Thank you to the many people who have been blog contributors to, and readers of ArtsBlog over the years. ArtsBlog has long been a space where we uplifted stories from the field that demonstrated how the arts strengthen our communities socially, educationally, and economically; where trends and issues and controversies were called out; and advocacy tools were provided to help you make the case for more arts funding and favorable arts policies.

As part of Americans for the Arts’ recent Strategic Realignment Process, we were asked to evaluate our storytelling communications platforms and evolve the way we share content. As a result, we launched the Designing Our Destiny portal to explore new ways of telling stories and sharing information, one that is consistent with our longtime practice of, “No numbers without a story, and no stories without a number.”

As we put our energy into developing this platform and reevaluate our communications strategies, we have put ArtsBlog on hold. That is, you can read past blog posts, but we are not posting new ones. You can look to the Designing Our Destiny portal and our news items feed on the Americans for the Arts website for stories you would have seen in ArtsBlog in the past.

ArtsBlog will remain online through this year as we determine the best way to archive this valuable resource and the knowledge you’ve shared here.

As ever, we are grateful for your participation in ArtsBlog and thank you for your work in advancing the arts. It is important, and you are important for doing it.


Stephanie Hanson

Sustaining and Growing Leadership Development

Posted by Stephanie Hanson, Apr 05, 2010 0 comments


Stephanie Hanson

Stephanie Evans

In June 2009, at the Americans for the Arts Annual Convention in Seattle, I met Marc Vogl from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation for the first time.  Marc gave me a copy of a study commissioned by the Hewlett Foundation, titled Focus Group on Next Generation Leadership.  I came back to DC after convention, and spent a few hours on my back porch at home reading the study cover to cover.  The study, which is actually the second part of a 2-Phase Hewlett initiative, was conducted through the use of eight focus groups – six composed of Millenials and Gen Xers, and two composed of Boomers.

The conclusions of the study shed light on the wide ranging generational attitudes towards issues of work in the nonprofit arts sector.  It demonstrated a lack of understanding one another on the sides of both emerging and seasoned leaders.  The end of the study includes a list of recommendations for individual organizations and funders on how to manage the “generational divide” taking place in our sector.

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Deena Mirow Epstein

Looking for a Fellowship? Become a Gund Fellow

Posted by Deena Mirow Epstein, Apr 05, 2010 0 comments


Deena Mirow Epstein

It’s been six years since the George Gund Foundation started its Fellows Program, and the benefits for both the fellows and the foundation have far exceeded our expectations.

Each fellow is with us for two years (we just selected the seventh who will start this summer) and rotates through all our program areas, getting a real overview of the nonprofit community and the foundation world. They are not interns, relegated to tangential projects, but integral members of our staff. The fellows review proposals, participate in all staff discussions and decisions, manage special assignments, staff community committees and taskforces and represent the foundation at meetings and events. Scheduled bi-weekly meetings with our executive director and informal meetings with staff members provide ongoing mentoring opportunities.

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Mike Latvis

Backing it up…

Posted by Mike Latvis, Apr 02, 2010 0 comments


Mike Latvis

As arts advocates throughout the country prepare to converge on our nation’s capitol for Arts Advocacy Day, I began thinking of the conversations many will have with their members of Congress. Some will be fruitful while others will feel like they’re talking to a brick wall, but regardless of the situation we will certainly get our point across.

But that got me thinking. What is our point, how do we back it up and do they get it?

I believe that there are two key elements to making our case for increased and sustainable funding for the arts. We need to have a compelling story that is backed up with reliable and comprehensive data.

We have the stories down pat. We know how to talk about John Q Student who was saved by the arts or how Organization B and Artist X contributed to the revitalization of a community’s downtown development. We are great story tellers, but for the most part cannot back up our stories with data.

It’s a common theme that I’ve seen come out of many meetings, interviews and conversations over the past couple of years. Elected officials, and the public in general, understand what we are doing but they need the numbers to back it up. They want to know exactly how many jobs we create, how much money is contributed to the local and regional economy, etc. Until we are able to provide them with reliable data, they will hear what we’re saying/doing but will never “get it”.

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Casey Rae-Hunter

If We Build It. . .

Posted by Casey Rae-Hunter, Apr 02, 2010 1 comment


Casey Rae-Hunter

Flexibility has never been more important to our field. The economy is in a protracted downturn, and we know that there will continue to be contractions. Yet it’s not all doom-and-gloom — some of these shakeups will also reveal new opportunities. To seize them, we must be ready to refine our approaches and document and build on our successes. And we can’t be stingy, either. In a time of profound economic challenge, the sustainability of our sector will depend to a large degree on willingness to collaborate and lead by example.

The Fractured Atlas, NAMAC and Future of Music Coalition green paper, “The Future of Digital Infrastructure for the Creative Economy,” identifies a few tech and policy issues that arts groups might do well to consider. It’s not meant to be a magical solutions-generator for the arts, but it does present several possible frameworks that our field can use to navigate ever-shifting technological and cultural terrain.

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Tiffany Bradley

New Methods for Marketing the Arts (from Arts Watch)

Posted by Tiffany Bradley, Apr 01, 2010 3 comments


Tiffany Bradley

Tiffany Bradley

I had the great pleasure to see Grammy-winning musical artist Angélique Kidjo last week at Town Hall, a nonprofit venue in the Theater District here in New York City. I always feel guilty, because it feels like I spend more time traveling for work than actually seeing arts performances! And there’s no point in studying audience development if you are never actually in an audience. (It seems a bit disingenuous actually!) The performance was great, the house was full, and everyone had a great time. Here are some arts marketing takeaways that I think apply to all of us:

Late is the new early: I first heard about the show three weeks before it happened (via print media of all things!) At that time, I thought it sounded like a good idea. I then proceeded to do nothing. I remembered that the show was happening two days before the actual performance. It seemed like an even better idea, so I bought a ticket. At seven in the morning online before heading to work. As much as we marketing folks hate the last-minute ticket buyers, we are the last-minute ticket buyers! With all the demands on my time, I never plan ahead. So yes, we really need to have every single bit of information relating to a purchase decision easily available 24/7. We all know this, but it bears repeating. If I have my credit card out and can’t figure out curtain time or parking or what I’m supposed to wear, I might just stay home with Netflix.

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