Administrative artists

It all started with my quest for a quote—a well-articulated, grounded, brilliant few words that would act as a guide for my own thoughts about the function of the performing arts. After all, once I honed in on the essence of this sought-after quote, my thoughts would gracefully align in an enlightened, interesting and engaging fashion. My theory seemed foolproof until I actually tried to capture that quote. From philosophers to theater critics to heads of states to writers of the Bible, it appears that the function of the performing arts has been debated and redefined for thousands of years. To me this shows how important the performing arts have been to how we live our lives, because generation after generation keep returning to this question to explore the relevance of the performing arts and seek new answers.

I believe that the industry I work in plays a vital role in our personal and community lives. The liveliness and vibrancy of the performing arts help us define, explore, understand and face the complexities within ourselves and our experience in the world around us. It often propels us beyond the mechanism of our daily lives, out of the roles we are accustomed or forced to play, and into parts of our imagination that we may not spend time with on a regular basis. We become reacquainted with ideas; we dust off our deeply held opinions or try on new thoughts and perspectives in a manner that can be both nonthreatening and exhilarating.

Companies like Penumbra, Mu Performing Arts or the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent use the performing arts to explore issues of diversity, identity and race in honest, inclusive ways. Through story, song or dance, the performing arts can create a connection with other cultures that we can’t or don’t know how to form on our own. These connections can be witnessed firsthand when audience members watch a performance; they may experience a riveting moment of self-realization or an emotion that touches them in an unforgettable way. I’ve seen this happen at History Theatre when snapshots of personal histories are portrayed onstage and audiences hear the inner thoughts of a Minnesota hero at an unexpected or vulnerable moment. This type of intimacy created through the art form may be startling, uncomfortable or heartwarming. The performing arts can recreate moments from our histories that may even be familiar, but when told in a brave new way, they help us see ourselves and the world we live in through a different lenses.

By nature, the performing arts focus on collaboration and teamwork since it usually takes a village to produce (and pay for) concerts, recitals and theater productions. As an administrator, I’m keenly aware of how easy it is to lose sight of why an organization exists, especially within our nonprofit theater community. We find it increasingly difficult to keep mission in the forefront and balance it effectively with the demands of running a business. There is continual pressure to compete for limited funding resources and increase annual surpluses. Unfortunately, most nonprofits cannot absorb huge change without experiencing stress on their already-limited resources. Is it any wonder that arts managers can sometimes be found emailing their staff or working on grant proposals during the wee hours of the morning in a losing battle against insomnia?

Though competitiveness is common in our consumer-based, business economy, it is often counterintuitive to the collaborative nature of the performing arts. If, however, the management pendulum swings too far to the artistic side, important administrative functions may be neglected, such as paying taxes, filing insurance forms or renewing Web site domain names—you know, unglamorous tasks which are crucial to day-to-day business operations. If the pendulum swings back to the other way, then mission and artistry may be led purely by business decisions. Programming decisions are made purely to sell tickets or meet funder and donor expectations. Neither extreme is healthy for an organization to function, and if meeting administrative goals become more important than meeting the mission, the organization’s staff can easily lose focus and purpose. A type of mission paralysis or mission drift sets in.

Arts managers play an important role in helping balance artistic and administrative goals within performing arts organizations. They can help define and illustrate the important balance and respect between mission and business administration, helping their employees keep perspective and understand their role on a performing arts team. A well-written press release or beautiful photo presented by media relations, a philanthropic gift to support production from the efforts of a development officer, or top-notch house management services are all part of the performing arts experience and assist an organization in meeting its professional standards. In fact, these types of contributions—from seeing a postcard to purchasing a ticket to reading an inspiring donor solicitation—are part of the contemporary performing arts experience. As a potential patron of the performing arts, I may not recognize the title of the work but an enticing photo or captivating description may peak my curiosity and motivate me to attend, just as a well-written donation solicitation may inspire me to contribute monetary support or attend a fundraiser. The performing arts needs these administrative artists to weave the connections between the work and its audience and keep the connective thread from breaking. 

A community that believes in its artists and supports its performing arts organizations will reflect the ideas they draw from the art in unique ways. The work often captures and reflects the vibrancy that reverberates throughout communities engaged in meaningful conversation about important issues. In turn, the community can use the performing arts as a vehicle for self-expression and unification. These are our times and just as other generations have found their own opinions about the purpose of the performing arts, we will place our own stamp on the artwork of our time.

So I am still looking for that ultimate quote about the performing arts, but instead of only considering the work of a historic figure or a well-known thinker, I think I’ll actually hear it best from my own community; maybe I’ll hear it at a staff meeting, find it at a rehearsal or notice it in passing from an audience member at a random moment where what we do as artists, arts administrators and administrative artists in our own time is most obvious. ❦