Foundations of Arts Administration Class #1 Notes
Arts Management vs. Management
Arts manager is mediator between the public and the artist.
Bridges the gap between internal and external
Works with behavior, language, and styles
(i.e. how to get modern music staged)
It's more than getting people to buy product. The A.M. creates IMAGES AND EXPERIENCES
* Social Pathfinder
* Creator of social and relevant public Spaces
(i.e Walker Art Center - like town Hall, place to gather, to go network and mingle)
you need:
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Social competence
Cultural immagination
knowledge of the arts
Manager is bi-lingual, speaks "art" and speaks "board"
Knoweldge of relevant cultural scene
Arts Management is about how to deliver reputation and distinction to outside world
- Task is to make subject of debate (not nec. Controversy)
- bring in critics / experts / politicians / sponsors / partners
- get wider interests involved
Cultural Management = Cultural Tourism (folk festivals, cultural heritiage, etc)
ARTS FUNDING COMMUNITY
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
- Budget $115 - 1110 million
- used to organize by catagory - now by project (preservation, capital)
- 40% budget re-granting (state arts boards / councils etc)
National Regional Arts Councils
-Arts Midwest (etc.)
- Some NEA money, some private money
- interstate artists echange (like funding traveling theater company to other states)
- headquartered in Uptown
State Arts Agencies (SAA)
- Arts Board (Councils or Commissions)
- In every state and peurto rico
- Federal $ and State Legis. $ (some private but not much)
- NASAA - professional organization (National Assembly of State Arts Organizations)
Local Arts Agencies
- more grassroots - connected
- RAC system (Regional Arts Countils)
- 11 in MN 1/3 of MN State Arts Board $$ to RAC
- Metropolitain Regional Arts Countil - St. Paul
Websites to check
NEA - read Lessons Learned
State Arts Board
MCA - Minnesota Citizens for the Arts
THREE TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS
presenter Auditorium, colleges, opera houses - engage artist from outside the organization (i.e. touring company and exibition) they pay fee, contract artis, provide facility, marketing tech support etc.
Producer Have artist - making show. Conception or creation. Bring pieces together to make it happpen (ex: Theater companies or museums)
Service support artists via grants, workshops, ecuation programs, showcases. Ex: The loft - writers Northern Clay
Playwright Dance Today
American Composers Forum Opera America
ASOL
The Ordway complicates things - it's both a presenter and producer. Funders don't want to support presentor ($ leaves area - not to local artists). But they had to cross over to be financially viable (i.e. Ravinia - Summer home for Chicago Symphony - but it also host rock concerts to bring in $$$$$)
HISTORY
* First arts managers were artists. They tried to be broker for their own work. New field emergend in 1800's when they began to see the need.
* Generally 2 jobs
ARTISTIC LEADERS vs. ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERS
(left brain) (Right brain)
* In ‘80s / ‘90's the arts were told to be more like business - resulted in more professionalism (arts organization generally not fiscally responsible - they thought being in debt would demonstrate need making them more attractive to granters - NOT TRUE need is not a criteria for grants they want to fund fiscally healthy institutions.
* Small organizations return to artist manager ??????
* 1900's change in way people experienced entertainment PROFIT ORIENTED
* ‘60's democratiation of Arts - everyone is going to arts events, not just the elite. Creating a bit of an explosion resulting in more need for arts admin!!!!!
* few arts managers feel well prepared to do their jobs (esp budgeting and financing) most learn on the job.
5 MOST IMPORTANT COURSES THAT TRANSLATE TO REAL WORLD
according to survey
- Fundraising
- Goverance
- Budgeting / accounting
- strategic planing
- legal structures for non profits
(Least useful = technical - information systems)
ISSUES AND FEARS
* Too many arts groups / too few patrons
* Future audiences
* Arts Education is lacking
* Less leisure time
* New technology means entertainment is personalized and minnimized
E.C. adds
- increasing expectations and public accountability
- greater need for tolerance of change and ambuguity
- reduction of government funding to non profits
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
* Art is min. funded / supported by US govt.
$ 176 million = most ever reveived (1992)
36 cents per person per year
less than 1/100 of 1% of national budget
* 1st government support = 1790 Marine Band (for morale purposees) More money is spend on military bands today than on the NEA!!!!!!!!!!!!
* US inheritied "attitude" from England and Netherlands (much less arts patronage compared to Austria and France)
* 1st comprehensive Arts Funding came in 1935 & 1938 in New Deal as WPA project . Artists were emplyed to pain murals, public art etc.
*by 1950 - 4 "artsy" things funded by Govt.
- international cultural Exchange
- design and decoration of public buildings
- national collections (i.e. National Gallery)
- Design of Coins and Stamps
Good examples were out there - John D Rockafeller - very important - est. NY Council of Arts in 1960
There were many attempts - starting with Truman, but it was the Johnson Administration that got legislation passed and the NEA was established!
The Ford Foundation noticed arts organizations needed stability - saw need for funding in ‘50's for programs to continue.
-'51 first multimillion $ support foundation
- Study performing arts economic deliema
1.) Change to Mass Media
2. Organization not diversified (no one making up shortfall)
3. Organization depend on earned income
4. Not labor intensive (2/3 - 3/4 of $ to personnel)
5. Concern with artistic process
1961 Met Opera canceled season because of wage dispute. Secretary of Labor came in as arbitrator (say they had no $$$) Decalared "new community responsiblity)
- The folks most skeptical of NEW = the ARTISTS - fearful that government would beecome cultural watchdog like Soviet Union (1960's attitude)
- To compromise, created peer panels to recommend funding to National Council on Arts (governing body of NEA)
_ Chairman has final review - if he signs off on it - you have yourself a grant ( - :
More websites
ARTSEARCH
ArtsJournal
