A Courageous Conversation about the Future
By
To: All Member Organizations & Stakeholders
We need to talk.
It’s been more than 10 years since the idea of an “alliance for audience development” was conceived – and nearly 8 years since Alliance for Audience was born as an independent service organization to the Greater Phoenix region’s arts & cultural community and about 3 years since our services expanded to include Metro Tucson, Flagstaff & Prescott.
We all know that times have changed – and that’s what prompts this very important message.
Thanks to a planning grant recently awarded by the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, we have contracted with a consultant who is charged to examine EVERY facet of Alliance for Audience’s business model to uncover powerful new technologies to advance the core “audience development” mission that is the foundation of this collaboration.
Absolutely NOTHING IS OFF LIMITS in that exploration.
In fact, as the Board of Directors, staff and I have been preparing for this process, we have also come to appreciate some of this organization’s (and our whole community’s) greater “truths.”
In particular, we recognize that the “need” that led to the formation of Alliance for Audience (and similar organizations nationally) was grounded in shared, long-standing frustrations regarding the under-utilization of arts & cultural assets stemming from reasons both “external” (i.e. changing demographics, heightened competition and diminished arts & cultural education) as well as “internal” (i.e. technological advancements, budgetary pressures).
The under-utilization challenge is historic, profound and long term.
But that challenge has been trumped by a new priority whose challenges are historic, profound and immediate.
Today, Arizona’s arts & cultural organizations are suffering from the onslaught of a devastating financial drought. Their immediate challenge is one of under-capitalization a situation made critical by the simultaneous experience of withdrawn corporate sponsorships, shrinking government allocations, downgraded philanthropic support, diminished earnings on invested assets and weakened audience participation (which itself diminishes earnings capacity and individual philanthropy.)
Just this week, I heard one organization’s CEO state the challenge succinctly: “Companies that used to consider generously contributing to or sponsoring our activities now tell us that they no longer consider arts & culture to be “essential” community services.”
This is not just an Arizona challenge. The under-capitalization of the arts & cultural sector has emerged as nationally significant issue, as noted in Nonprofit Finance Funds’ recently published Case for Change Capital in the Arts and the Kresge Foundation’s focus area on Arts & Culture Institutional Capitalization.
To be clear, the under-utilization challenge has not been solved nor gone away. But that challenge can no longer be addressed without also confronting the concurrent challenge of under-capitalization.
Alliance for Audience was founded to help organizations work together to achieve goals that are impossible to attain on their own.
Thus, we now ask the question how Alliance for Audience might re-deploy its assets, position, experience and momentum to address these dual challenges in service to Arizona’s arts & cultural sector.
So, for YOU – the Members & Stakeholders of Alliance for Audience, this is a two part question:
- Do you agree with the “dual challenge” position as stated above?
- If so, HOW might Alliance for Audience be of greater service? (Specifically, what might you like to see us to more, less and/or different?)
What do YOU think?
There is no questionnaire to complete. No vote to be taken. This is too important. And again, NOTHING IS OFF LIMITS.
While I have lots of ideas, please know that I am not “selling” any specific solution – at least, none other than the sincere desire that Alliance for Audience be of continued & meaningful service.
Please write me at MLehrman@allianceforaudience.org or call me at 602-971-2223 x101. Please, let’s start a truly courageous conversation about the future.
These are critically important questions and they deserve to be discussed honestly, openly and candidly.
I look forward to hearing from you.
We definitely need to talk.
Matt Lehrman
Executive Director
Alliance for Audience
MLehrman@allianceforaudience.org
602-971-2223 x101
Organizations need more capital,not more studies!
I got your email this morning and was very moved by your upfront tackling of this vital issue to the arts. As you know Tom and I have moved to Georgia and left our art business in the capable hands of Tom’s daughter Susan Potje. I have a couple of thoughts for you and hope you don’t mind the intrusion from what could now be considered an “outsider”.
First, change in any form is very hard for any organization. Yet continuing to do the same things that have not worked before doom you to the same results.
Unless organizations and people are willing to quit blaming others: the economy, the education system, the government, the companies who no longer give their support, the patrons who have gotten so old they can’t attend any more, etc.etc.etc., there can be no help for them. The attitude needs to be what can we do, what can we try, how can we find new money, new programs, new things people want to see and take part in. Serious self assessment is needed from all angles. You won’t get everyone on board. It’s a shame, but hanging on to tradition is often more important than success in the minds of many in the arts.
Second, our business success has been achieved because we aren’t stuck with tradition. The Celebration broke the traditional ways people buy art. It lets people get to know the artists, to see art being created. It gets people involved. When the economy tanked we expected our business to decline but last year was our best sales year yet.
How did we do that? It’s about meeting the needs and desires of our audience. It’s about using tourism tools, not art tools to attract new audiences. It’s about dedicated customer service. It’s about working with artists on every level to help them improve their sales ability, learn to set goals and how to deal with the public. We threw out what tradition told us about people buying art and developed a new and successful path.
