Blog Posts for Leadership

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.


Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper

Emerging Leader – An identification Crisis

Posted by Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper, Oct 19, 2009 1 comment


Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper

When my manager at the time approached me about applying to be an Emerging Leader Council member, my first thought was “Why?”.  I was a coordinator at the city arts council; what in heaven's name could I possibly bring to the table?  And what is an Emerging Leader?  Well, her answer was simple: “What is your title at the theatre?,” referring to the community theatre where I volunteer.  I responded “President of the Board of Trustees, why?” “That makes you a leader.” I had to really think about that – and not just that, but the fact that I enjoyed organizing folks and helping people make connections. That I was active on the state level in support of community theatre.  That I was an active member of the artistic community and people (for whatever reason) listened to and spoke with ME about stuff – challenges in their theatres, needs in their community, finding people to fill positions… It was like a whole new world opened up, and I was suddenly looking at myself with new eyes. I never considered myself a leader; I think most “leaders” don’t.  They do what they do because they can’t do things any other way.  It’s intrinsic, base. Pre-programmed and hard-wired.  And that is the challenge of perpetuating a concept of the "Emerging Leader". How do you convert people who just are "leaders" into Leaders who identify themselves by that title and recognize who they are and what they bring to the greater community? 

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Steven Spielberg Voices Support for Arts Funding

Posted by , Oct 20, 2009 1 comment



In his recent acceptance speech for the 2009 Liberty Medal in Philadelphia, Steven Spielberg described the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the writings of leaders like Jefferson and Lincoln as not only the eloquent expression of incredible ideas, but great works of art.  With this in mind, Speilberg emphasized the importance of the arts and arts funding in America:

"The commercial success of some of my films have made it possible for me to create foundations, build organizations, to try to have an effect on the world. But I’ve never believed that all art must prove itself in the marketplace; or that the marketplace is a congenial environment for all artists. Poetry, theater, serious fiction, symphony orchestras, dance companies and museums require the material support of the society to which they make a vital contribution, or they won’t exist.

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Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper

Don't Ask Me What I Bring to the Table. Ask Me What I Don't Bring!

Posted by Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper, Oct 20, 2009 2 comments


Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper

Reflecting on what ELs bring to the table, it dawned on me that we bring a great deal of traits that our predecessors don’t readily recognize as value-added skills.  For example, an exceptional skill that ELs possess that is traditionally considered “bad” is that we job hop. For experienced professionals, job hopping equals lack focus or direction, a wanderlust not easily sated in one position, a penchant for constant change and lack of commitment and passion for what we do. But I know that the real reason ELs change jobs quickly is because we are constantly seeking to develop ourselves. We are committed to improvement in a way that other generations did not and may not ever understand. The Leaders of tomorrow are nimble and adapt to an ever changing career landscape.  No other generation has seen so much change in industry, workforce and technology the way we have.  No other generation has seen, and in some cases, experienced firsthand, the lack of loyalty from organizations.  And no other generation will have to face the growing fact that our leaders are aging and eventually will have to hand the reins to someone else,  who will likely be…younger. 

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Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper

Where Has the Loyalty Gone?

Posted by Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper, Oct 21, 2009 3 comments


Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper

John Elliot posted a response to my blog post “Ask me what I don’t bring.” He said, “What’s going to keep us from being set in our ways, and help us build and refine organizations to a point where the 'lack of loyalty' is a thing of the past?" Upon reflection, I find the answer is not as rose-colored as I would like it to be. I think that loyalty is a victim of economy. Unfortunately, we are for the foreseeable future in a decline, and until the economy rights itself, it will be difficult to reinvigorate a sense of loyalty. Emerging Leaders have watched our grandparents lose their pensions after 20-30+ years of service to an organization.  We have watched our parents get downsized. We have watched our friends hover in limbo unable to find jobs.  We have watched fresh faced students fighting with former Executive Directors vying for jobs at Barnes & Noble.  It is a sad state we are in… Now, how do we make a change?  Two big ideas that come to mind: 1. Better work/life balance – Offer better benefits. I don’t mean tangible benefits (not to downplay the importance of good health insurance and paid time off), but little things like paid lunch hours, flex time, telecommuting, onsite services, volunteer opportunities, which add value to the worker’s quality of life.  Maybe it’s a better time off policy for new fathers, maybe it is a innovative use of the 4/10 workweek model, maybe it is a communal hierarchy versus the standard business model of management, maybe it’s being able to bring your baby or dog to work. Just offer something - ANYTHING - that makes us feel like we aren’t going to be tossed aside like yesterday’s trash when the tough times squeeze the organizations we love and to which we want – truly WANT – to be devoted.

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Do Schools Stifle Creativity?

Posted by , Nov 03, 2009 1 comment



That's the question asked in a 2006 presenation at the TED Conference by Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D, an expert in creativity, innovation, and human resources (and a presenter at Americans for the Arts Annual Convention in 2009).  In a recent CNN article, Robinson discusses his earlier presentation and argues why he thinks schools stifle creativity, despite the fact that, as he believes, all humans are born with incredible creativity and talent.  So why and how does he believe schools and teachers discourage students' creative abilities?  From the article:

"In education, this vast waste of talent involves a combination of factors. They include a narrow emphasis on certain sorts of academic work; the exile of arts, humanities and physical education programs from schools; arid approaches to teaching math and sciences; an obsessive culture of standardized testing and tight financial pressures to teach to the tests.

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