Virtually every arts organization has a mission, and I dare say that a majority of board and staff at most arts organizations could not tell you what that mission is.
Michael Kaiser | Posted 12.14.2009 | Entertainment
I have long lobbied foundations to make their grants to smaller organizations in the form of challenge grants. A challenge grant must be matched by other contributions, often by new gifts or increased gifts from existing donors.
Michael Kaiser | Posted 12.07.2009 | Entertainment
I must admit that the more I travel around the nation and the world, the more I realize that money concerns truly have begun to overwhelm artistic decisions in too many arts organizations.
Michael Kaiser | Posted 11.30.2009 | Entertainment
The Kansas City Ballet is a classic example of an art-focused turnaround. The substantial community of arts sponsors came to think of the company differently.
Michael Kaiser | Posted 11.23.2009 | Entertainment
At the beginning of this year, there were predictions that as many as 10,000 American not-for-profit arts organizations would go bankrupt as a result of this recession.
Michael Kaiser | Posted 11.03.2009 | Entertainment
Most board members I meet are scared and frustrated and most staff members believe their board members are not being as generous or as helpful as they should be during this crisis.
Michael Kaiser | Posted 11.08.2009 | Entertainment
The main challenge facing the arts world is the lack of a trained corps of managers who know how to find resources, attract audiences and other constituents and provide support to our artists.
Michael Kaiser | Posted 10.16.2009 | World
Barney Simon was the founder and artistic director of the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, where for several decades, he produced and directed many of the most important works of indigenous South African theater.
Michael Kaiser | Posted 09.24.2009 | Entertainment
Amidst all of the pain and fear of the economic crisis, one area of conversation always gets a laugh: the way to reduce tension between artistic directors and executive leadership.
Michael Kaiser | Posted 09.10.2009 | Entertainment
In my travels across the nation I have been hearing a lot of discussion about the glut of arts organizations and the need to "thin out" the field. This scares me greatly.
Michael Kaiser | Posted 12.21.2009 | Style