Just a brief note during my July hiatus to mark the fifth anniversary of this weblog. I launched The Artful Manager on July 14 back in 2003, with the help and guidance of ArtsJournal founder Doug McLennan. 855 posts later, the blog continues to be a great place to think out loud, and a gateway […]
An open source PSA
Want to link or embed this PSA on your web site? Use the ”production version” now available here. Before I go on my July hiatus, I wanted to lob one more idea into the ether, and offer an incentive to anyone who catches it. I’ve generally been frustrated with public campaigns to promote and support […]
July hiatus
June was a brutal month for on-the-road convening. So I’m taking July as a weblog hiatus. I’ll be back in August with new thoughts and fresh perspective. Until then, have a great month!
Not aloof and detached, but deeply, deeply human
This one time, at band camp (okay, orchestra camp), I got to watch a slightly crazy and wildly gesticulating individual convince a roomful of young musicians that their power and calling was more than just learning to play well. Rather, he persuaded us that we were part of a long arc of human expression that […]
A thought to chew on
Over the two arts conventions I’ve just marshaled through, one particular comment has been bouncing around in my head more than others. It was said during one of the many AmericaSpeaks caucus sessions in Denver, that gathered groups of 8 to 10 cross-disciplinary participants to talk about larger, common issues of performing arts policy. The […]
Americans, as it turns out, are for the arts
I’m just back from another conference, this time hosted by Americans for the Arts. Some 1400 representatives arts organizations, foundations and community funds, arts service organizations, and local, state, regional, and national arts agencies gathered in Philadelphia for the 2008 annual conference. As ever, the conference confirmed that the true value of such convenings is […]
Posting results, pondering impact
The National Performing Arts Convention has started to post the results of its final Town Hall meeting over on their convention weblog. These are the categories and strategies presented during the massive final meeting of the convention, and voted on by some 1300 conventioners. The three-day process leading up to this final event included large […]
Changing the players, and the game
Last week’s National Performing Arts Convention ended with a massive gathering of about 1300 performing arts professionals, all in one room, to review and select a collective agenda for action to advance the field. The big three bullets were about increasing resonance and value of the performing arts among citizens and communities, reforming and reframing […]
Who’s in, who’s out?
One of the fascinating series of discussions at the National Performing Arts Convention have hovered around what constitutes a ”national performing arts community.” Given the convening of this event by national service organizations for formally organized, primarily nonprofit cultural organizations, the bias in the perspectives is probably obvious: the ”performing arts community” includes nonprofit and […]
Other than the large, blue, geodesic bear
As it turns out, I’m far too consumed in attending the National Performing Arts Convention to write about its content yet. But I hope to do so over the coming days. In the meanwhile, I’ve been struck by the curious contradictions in the particular part of Denver we’re in. The Colorado Convention Center is a […]
