHANGE 3&#8221; Just Named to Kirkus Reviews&#8217; &#8220;25 Best Indies of 2025!&#8221;","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"December 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"If you're serious about succeeding as a nonprofit arts organization, you're going to want to pick up the trilogy at your favorite bookstore.","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\/2025\/12\/Scene-change-3-with-sky.jpg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Scene-change-3-with-sky.jpg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Scene-change-3-with-sky.jpg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Scene-change-3-with-sky.jpg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Scene-change-3-with-sky.jpg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"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":38,"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":457,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2023\/06\/20\/warning-the-following-column-was-completely-written-by-a-i-as-such-it-should-terrify-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":38,"position":3},"title":"Warning: The Following Column Was Completely Written by A.I. As Such, It Should Terrify You.","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"June 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"For my nonprofit arts colleagues worldwide who are agonizing over whether they might be replaced, be assured. You likely will.","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\/05\/Enhanced-AI-typing.jpg?fit=1200%2C711&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Enhanced-AI-typing.jpg?fit=1200%2C711&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Enhanced-AI-typing.jpg?fit=1200%2C711&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Enhanced-AI-typing.jpg?fit=1200%2C711&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Enhanced-AI-typing.jpg?fit=1200%2C711&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1517,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2025\/10\/07\/a-punchy-outspoken-argument-for-how-nonprofit-arts-organizations-should-be-run\/","url_meta":{"origin":38,"position":4},"title":"&#8220;A PUNCHY, OUTSPOKEN ARGUMENT FOR HOW NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD BE RUN.&#8221;","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"October 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\"An example-driven new map to success in the realm of nonprofit theater.\" \u2014 Kirkus Reviews.","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":"Scene Change, Scene Change 2, and Scene Change 3 - 3 books to improve your arts organization","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3-book-titles.jpg?fit=1200%2C606&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1352,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/scenechange\/2025\/07\/25\/advocacy-for-the-nonprofit-arts-sector-is-currently-meaningless\/","url_meta":{"origin":38,"position":5},"title":"SUMMER RERUN: Advocacy for the Nonprofit Arts Sector is Currently Meaningless","author":"Alan Harrison","date":"July 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Lost amid a string of inside-baseball phrases and ideologies, officials have little idea as to why they would possibly fund institutions that serve themselves first. It's easy to make the case for art. For artists. For charity. 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