Interesting stuff, as ever, at the Pew Internet & American Life Project web site. This time, on the contrary evidence to our common assumptions about new technologies. While many take it as a given that new technologies distract us from real-world social interaction, and encourage our cocooning into digitally-connected isolation, recent survey data suggests otherwise. […]

Yet more compelling and inspiring words from Ben Cameron of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation during his recent talk at TEDxYCC in Calgary. Well worth a watching.

My conversations at the Salzburg Global Seminar last week reinforced the inherent tensions in the business of arts and culture. Example 1: We build organizations to resolve cost and scale problems. Organizations, by their design, seek to reduce or mitigate risk. Art is risk. Tension ensues. Example 2: We require more capital or cash to […]

Way back in June 2008, I posted an ‘open-source public service announcement‘ concept and media mock-up called ”Art. It’s what’s inside.” Since I didn’t have the means or the channel to produce a professional version of the message I had in mind, I figured I’d release it to the world to see what life it […]

I’ve noticed a general agreement that the arts and culture world needs ‘problem solvers,’ people who can advance creative solutions with limited resources. But from observing countless cultural conversations, I’m emerging into a different view. From my experience, we’ve got PLENTY of problem solvers. We’re swimming in them. Extraordinarily resourceful artists, managers, board members, and […]

My blog entries have been few and far between of late, mostly due to back-to-back travel and project activity. Sorry to those who missed the entries (if any of you there be). I’ll work to get back on track. Last week’s excuse was a four-day Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria, entitled ”The Performing Arts in […]

As I’ve mentioned, I’m in Salzburg, Austria, for a four-day convening on the future of the performing arts. We’ve been discussing broad trends, challenges, and opportunities among a global group to unbundle what we know about the arts ecology, and to consider how that ecology might need to adapt or evolve with all the changes […]

I’ve had this Baltimore Symphony story simmering on the back burner for a few weeks, and continue to come back to it. The symphony hosted a special concert/performance event to allow amateur musicians to sit in with their professional counterparts. Called ”Rusty Musicians With the BSO,” the event was a pet project of conductor Marin […]

An increasing range of entertainment these days is available through a monthly all-access payment rather than a per-use or per-unit cost. Netflix offers unlimited on-line movies and DVDs for one monthly payment. Rhapsody offers access to a jukebox in the clouds for a monthly fee, as well. Now Seattle’s ACT Theater is playing with the […]

I don’t talk much on this blog about the specifics of my day job, directing an MBA degree program in Arts Administration at the Wisconsin School of Business. But I certainly get questions about that work through e-mail responses to the blog, and when I’m out and about at conferences and the like. For those […]