Several weeks ago I read in a British publication an article about the reasons corporations support arts organizations. The central message of the piece was that corporations support the arts because they benefit from the reflected glory of the arts organization. When the corporation is visibly linked to an organization...

It makes no sense to me that the arts are not embraced more emphatically by politicians these days.

I understand that the country was founded by Puritans who believed that music and dance were evil. That has led to a separation of art and state and a far lower direct...

Last night the Kennedy Center production of Follies closed on Broadway. Follies, a musical by James Goldman and Stephen Sondheim, tells the story of a reunion of chorus girls and features one of the greatest scores ever written for a Broadway musical. Our production received strong reviews, led to the...

I spend a great deal of time writing about the imperative for arts organizations to focus on revenue. Adding revenue allows arts organizations to pursue their missions and meet financial obligations.

Yet, unfortunately, it is far easier for boards and staffs to concentrate on expense control as a solution when...

I have written before of the work my colleague, Brett Egan, and I are doing in Muscat, Oman where we are helping manage the inauguration of the Royal Opera House Muscat.

The opera house is an astonishingly beautiful venue which has already hosted productions of Turandot and Carmen,...

Arts management is still a very young field. Thirty years ago there were very few professional arts managers, university programs were few and far between and virtually nothing had been written about the tenets of the field. Today there is still not a solid body of arts management theory though...

The holiday season is a time for giving and getting gifts. This is what I would like to receive this year:

1. An online 'fact check' capability that mirrors the spell check function. I am a passionate believer in the power of the Internet to benefit the arts (and the...

This is the sixth in an occasional series examining the recession's impact on culture, The Recessionary Arts. Find out more about the series here.

Those of us who work in the arts are experiencing a perfect storm: a long, deep recession that has reduced contributions, ticket sales and...

Anyone who knows me knows I plan everything. Everything. I don't like surprise parties. I don't like to be asked to make impromptu speeches. I don't like to learn about problems from my staff after the fact.

While this lack of spontaneity perhaps is a personal...

I am always amused (disturbed?) when someone attached to a not-for-profit arts organization (usually a board or staff member) rationalizes an annual deficit with: "Every opera company/symphony/ballet company has a deficit."

Tell that to the Oregon Symphony, which has been in the black two years in a row. As reported...

This is the time of year when we give thanks for the wonderful gifts that we have been given, the experiences we have treasured, the people who have changed our lives.

This year I am giving special thanks for:

1. The people at Heidelberg Project in Detroit. On a site...

One of the substantial changes in the arts environment that has happened with astonishing speed is that arts criticism has become a participatory activity rather than a spectator sport.

Every artist, producer or arts organization used to wait for a handful of reviews to determine the critical...

Like so many other American orchestras, the Colorado Symphony appears to be turmoil. Twenty-three board members recently resigned when musicians would not agree to a pay cut. An internal review has suggested that there is a possibility that the Symphony will go bankrupt in the next two years. Donor fatigue...

It is thrilling that City Center in New York City has re-opened this month after a substantial renovation effort.

City Center was built as a Shriners temple; when the Shriners could no longer afford to pay the taxes owed on the facility during the Depression, the building became the property...

The recent study by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy about arts giving in the United States revealed that white organizations receive a disproportionate share of foundation support. (To be sure, there are important foundations, like the Ford Foundation, that do not reflect this national trend.) This finding was not...

The recent opening of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. was a moment for all of us to ponder the progress we have made towards racial equality and the challenges that still lie ahead.

The arts world has made progress in the years since Martin Luther King...

I have been lucky enough to be involved with the opening of the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman.

Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman has commissioned an astonishing new opera house that will open on October 14. The craftsmanship that has been applied to this magnificent structure is beyond...

I have written frequently about the concept of the cycle: that great, exciting programming supported by strong programmatic and institutional marketing helps to build the organization's family -- the people who care about and support the institution. These are the ticket buyers, subscribers, volunteers, board members and donors who are...

It was a special pleasure to return to Kansas City for the opening of the Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity. I got my start as an arts manager 26 years ago at the Kansas City Ballet. My Artistic Director was Todd Bolender, a product of the early days...

In this difficult environment, many arts organizations are facing daunting problems. Reduced earned and contributed income has led to severe cash flow problems.

In many cases things have gotten so dire that boards and staff members are working on emergency efforts to meet cash flow demands and find some...