Sustaining, Saving, and Stealing
I hope these three resources will be of use to you as you ponder the realities of managing in the arts. The three topic areas this month cover common problems arts managers and leaders grapple with. For example, what does it take to create a strong enough foundation so the organization may thrive over the long run? Alternatively, what opportunities do you need to explore to ensure you can remodel or rebuild the organization you created on this foundation? And lastly, what safeguards do you need to have in place to alert you about activities that may threaten the organization’s reputation and more?
Strategic Capacity Building
The article from Inside Philanthropy on ways to build capacity explores how funders are working with organizations to help them address the question, “How might we channel arts organizations’ creativity to tackle their administrative challenges?” Three Chicago-area funding entities are working with six arts organizations by providing coaching and support through an innovation boot camp.
As most arts managers know, time and money are two resources that are often in short supply. Having the time to plan and develop workable strategies and tactics to build capacity is often the first barrier one must face. It will be interesting to see how the arts organizations mentioned in the article address their biggest challenges when they wrap up their work in November of 2017.
The Leader as a Savior?
I often feel anxious when I read a story about a new leader cast as a savior for an arts organization. This mindset often creates unrealistic expectations of the new leader. The article about hiring Danny Feldman to run the Pasadena Playhouse is comprehensive enough that by the end the reader is left with a good sense of what a tough job this is going to be.
One advantage working in Mr. Feldman’s favor is that it’s the Playhouses’ 100th anniversary season. Milestones like this can help stimulate donor generosity and goodwill. Successfully meeting the demands of season 101 and beyond will likely be where the bigger challenges of running the Pasadena Playhouse will present themselves. As the article points out, the Playhouse has had some missteps in recent years. I checked the Playhouse 990s, and their Net Assets are very meager for an organization that has been around this long.
Volunteer or Con Man?
The last article offers an example of why you should never assume volunteers place your organization’s interest first. As an arts manager, I would be concerned that my museum didn’t have a good system for tracking what was in my archives. Before he confessed, this volunteer/thief made the point that the “poor oversight and record-keeping…” at the museum created a situation where it was hard to validate ownership of the letters stolen.
One hopes the Buffalo History Museum has implemented some changes to reduce the risk of a theft like this in the future. The museum’s perspective on this incident is not covered in the article other than indicating the volunteer is now seen as a “con man” by museum officials.
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Arts Organization, Sustain Thyself: Foundations Join Forces to Build Capacity
Mike Scutari, Inside Philanthropy, July 17, 2017
I recently had the opportunity to speak with VIA Art Fund President Bridgitt Evans on the state of arts philanthropy. When asked about donor giving in the face of cuts to public funding, Evans said the following:
People and organizations will do what they always do, and that is to double down on fundraising, appealing to their most trusted supporters, and adjust their program to meet their revenues.
This was an astute observation in terms of what it didn’t say. That is, when faced with cuts, organizations’ first impulse is to look outward to donors and supporters, rather than inward. Few want to embark on a messy and disruptive strategic reorganization. It’s usually easier to secure that big check to fill the gap. But what if that check never arrives?
[To read the rest of the article please click on the headline above or follow this link to Inside Philanthropy.]
https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2017/7/17/innovation-boot-camp-alphawood-foundation
Can this man save the Pasadena Playhouse?
By Lisa Fung, LA Times, July 7, 2017
Danny Feldman pauses for a moment, soaking in the view while taking his beagle Hunter for his morning walk along El Molino Avenue in Pasadena. “Look at all the people — young people, couples, families — so much energy,” he says. “I’m so excited. There’s a Trejo’s Cantina going in here. Margaritas and guacamole before theater! And after theater too!”
Feldman isn’t the president of Pasadena’s Chamber of Commerce, but he may well be the community’s biggest booster. The new leader of the Pasadena Playhouse has returned to his native Southern California after a seven-year stint in New York and he couldn’t be happier.
“This was a theater I came to as a kid,” he says. “I believe this is one of the most beautiful theaters in the world.”
The Pasadena Playhouse, which holds the designation of the State Theater of California, marks its centennial this summer. And while that’s reason to celebrate, the theater continues to struggle for survival amid serious financial challenges. Now, eight months into the job, Feldman has his work cut out for him.
[To read the rest of the article please click on the headline above or follow this link to the LA Times.]
Former volunteer admits theft from History Museum collection
By Phil Fairbanks, The Buffalo News, Published July 20, 2017
In the pantheon of industrialists and philanthropists who made Buffalo a great city, A. Conger Goodyear holds a special spot.
Born here, he gained wealth and stature during the early 1900s as a railroad and lumber executive and avid art collector who owned works by Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. When Goodyear died, his personal letters went to the Buffalo History Museum.
On Thursday, a former museum volunteer admitted to stealing some of Goodyear’s letters and, with the help of an alias, trying to sell them to a collector in Manhattan.
As a result of his fraud conviction, Buffalo’s Daniel Jude Witek, 54, will face a recommended sentence of up to 10 months in prison.
[To read the rest of the article please click on the headline above or follow this link to The Buffalo News.]
http://buffalonews.com/2017/07/20/man-admits-theft-buffalo-history-museum-documents/