In 2014 the Wyncote Foundation commissioned Lutman & Associates to research digital adoption by legacy cultural institutions. The resulting study, Like, Link, Share: How cultural institutions are embracing digital technology, showcases the awesome creative work of 40 cultural organizations and shares common themes and lessons learned among these leading practitioners. When I spoke about the […]
Defining R & D in the cultural sector: why we need innovation in grantmaking strategy
As part of the research project I’m working on with the Philadelphia-based Wyncote Foundation (see previous posts), I recently had the opportunity to attend the Annual Forum for Nesta‘s Digital R & D Fund for the Arts in London. To give you the lay of the land in case you don’t already know anything about it, Nesta calls itself “an innovation […]
Announcing Hothouse: Exploring new ideas in co-working with the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Something new is launching in Minneapolis next week! I’m excited to announce Hothouse, a 12-week pilot co-working project I’ve created as MIA Entrepreneur in Residence. In collaboration with Hunter Palmer Wright, Venture Innovation Director of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Hothouse will explore whether and how the museum can foster a creative co-working space that is […]
Be the orchestra: thinking far beyond putting concerts online
Recently I went on an excursion with staff from Philharmonia UK, the London orchestra founded in 1945. The Philharmonia was then in week twelve of its thirteen-week iOrchestra project that engaged residents of rural south-west England in large-scale digital installations created to encourage exploration of orchestral music in very new ways. The installations travelled in […]
Practicing extreme transparency: Why does your “About Us” section have to be so boring?
As part of a major project I’m working on with the Philadelphia-based Wyncote Foundation, I’ve been spending a lot of time on the websites of cultural organizations; looking at their apps, social media projects, and other digital channels; visiting them to see projects first-hand; and talking with them about the capabilities and resources needed to […]
What would a Minnesotan orchestra look like? A reverie on place
How can a cultural organization be where it is, not just what it is.
New digital culture report from Media Impact Funders
Late last week Media Impact Funders (MIF) released a report I helped create titled Molto + Media; Digital Culture Funding. The report consists of data MIF commissioned from the Foundation Center documenting private sector giving to cultural organizations in the U.S. for media purposes, and nine profiles of organizations doing exemplary digital media work. It’s great […]
Organizations as platforms
I credit Steve Dietz, the founder and director of the Twin Cities’ treasured organization Northern Lights, with casually saying to me one day, “Build platforms not organizations.â€Â It stuck and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Dietz, a self-described “serial platform creator,†is the director of Northern Spark, a once-a-year, all night festival that […]
Reflections on a week at Harvard Business School (and thank you NAS)
For the past two weeks I have been digesting the terrific week of learning at Harvard Business School that National Arts Strategies offered as part of its Chief Executive Program. The week’s theme was The New Nature of Relevance, and our case studies, HBR articles, and group exercises were designed to foster conversation about leadership […]
Landmark 1988 Oakland Symphony study released in digital format
Thanks to the efforts of Grantmakers in the Arts, the landmark 1988 study of the Oakland Symphony bankruptcy is newly available in digital format. Titled, Autopsy of an Orchestra: An Analysis of the Factors Contributing to the Bankruptcy of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra Association, the research was conducted and the report written by Melanie Beene, Patricia […]
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