Curtain, then finger-pointing at North Shore - The Boston Globe
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Monday, June 22, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Worth a read and a thought
Plus -- I think it is a great title for the college crowd:
If It Was Just About The Money We'd All Be Making Porn Why it's important to know why you exist and who you want to be... - diacritical
If It Was Just About The Money We'd All Be Making Porn Why it's important to know why you exist and who you want to be... - diacritical
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Arts, Creativity & the Brain
I attended a fun and informative 1/2 day conference at the American Visionary Art Museum about using the arts in education.
The three take aways for me were:
a) The arts teach 6 critical skills for the 21st century citizen:
Collaboration
Critical Thinking
Communication
Content
Confidence
Creative Innovation
b) I need to get the creativity books of Keri Smith, especially HOW TO BE AN EXPLORER OF THE WORLD. I recommend that to all of you!
c) A potential teaching tool AND management option for the arts is the creative process modelled through Pixar and Dreamworks (the Talent Developer from Dreamworks was the final presenter).
Divide project into segments
Each person/team takes a segment
The review each others work -- give feedback and make improvements
Mentor Review -- present to the leadership -- get feedback and make improvements (return to peer review cycle if necessary)
Take a 'first pass' at the entire project together -- pitching it to the mentor
Revisions
Final project presentation
This is an "Iterative" process (dictionary.com) It involves shared responsibility to an outcome. How is the usual theatre process similar yet different?
The three take aways for me were:
a) The arts teach 6 critical skills for the 21st century citizen:
Collaboration
Critical Thinking
Communication
Content
Confidence
Creative Innovation
b) I need to get the creativity books of Keri Smith, especially HOW TO BE AN EXPLORER OF THE WORLD. I recommend that to all of you!
c) A potential teaching tool AND management option for the arts is the creative process modelled through Pixar and Dreamworks (the Talent Developer from Dreamworks was the final presenter).
Divide project into segments
Each person/team takes a segment
The review each others work -- give feedback and make improvements
Mentor Review -- present to the leadership -- get feedback and make improvements (return to peer review cycle if necessary)
Take a 'first pass' at the entire project together -- pitching it to the mentor
Revisions
Final project presentation
This is an "Iterative" process (dictionary.com) It involves shared responsibility to an outcome. How is the usual theatre process similar yet different?
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Marketing
Marketing is marketing. There is no difference to the receiver if you are a for profit or non profit organization. There is no difference in the channels if you are getting messages about arts or about laundry detergent.
The difference is the budget line for marketing. Arts marketing is done on a dime, so to speak.
How do you use every dime effectively? You know your audience and your potential audience. You don't waste money talking to the people who just won't consider you an option.
What did TCG tell you about the American Theatre audience?
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Ever heard of Lousville
There the arts organizations are facing a similar yet different economic hurdle. An interesting read as it reveals the various adaptations much like we have discussed in class
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090419/SCENE05/90418020
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090419/SCENE05/90418020
Who manages the audience
Hi,
So there are many wonderful stories about actors stopping a play when people are using their cell phones or behaving otherwise indecorously. (another discussed below) Whose job is it to manage the audience? What does an artist do if the management is poor or ineffectual? OR what about the traditions of chinese theatre or for that matter Renaissance and Restoration -- even up through the early 20th century theatre was highly interactive. How does an audience know how to behave?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2009/apr/16/theatre-patrick-stewart-godot-beckett
So there are many wonderful stories about actors stopping a play when people are using their cell phones or behaving otherwise indecorously. (another discussed below) Whose job is it to manage the audience? What does an artist do if the management is poor or ineffectual? OR what about the traditions of chinese theatre or for that matter Renaissance and Restoration -- even up through the early 20th century theatre was highly interactive. How does an audience know how to behave?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2009/apr/16/theatre-patrick-stewart-godot-beckett
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The Economy and Support for Nonprofits
A recent article in the NY Times (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=abbSrsyWqA4E&refer=muse) discussed a support fund and management network for a select group of nonprofits that serve the public -- including the arts.
Critical to the plan, which includes loans to help cover the income gap experienced in this economy, is management support to help executives plan and manage. One of the key phrases of recent years has become increasingly important: sustainability.
Funders expect organizations that ask for money to be able to sustain themselves in the long term WITHOUT that funding. For instance, if an arts organization begins a new playwrights program, Funder X might give them a 3 year staged grant to fund the program ($100,000 the first year, 50,000 the second, and 25,000 the third). The organization must demonstrate that the program needs the money at the initial level and that they can sustain the program well after the initial 3 years of funding has ended (SUSTAINABILITY).
What I find encouraging about the NYC loan program is the support feature -- they are providing financial support and management resources to figure out sustainability for the future. What better way to help ensure you will get your loan repaid!
The hard part, of course, is making the decision to NOT fund a program because it is NOT sustainable (be it an arts program, organization or a health agency serving AIDS patients . . .).
Critical to the plan, which includes loans to help cover the income gap experienced in this economy, is management support to help executives plan and manage. One of the key phrases of recent years has become increasingly important: sustainability.
Funders expect organizations that ask for money to be able to sustain themselves in the long term WITHOUT that funding. For instance, if an arts organization begins a new playwrights program, Funder X might give them a 3 year staged grant to fund the program ($100,000 the first year, 50,000 the second, and 25,000 the third). The organization must demonstrate that the program needs the money at the initial level and that they can sustain the program well after the initial 3 years of funding has ended (SUSTAINABILITY).
What I find encouraging about the NYC loan program is the support feature -- they are providing financial support and management resources to figure out sustainability for the future. What better way to help ensure you will get your loan repaid!
The hard part, of course, is making the decision to NOT fund a program because it is NOT sustainable (be it an arts program, organization or a health agency serving AIDS patients . . .).
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