Third, moving to Georgia (Arizona is an oasis compared with the wasteland of Georgia for arts) we looked for places to volunteer and organizations to help in the arts. This place is really struggling. There is very little in the way of arts here and it is all separated by county boundaries. There was no state wide arts organization here for the last 5 years until last year when they reformed. The organization is fledgling but working and approached the governor about becoming a part of the tourism department. Very smart move. They have positioned the arts as an income generator for the state by helping to bring in tourists. County wide organizations are looking to partner with their CVB’s to become part of this process. Slowly they are making progress. They can’t afford to give money so they give out “tool box” grants to organizations that need help in strategic planning, fund raising or any other business or organization tool we all use. They provide people to help ,which then helps the organization grow stronger. Slowly things are looking up. Arts organizations are looking for new programs, new ways to engage the schools, new partners.
One small example: An opera company is now doing street performances and flash mobs. It exposes them to new audiences. It gets people interested.
Another example: The arts organization I am involved with created a program to bring art to 6th grade schools by combining it with math. It really opened the students eyes and encouraged them to learn more about both math and art.
In summation it can be done but it isn’t easy. Some long standing organizations will trickle away because they can’t or won’t change. In their place others will bloom and new things, no one has thought of yet, will spring to life and reengage those art lovers who are lying low.
Good luck to all of you. With this kind of leadership success is sure to follow.
Ann Morrow
Thank you Matt!
You asked for a candid discussion. Let me start by acknowledging that the Alliance and it’s projects have been wonderfully fruitful, and I’m extremely grateful for what it has accomplished and will continue to accomplish, even if nothing changes. Having said that,
1) Showup.com must be modernized, hopefully in such a way that it can more readily be updated as technology develops – which pace quickeningly quickens daily.
- Use Yelp’s architecture as a starting point in terms of users’ [members'] ability to update almost on the fly
- Consider using Yelp’s architecture as a starting point for allowing real multilogue to occur among ticket buyers, venues, events, and the general public.
- Use the existing wealth of local web-based designers to update navigation, look and feel, linkage, etc
- Make it easier to include non-ticket based venues [see next bullet]
- Make it easier to include itinerant events that use all sorts of venue types [eg- Art Galleries, TEDx and it's ilk, music acts, pop up events etc] who may not even charge spectators/participants
2) Tweak the existent test Showup.com has going with Downtown Devil to allow universal event listings truly bounded by geography for an ever increasing variety of users -
locality-specific publications etc. Downtown Phoenix Journal comes to mind initially, but utility can readily be expanded to the likes of Get Out, Community Colleges, neighborhood associations etc.
I’m sure I’ll think of other things, but the above surely sucks up enough resource. I do think implementing these would bring huge increases in general utility and consequent awareness building, excellent counterweights to the vacuum created by philanthropic cutbacks..
This exponentially expands the opportunity for audience development.
First, let me say that we greatly appreciate your work, Alliance’s work, and specifically the links in this recent post. As a VERY small under $20K organization, we have (until right now) survived the drought. Trickle down has now occurred, and we expect the board to decide at the coming meeting to cancel our April concert in order to meet our contracted commissioning for a new work. Attendance, patron support, and business support have declined substantially. Thankfully, we had reserve funds and while we boldly took the step to commission another AZ composer (Anne Kilstofte) to write for our ensemble, meeting our artistic goals. . . we are now in the position of cancelling a concert in April while we garner more funds. I suppose we are becoming a project oriented ensemble organization and may need to rethink and redesign our business plan to meet these goals. So, YES, I agree there is a dual challenge. Personally, I like that you continue to educate, challenge, and advocate on our behalf. And, the initiatives to date seem meaningful, relative, and to the essence of the issue. . . which as you say, we must directly address the situation.
Matt, great letter. The under-utilization aspect – do you mean diminishing audiences? If so, we see this most of all in our Youth Theater where families with children cannot afford theater in the present economic climate. Theaters can only lower their prices so much to make theater more affordable. If states subsidized the arts more, theaters could reduce prices, making theater more accessible. They cannot do this just by lowering prices and then being unable to pay to produce quality theater or pay their own operating expenses. I feel that each state should invest money in the performing arts – a vibrant and important part of the cultural life of the state. But you are right, that the arts are considered by many as not essential and way down the priority list in this economy.
We spend a lot of time begging organizations and corporations for money and it is very difficult – and competing with contracted, big theater companies is hard for small, non-profit companies. How many theaters have closed in Arizona over the last three years – do you know?
The dwindling room for the arts in newspapers and magazines, that are themselves struggling to survive, hasn’t helped. You really have to be persistent to get your venue any publicity or have a big marketing budget. Your appearance on Channel 3 is the kind of thing we need more of. Our own local channels could invest some time in promoting what is going on around the valley on a more consistent and detailed basis- maybe as part of every newscast – an arts segment.
I will give more thought to your letter. Thanks for your huge commitment to the arts, Matt!