BlogBack: Words of Wisdom on Future Arts Leaders, from Generation X

Kara Kane, a Chicago-based independent IT consultant and freelance musician, responds to The Coming Arts Leadership Brain Drain:
While I do agree that the arts world will lose many of the best and brightest to corporate America, I feel that the arts world is itself part of the problem. Two issues that are more important than not having the money to lure the best and the brightest: The arts world is suspect of job-switchers from corporate to non-profit and often won’t let them in; and arts institutions currently can’t compete with the job growth opportunities that corporate and financial institutions offer.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen arts higher-ups not even entertain interviewing candidates from industries where salaries are high. I’ve heard them say: “This person is just looking to get relocated here and will leave us when a better offer comes.” They worry that this person will get frustrated with the limitations of business practices/models at art institutions/non-profits and only be there a couple years; or this person will get bored and leave us because there is no real career growth for him/her.
I do think there is a stigma associated with Gen Xers and younger generations that we are job-hoppers. So, arts institutions figure they will go with people already tried and true in the arts/non-profit world, and then hire temporary interns to cover lower level admin work.
Seems like the new “hot” way to get into arts management is to get a master’s degree in “Arts Management.” I understand this concept of “signaling” to companies that you are serious about your career, but why would any person with legitimate corporate experience quit a job making upwards of $75K and pay $30K a year to go back to school to make $40-50K? Shouldn’t years of hands-on experience trump a degree?
For example, I worked in the big-six consulting world and then for the airline industry. When I responded to ads for a leading Chicago musical institution, we talked via e-mail and exchanged great ideas on how my background in IT solutions might help their quest to fill audience seats (same predicament as filling seats on planes). I was so jazzed, but shortly after they asked what my current compensation was, they quickly said there was no way they could match that.
I told them I completely understood that and was willing to take a serious pay cut because I was excited about the opportunity of helping the organization revive itself financially. I also have a background in music (undergrad double major in music and a master’s in voice), so one would think my commitment was evident. However, it seems they decided for me that I wouldn’t be happy there—the position was too low level—and said it wouldn’t be a good match. End of game…
The arts world needs to realize that this generation of 20- and 30-somethings is motivated by more than money. But I do think arts companies need to come up with challenging career tracks that will attract the best and the brightest.