Good people making strained decisions because they keep thinking it’s about HOW they produce art, not WHY Seattle Rep is laying off 12% of its workforce. ACT (A Contemporary Theatre) and Seattle Shakespeare are working out a merger. Bellevue Art Museum (Bellevue is a wealthy, somewhat conservative, mostly White and Asian suburb of Seattle – sometimes referred to as … [Read more...] about The Seattle Arts Scene Today: Full of Hopes and Full of Fears
Charity
Sometimes There’s a Pretty Good Reason to Swim Upstream
For nonprofit arts organizations, the choice to use the art as a final product is the easiest way to swim downstream. Oh, before I forget. If June 30 is a special date for your company and you need/want/are being forced to raise a bunch of money before then with a big campaign, here’s an email to print out and show your various bosses: Don’t force people to give … [Read more...] about Sometimes There’s a Pretty Good Reason to Swim Upstream
Mission Grammar for Nonprofit Arts Organizations: Flick the Prepositions and Cut the Nonsense
Your community requires “Why,” not “How” – and the slogans have got to go Let’s make this short and impactful. Well, impactful anyway. Get the prepositions, whether they’re attached to a phrase or not, out of your mission statement. And the slogans, too. Not only are they unnecessary, but more than that, these words set up your nonprofit arts organization for … [Read more...] about Mission Grammar for Nonprofit Arts Organizations: Flick the Prepositions and Cut the Nonsense
For Live, Functioning Artists, The End Comes Not With a Bang, But an Email
In the never-ending, fruitless search for economy, actors are being replaced by algorithms The “race to the bottom” in today’s economy is well-documented. It has always been well-documented, railed against, and ultimately won the day. From the obscenity of 400 years of enslaving Black people to prop up a weak economy in the United States to a smaller vulgarity of … [Read more...] about For Live, Functioning Artists, The End Comes Not With a Bang, But an Email
Nonprofit Arts Organizations: Water Is Wet. And Cultural Crossover Doesn’t Work Unless You Center Your Full-Time Intent Downstage of the Footlights.
Incidentally, it’s my birthday today. So, hey – I have the perfect gift all figured out. Just click on any image you see… You had a nifty idea. Combine hip-hop with one show this season. Then they’ll subscribe to your theater, symphony, or ballet forever more. Neato. Nifty ideas that come from a place of desperation and vainglory never turn out very well. I know. … [Read more...] about Nonprofit Arts Organizations: Water Is Wet. And Cultural Crossover Doesn’t Work Unless You Center Your Full-Time Intent Downstage of the Footlights.