Americans for the Arts

Diane Ragsdale

There’s an old Dunkin’ Donuts commercial that ran back in the 1980s. It first showed a baker’s alarm clock going off in the wee hours of the morning and then the baker shuffling into the shower, and then into the bakery, all the time muttering “Time to make the donuts...The donuts!" When the alarms go off at the homes of artistic and managing directors of nonprofit arts institutions across the United States, I imagine them waking up and sighing “Time to meet more donors...The donors...The donors!"

There’s a lot of talk these days about transformation of the arts sector. But before we consider what we might look like in the future it might be worth reflecting on the fact that the arts sector has undergone enormous transformation already. Many institutions have evolved from rough-and-tumble clans filled with artists running around in blue jeans to...well, to professionalized bureaucracies filled with fundraisers striding around in suits. We were prodded into this transformation by corporate types who perceived our way of doing business as chaotic and, therefore, ineffective.

But what if the corporate types were wrong decades back when they told us that becoming more like them would make us more stable and, therefore, better able to fulfill our missions? 

Marc Vogl

Does anyone play fantasy sports?

I was in a fantasy basketball league last year. I did terribly - came in last place, a very distant last place.

I got into it partly because I have some interest in following the NBA, mostly because a friend of mine needed a 12th person for his league. But there was a little part of me that decided to try it because I thought I could learn something about how using data can drive decision making and, hopefully, result in success.

For those that haven’t played fantasy sports, it’s a game played with data (or so I thought). The fantasy is that one pretends to be the general manager for a team – hiring and firing players throughout the course of a season. One gains points and competes with others in the fantasy league by selecting real-live players and adding up the various statistics they collect in a week of real-live playing. So, for example (and I promise that I will bring this back to the business of the arts topic that I was asked to write about), if I have Lebron James on my team (you’ve heard of Lebron, right?) I collect points not just for every basket he makes, but for every assist, every steal, every three-pointer, blocked shot, and free throw. 

Kate Marquez

There is no question the arts are essential to build community in dynamic, lasting ways. However, arts organizations are constantly defending this concept. Unfortunately, in today’s economic climate it seems the best way to keep the arts alive is to attach monetary terms to their worth.

Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance (SAACA) has found there is more to gain than lose by venturing down this avenue and building lasting partnerships with businesses, for the sake of preserving art and supporting artists and musicians.

When local government funding was no longer available, due to budget cuts, SAACA turned to the business community to collaborate on events and programs. SAACA began to build arts-related partnerships, creating benefits for all parties that continue to unfold and grow. 

Paul Miller

Per Helena Fruscio’s post from earlier this week (The Creative Economy: Not-Sole-For-Profits-Proprietors) in which she says, "Our power is in numbers and in speaking with one voice" – I wholeheartedly agree!

In 2008, I was in Washington, DC, on a team that consisted of a dancer, a lawyer, a museum executive director (and myself as clown/circus producer) representing the state of Illinois for Arts Advocacy Day. After a day of lobbyist training, I had the chance to sit with three Republican congressmen. Congressman (now Senator) Kirk started the conversation like this - "There are 300 million people in the United States and 110 million taxpayers but we have 8 million still unemployed (as of 3/2008)."