Mr. Mitch Menchaca

An Emerging Leader Career Trajectory

Posted by Mr. Mitch Menchaca, Oct 19, 2009 2 comments


Mr. Mitch Menchaca

I wanted to quit my job and leave the arts four years ago!

This year, I will celebrate my 10th anniversary as an arts and culture administrator.  (I always make sure to include culture, as I started my career working for my local history museum.)  Even with moving to different positions and organizations, it would not faze me until 2005 that I was on a career path and part of a larger global community of colleagues.

My career trajectory included working for the museum for three years, moving to the state humanities council, then to being a presenter, to finally coming to the state arts commission.  During most of that timeframe, I was living in my hometown, a small rural community in between Phoenix and Tucson.  However, I did move to Phoenix for the state job.

After less than a year working for the arts commission, I wasn’t happy. There was something missing from my personal life that was making my professional life uneven.  After months of deliberation I came to the conclusion that I was missing the community feel from my hometown and I needed to find a job in Casa Grande and move back.  Since art or museums jobs are scarce, I probably would have to find something out of the cultural sector.

Before I started on the search to return to rural Arizona, I attended my first national convening, the Americans for the Arts conference in Austin, Texas.  With that conference I had the opportunity to go to an emerging leaders pre-conference.  This experience would change my life and be the wake up call I needed.

I can’t put my finger directly on the pulse of how the Austin conference became a true-life changing experience for me.  I just remember walking into the pre-conference and seeing people who had similar issues as me and people who came from all walks of life!  I sat down at a table and was immediately introduced to people who would become and remain friend of mine until this day.  I met people I had only read or heard about, and had opportunities that I never had experienced before.

During the conference, I engaged in conversations about community development, rural and urban issues, artists, and getting excited about the work I was involved with at home.  I was hit with the revelation that the arts sector was bigger than I could imagine.  This industry is about making change and it needs all different types to help facilitate that change.

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2 responses for An Emerging Leader Career Trajectory

Comments

October 19, 2009 at 12:17 pm

Every AFTA conference I attend, I get the same validation. There are many people like me who are just as passionate about the arts as I am - and are working to make a difference in our national and local communities. Even though there isn't a special group for my "kind" like Emerging Leaders; and it ain't for lack of asking for a special affinity group for other arts administrators in higher education.... I still connect with others, and learn from the multiple expertise's represented at each conference. I missed last summer's and feel like the boost I got from the Philadelphia Conference in 2008 needs replenishment. Good thing Baltimore is only 8 months, and 170 miles away.

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October 20, 2009 at 5:41 pm

A good time to give a shout out to any organization that makes scholarships available for conference attendance. I'm lucky enough to have a job at a nonprofit cultural institution - and I still can't get my way paid to conferences such as these. Imagine all of the artists and community workers whose voices are left out of these conversations! As the only "arts personnel" in our museum, it seems sending me to a conference would have low returns for the institution - the slim funds for professional development are more likely to go to some one higher on the totem pole (ahem, who could probably afford it out of pocket), for a more generalized topic. I went couch-surfing for my first Children's Museum conference this year, and while there I attended, of course, a session on arts programs. Out of some 200-300 participants, there were about 6 people in the room. Half of which were presenting. Programming folks are consistently left holding up the fort while the leaders/VP's go to conferences - especially those in arts programs. Science - much more likely. I mean, one has to keep up to date with early childhood science learning!(?) It's disappointing. I was so discouraged by the fact that a)my audience would not be in attendance and b)even if chosen to present, my way might not be paid to attend - that I didn't bother to submit my application to present at the next national children's museum conference. My topic of choice was getting serious about early childhood arts education/creative development advocacy. While typing up my rallying cry just before the deadline, I imagined looking up from the podium, and saw no one but the guy filling water pitchers at the back table.

Conferences are really helpful.
Support an emerging leader with your frequent flyer miles, today!

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