Americans for the Arts

The following was presented at the Fourth National Conference on Ethics in America held in Long Beach, California, February 16-19, 1993. The theme of the Conference was Building Ethical Organizations - Cultivating Ethical People: Bringing the Practical into Practice.

The Cultural Plan for Albuquerque, prepared by the Arts Alliance for City Hall, ably promotes the diversity and quality of our hidden cultural life to outsiders and to our own ever-increasing population. The Cultural Plan challenges the mainstream� and celebrates Albuquerque's great strength as a nonconformist city with both a practical and creative temperament.

The bylaws for the Utah Arts Council establish the rules of order and governing practices for all aspects of board membership.

The authors have attempted to outline the major responsibilities of museum trustees and to relate those duties to the potential for legal liability if they are neglected. We have sought not to dwell on liabilities, for trusteeship should be a satisfying and fulfilling service, performed with confidence and optimism. Our objective has been to offer some guidance for the protection of trustees in those areas that can become a cause for concern.

The authors discuss what is cultural policy in the , and examine the the concept of cultural democracy and its implications. Cultural policy in the should be uncompromisingly committed to cultural democracy. Democratic ideals and concern for the rights of its citizens must inform a humane society's treatment of culture, the sphere in which people's aspirations are expressed.

The authors assess the adequacy of the symphony's elite board of directors, who provide support for unmet operating expenses. They argue that for a board to function it must be able to transform the symphony into a community organization or resource with a broad base of support. Using the San Diego Symphony as a case study, they discuss how and why such a broad base of support is needed.

The author identifies ten principles of governance likely to emerge for nonprofit organizations based on an analysis of recent developments that directly effect corporate governance including the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the adoption of more stringent best practice codes by corporate watchdog groups.

The author examines developing policy, board functions and staff for community arts organizations. The role of planning and specific policy-making cannot be over-emphasized for any not-for-profit organization. Planning and policy reflect the goals of the organization, its reason for existence, its determination of means and methods proper to the achievement of its goals, its employment policies, and its expectations of staff and volunteer workers, and perhaps most important, its commitment to its community.

The author discusses changing role of the board of trustees for arts organizations, in particular medium size ones. In the era of declining government funding, the board of an arts organization should look to its local community to find members that can help financially. The author describes his experience with the Negro Ensemble Company.

The amended and restated bylaws of Compas, Inc. outlines the structure, procedure and laws of governance for all members of the Board of Directors. Included are the detailed procedures and policies pertaining to meetings procedures, members and officers, and committees.

The Best of the Board Cafe is a compilation of ideas, information, opinions, and resources to give nonprofit board members just-in-time guidance to real-life demands.

Study commissioned by Peat Marwick and in cooperation with the Independent Sector. For well over a year, there has been growing concern in America's boardrooms about the unprecedented liability exposure now faced by directors and officers of both corporations and not-for-profit organizations. A sharp rise in the number of liability suits and spiraling insurance costs have made it increasingly difficult for officers and directors to protect themselves.

Slideshow presentation by Wolf-Brown firm, commissioned by the Scottsdale Cultural Council.

Review by James E. Suelflow of the book Workpapers II: Arts Boards: Myths, Perspectives and New Approaches [New York, NY: FEDAPT, 1991, 86 p.]. These two volumes (Workpapers I: Rethinking and Restructuring the Arts Organization; and Workpapers II:  Arts Boards: Myths, Perspectives and New Approaches), the first two in a series of new FEDAPT (the Foundation for the Extension and Development of the American Professional Theatre) publications, are designed to explore pressing issues affecting performing arts organizations and to be used as springboards to advance

With the arts community facing many challenged, Americans for the Arts engaged Wolf, Keens & Co. to develop a more current and complete picture of what is happening in the LAA field so that others may learn new strategies for growing and survival.