Post-Thanksgiving Greetings
The American holiday of Thanksgiving is past, but the impact of the American presidential election seems to be far from over. Chapter 4 in Management and the Arts covers the topic of various external environments and the impact these environments can have on arts and cultural organizations. The 2016 election certainly has brought home the relevance of the political and legal environment. However, we are also seeing a great deal of unease about the new administration and cultural and social policy. My guess is many of you have been discussing the election, cultural policy, and topics such as artistic expression, in your classes and in staff and board meetings. Adaptability, nimbleness, and contingency planning seem to be wise strategic directions for arts organizations to explore in the near term.
Meanwhile, over in Pittsburgh, the symphony and the musicians have come to an agreement. The terms of the contract are discussed in the link to the article below. I will see if I can find more details about the contract to share with you in future postings. I included a link to the Ft. Worth Symphony Musicians Facebook page to demonstrate how social media can be a useful tool in a labor dispute. The strike in Texas continues and there hasn’t been anything new published in the local paper in the last month about the negotiations. I also thought the article in the NY Times about orchestra funding was interesting because it relates to the financial challenges behind much of the labor strife we have seen this fall in the music world.
The article from the Seattle Times about a recent museum name change, a fifth name change no less, offers many different class discussion points. Questions about the importance of naming an organization, its corporate identity, the value and relevance of a mission statement, marketing and branding challenges, and a whole host of issues can be explored by spending a little time on the article about the newly named Museum of Pop Culture.
Lastly, I found the article at the Fast Company website about dance interesting. This short piece has some value as a tool that could be used to help bridge the gap that can come up when trying to explain to the public just how much work it takes to make art. I also found it reassuring that an arts organization can be acknowledged for its outstanding leadership and management practices.
MUSIC
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, musicians reach 5-year contract
November 23, 2016 11:18 PM
By Bob Batz Jr. / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra strike is over, and they’re scheduled to play again at Heinz Hall.
The musicians, who went on strike Sept. 30, on Wednesday ratified a new five-year contract that includes a 10.5 percent pay cut in the first year, but thanks to a contribution from an anonymous donor, the actual pay cut will be 7.5 percent. Wages will be restored to pre-strike levels in the fifth year.
The contract keeps 99 musicians and two librarians, but leaves three vacant orchestra positions unfilled for the duration.
Link to full story: http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2016/11/23/PSO-musicians-reach-agreement/stories/201611240034?mc_cid=e14d937983&mc_eid=1a1932085a
Fort Worth Symphony Strike Update
Meanwhile, the strike by the Ft. Symphony musicians continues. Here’s a link to their Facebook page, which of course is a pathway to the public that all kinds of organizations are using today.
https://www.facebook.com/fwsomusicians/
Here’s a related recent story in The New York Times about funding for symphonies:
VISUAL ARTS
Goodbye, EMP: Seattle landmark changes name (again) to Museum of Pop Culture
The Experience Music Project — the museum founded by Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen 16 years ago — is changing its name for the fifth time. Now it will be the Museum of Pop Culture, or MoPOP.
Originally published November 15, 2016 at 1:00 pm Updated November 15, 2016 at 4:48 pm
By Brendan Kiley, Seattle Times staff reporter
The metallic, multihued, architectural undulation at Seattle Center — commonly known as EMP — is being christened for the fifth time.
First it was Experience Music Project. Then it was the acronym EMP, then Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (“EMPSFM” for short-ish), then EMP Museum.
Now the institution founded by former Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen in 2000 and designed by Frank Gehry is becoming the Museum of Pop Culture, or MoPOP.
The change, said curatorial director Jasen Emmons, has been in the works for about a decade after the museum added its science-fiction component and continued to grapple with its identity. Besides music and science fiction, it has presented exhibitions about fine art (“DoubleTake”), horror film (“Can’t Look Away”), fashion (“World of Wearable Art”), video games (“The Art of Video Games”) and black leather jackets (“Worn to Be Wild”). The new name, Emmons said, “is just catching up with who we are.”
Link to full story: http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/seattle-landmark-emp-changes-name-to-museum-of-pop-culture/?mc_cid=fef518c586&mc_eid=1a1932085a
DANCE
These Business Lessons From Ballet’s Leaders Are Totally On Point
Ballet has a lot to teach business about balancing high expectations with precision, discipline, and continuous learning.
LISA RABASCA ROEPE, 11.16.16, 5:00 AM, Fast Company
Ballet and business both demand exacting performance to succeed. In fact, both a Google executive and NASA’s first black female astronaut credit their career successes, in part, to their dance training. It takes precision, discipline, and countless hours of hard work to succeed as a dancer.
And, as Lucy Bowen McCauley, artistic director and choreographer for Bowen McCauley Dance, points out, “It’s called show business, not show art.” McCauley, who serves on Arlington, Virginia’s Chamber of Commerce board, is also a member of the Arlington Economic Development Commission. Here are some other lessons that make the leap from ballet to business.
Link to full story: https://www.fastcompany.com/3065708/work-smart/these-business-lessons-from-ballets-leaders-are-totally-on-point