Sigh. We live in interesting times. Increasingly folks are driven further apart, retreating into factions that love one thing/person or hate another. Naturally, we are right and they are wrong. What to do? My wife works for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (At least she did as of the writing of this post.) Despite being great at her job and doing incredible work cleaning up the planet, her job… in fact her entire department… is in danger of being cut. So too the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the … [Read more...]
About Dallas Shelby
Failing… Without Platitudes
We live in a society that largely looks at those who fail as, to quote a certain Presidential candidate, “Losers.” And, no one wants to be a loser. Often the tighter our budgets, the less likely we are to try new things for fear of failing. The only way to never fail, as the saying goes, is to not try at all. All of this stands in contrast with the platitude-laden conference panels, posts and conversations about failure. They say that is is ok to fail. That failure is part of the learning process. That it is but one step in the innovation … [Read more...]
You Gotta Know Why
This week, we're sharing reflections on the process and the ideas leaders in our Chief Executive Program: Community and Culture worked on during their Summit at Sundance last month. We encourage you to add your voice, your questions and experiences to the conversation, and to use the information and conversations to inform action! Communities, funders and the environment all shift over time. Arts and culture organizations can get stuck in patterns of doing and being. How might we change so that we remain relevant when our communities … [Read more...]
Career Paths: Giving You the Last Word
This week on Field Notes, we’re talking about career paths. We’ve broken this conversation down into four questions. We’ve looked at a different question each day. Today, sadly, is the final day of this week-long conversation. Whew! It’s been a bit of a whirlwind of activity and information. I hope you have been able to grasp a few useful ideas. If you walk away with only one nugget, remember that planning your career is simply asking these four questions… over and over and over again: Where am I now? Where do I want to go? What are … [Read more...]
How to Get Lucky (It’s Not What You Think)
This week on Field Notes, we're talking about career paths. We've broken this conversation down into four questions. We'll dive into a different question each day this week. Today is the final day of this week-long conversation. The last question we're exploring centers around overcoming the obstacles you've identified. How do you close your learning gaps? How do you convince your boss to take a chance and give you that project? We’ve talked about lots of different elements that factor into a career path. We’ve shared words of wisdom, … [Read more...]
Fastest Route from Point A to Point B, Not Always a Straight Line
This week on Field Notes, we're talking about career paths. We've broken this conversation down into four questions. We'll dive into a different question each day this week. Today, we take a look at the obstacles in between where you are and where you want to be. How do you determine what these obstacles are? Which ones are the most important to focus on now? Ok. Let’s say you’ve done some soul searching, consulted your family and your most trusted advisors. You can now safely say that you know: ① where you are and ② where you … [Read more...]
Moon Shot: Charting Your Path
A career in the arts. Some (parents) might say that’s an oxymoron. But, if you're reading this it’s likely the path you are on. There is, however, a way to navigate the path and perhaps even put the skeptics at ease. Over the course of my career in this field, I’ve had countless conversations with interns, program officers, CEOs... myself... about that next step in our career. What is it and how soon will it get here? For many, the answers to these questions are a regular preoccupation and can be quite fraught. But, as any good teacher (or … [Read more...]
How have you engaged your staff to cultivate new leaders?
NAS produces publications, videos and other management tools to inspire those working in the field to take a fresh look at their work and the challenges they face. Over the last few years we have amassed quite a large catalog of content. We’ve sent NAS staff members into the archives to pick their favorites and share them here. This week NAS Director, Dallas Shelby, shares one of his favorite NAS videos. Full disclosure: I conducted this interview. It was a fascinating chat, not only because I got to see the incredible artifacts in the … [Read more...]
Keep Talking About What Art Means
When I say, "the arts" what does that mean to you? Where do you see arts in your community? Tell me about a moment you connected with the arts. Last week I challenged you to go out and ask folks in your community these three questions. We've already gotten a handful of responses. I even saw some folks sharing what their responses on social media. My manicurist April told me she has no time 4 art because she's busy creating costumes for an angel themed hair show #thatsart #NASadvocacy — Sunny Widmann (@sunnywidmann) March 21, 2015 (Thanks, … [Read more...]
Ask a Simple Question… or Three
We've been hearing from folks who have tried out the three simple questions. They went outside and talked to people in their communities. Now, I challenge you to do the same. Go out this weekend and ask questions. Use ours or create your own. Share what you learn with us and with others. Tweet it (#NASadvocacy). Facebook it. Post it. Talk about it. But, most importantly listen to it. Again, here are my three simple questions: When I say, “the arts” what does that mean to you? Where do you see arts in your community? Tell me about a … [Read more...]
Research, Reports & Real People Talking About the Arts (Oh My!)
There've been many great responses to today's posts and there are so many smart people already looking and thinking about how we might rethink advocacy. I wanted to list a few of the resources/examples that folks have shared with me over the course of the day. Please continue to share with me... and with others outside the arts. Createquity Earlier this month, Createquity featured a post "A New Way to Think About Intrinsic vs. Instrumental Benefits of the Arts" in which they talk about a new report “Cultural Ecology, Neighborhood … [Read more...]
What’s the Matter with “Why the Arts Matter?”
Next week we celebrate Arts Advocacy Day. We come together as a field to lobby congress and talk about why what we do matters. Last year many of our staff even shared our thoughts on the value of the arts. Arts Advocacy Day is an important event, to be sure. The arts do matter. But, chances are if you're reading this you're likely already a believer. Therein lies the problem... or at the very least an opportunity. What if we tried something different? (I'm not advocating that we stop lobbying congress, but...) What if we saw this … [Read more...]
Creative Placemaking: A Conversation
Let’s talk about creative placemaking. In those five words, I’ve probably lost the attention of 40% of our field. It’s likely about 25% are now busy rolling their eyes. Another 15% might be asking, “What is left to discuss?” Yes, in many ways creative placemaking has become an often-cited cultural sector panacea. And yes, it’s a great phrase for grant proposals (and who doesn’t relish a good grant proposal?). But seriously, let’s talk about creative placemaking. Forget for a moment the capital C, capital P proper noun. Let’s talk about … [Read more...]
Arts as an Engine of Unrest
Or, How the Arts Ruined a Perfectly Good Childhood
Art makes people happy. Lots of individuals and institutions are now looking at proving and understanding this link. To some it’s the holy grail of arts impact. Who doesn't want to feel good? Well… I don’t. Or, at least I don’t think that’s where the real power of the arts lies. For me, the arts matter because of their ability to do just the opposite. I was raised in a tiny farming community in Northern Arkansas. We didn’t have a symphony. We didn’t have a museum. We didn’t have much “Art” to speak of. If forced to name the town’s cultural … [Read more...]
Solving Field-wide Problems Together
How do we engage collaborators in shaping our institutional agendas? How do we create 21st century boards? How do we develop transformational employees and systems? How do we maximize the field’s value in the eyes of the public? Answer: Together. Last year, NAS brought the participants of The Chief Executive Program together at an ideation conference to collectively work on solutions to the four problems listed above. We shared our framing of those issues here in hopes of starting a conversation about them. Now, we want to … [Read more...]