Commentary

In Case You Were Wondering If The Grass Was Greener

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The debate between which arts funding systems work best is nearly self-perpetuating. Based on overall dollars spent per-capita, there are two frontrunners: the US and German systems. While this is a tremendous oversimplification, the major difference between the two is the US system relies funding from private resources while the German model depends on government funding. That difference is rooted in the birth of nonprofit status in the US. Interestingly enough, …

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Just In Case You Thought The Grinch Didn’t Do Thanksgiving

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The New York Times’ headline says it all: Met Opera Seeks Pay Cuts in Exchange for Pandemic Paychecks, The Met is offering many employees their first paycheck in months if their unions agree to long-term cuts. If you dig into the 11/20/2020 article by Julia Jacobs you’ll find out more about what’s going on, but it really is that simple. The Metropolitan Opera has offered to start paying many employees who …

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Here’s Hoping We See A Connection Between Words And Actions

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Newly minted League of American Orchestras President and CEO, Simon Woods, published a commentary piece at Medium that spells out his thoughts on issues the field should be prioritizing. By and large, it’s a good read. He hits several strong topics squarely on the nose that a few years ago, were actively avoided such as racial equality and elitism. The only items missing from his list that ranks alongside racial equality …

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Thinking About 21-22 Season Planning

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The 11/17/2020 edition of NPR broadcast an interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci where he talked about impending coronavirus vaccines and timelines. While he was quite clear that plans can change at any moment, the general population rollout will occur at some point toward the end of April or later. “By the time you get to, let’s say, the end of April, the beginning of May, June, July, as we get into …

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What The Arts Can Hope To See From A Biden Administration

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Now that it’s official and a Biden administration takes the reins in January, we can expect to see rapid movement on numerous issues important to the country as a whole. But what about the arts and culture sector? In addition to improved arts funding, there are plenty of issues a Biden administration can impact. Here are few I hope to see movement on within the first year: Don’t just restore net …

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