Category Archives: Arts funding

Avoiding the Begging Cup – redux

Posted on April 9, 2012 by lindaessig

Late last week, Richard Dare of the Brooklyn Philharmonic posted a column on the Huffington Post about the unsustainability of a donor-based business model for the arts.  A colleague, seeing this, wrote, “I’ve been saying that for years.” To which … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts entrepreneurship, Arts funding, arts infrastructure | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

There’s Something Happening Here – 2

Posted on March 15, 2012 by lindaessig

What it is ain’t exactly clear, but over on Arlene Goldbard and Barry Hessenius’s art clout blogfest, Diane Ragsdale suggests that the NEA should be “disintegrated and it’s components set free” in response to Arlene and Barry’s prompt: “With a … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts funding, arts infrastructure, Arts policy, Culture and democracy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

There’s Something Happening Here – 1

Posted on March 14, 2012 by lindaessig

What it is ain’t exactly clear, but there seems to be a growing questioning of the status quo, or rather the stati quos.  Perhaps it’s a response to shrinking arts funding, declining audience numbers, exponentially growing means of distribution, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts funding, Arts policy, Culture and democracy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Shifting the Level of Analysis

Posted on March 5, 2012 by lindaessig

Adrian Ellis wrote a thoughtful and well-reasoned essay for the Grantmakers in the Arts website recently on supply and demand issues in the nonprofit arts sector.  His essay provides enough fodder to feed several months of blog posts, and I … Continue reading →

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The Most Important Arts Policy of All

Posted on February 19, 2012 by lindaessig

Arts policy discussions tend to revolve around arts funding, how to articulate the value of the arts, the importance of arts education, building communities through the arts, and the like.  We are so lucky we can be having these conversations.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts education, Arts funding, arts infrastructure, Arts policy, Higher education | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Is There a Problem Problem?

Posted on January 15, 2012 by lindaessig

In a recent posting on artsjournal, Sarah Lutman asserts that the propensity for foundations to ask “What need or problem will be eliminated” leads to a “culture of pathology” that is “especially insidious for the arts.”  Challenging, yes, but not … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts education, Arts entrepreneurship, Arts funding, Higher education, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Kerry’s Question

Posted on January 9, 2012 by lindaessig

Kerry Lengel, theatre critic for the Arizona Republic, recently posed the following question to me: “Is the business model for non-profit arts broken? If so, how can it be fixed – or replaced?”  Our phone conversation was focused primarily on … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts education, Arts entrepreneurship, Arts funding, arts infrastructure | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Shifting Sands

Posted on January 1, 2012 by lindaessig

Happy New Year!  I started Creative Infrastructure one year ago yesterday to enter an ongoing conversation about the infrastructure for art, the arts, artistic creativity, and arts education.  Public policy is one element of that infrastructure, and an area of … Continue reading →

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How Much Is Too Much?

Posted on December 21, 2011 by lindaessig

The New York Time published an article by Patrick Healy last week about nonprofit theatres mounting commercial productions on Broadway, partnering with commercial producers, or extending runs or remounting hits in order to increase revenue.  Nonprofit theatres have to make … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts funding, arts infrastructure, Arts management, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Seed funding?

Posted on November 20, 2011 by lindaessig

Michael Wilkerson, on the ArtsJournal blog, made an interesting proposal to fund the nonprofit arts sector: tax for-profit cultural products and funnel those restricted funds to the nonprofit sector.  A day later, he backpedaled from the proposal, on the advice … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts funding, arts infrastructure, Culture and democracy | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments