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.


Chad Bauman

First blog from the National Arts Marketing Project Conference

Posted by Chad Bauman, Nov 10, 2008 0 comments


Chad Bauman

Yesterday was my first day at the National Arts Marketing Project Conference in Houston. I opted to come in a day early to participate in the pricing institute, which supplied me with a couple of good insights and an excellent reminder.

The insight: at the pricing institute, we discussed values based pricing. What value do you bring to your customer, and the importance of comprehending, creating and communicating your value. However, Tim Baker (one of the presenters) said something that really resonated with me about organizations that do a lot of new work. He said "if the customer doesn't know the play they are going to see, it is extremely difficult for them to evaluate value, so the value equation must rest on the reputation of the institution." I took that sentence to read that if you want to do a substantial amount of new work, you must increase your institutional marketing to brand the institution because the customer cannot make a values based decision on a product that is unknown to them. This coincides with a main argument that Michael Kaiser makes in his new book The Art of the Turnaround. Mr. Kaiser's main mantra: good art, marketed well. And he says one of the major mistakes we make as arts marketers is concentrating too much on product marketing and not enough on institutional marketing.

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Liz Bartolomeo

Americans for the Arts Action Fund Statement on the 2008 Election

Posted by Liz Bartolomeo, Nov 05, 2008 2 comments


Liz Bartolomeo

An Obama Administration will Advance Bold, New Leadership for the Arts in America

WASHINGTON, DC — November 5, 2008 — Americans for the Arts Action Fund President and CEO Robert L. Lynch gave the following statement on the results of Election Day:

“The historic election of Sen. Barack Obama to be the 44th President of the United States will have tremendous impact on the nation’s arts community, public schools, and creative workforce. His commitment to arts and arts education on the campaign trail is just a preview of what his administration can accomplish. President-elect Obama demonstrates the leadership and vision to advance the arts in America through investing in more arts education in public schools, increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, promoting cultural diplomacy, and supporting artists rights.

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