As Rogers and Hammerstein wrote, "it's a very good place to start." Now I am not about to delve into DO, A DEER... however, I am going to talk about most arts & culture organizations start every day, the beginning. Most mornings, on my way to work, I have an opportunity to think about what lies ahead for that day: the challenges, the opportunities, the fears, the joys. Doesn't seem too daunting. But for arts & culture leaders across the country and around the world, this thought process alone can be overwhelming.
From January 2005 through December 2009, I served as the Executive Director of the Prince Theatre Foundation. Located in the soon to be re-named Garfield Center for the Arts at the Historic Prince Theatre, this 1928 movie house has had a rebirth and has been given a new purpose thanks in part to my vision, but mostly to the small accomplishments achieved every day by extraordinary individuals. These individuals included my Board of Directors, my staff, our dozens of volunteers and our patrons. In a town of just 4500 people in Maryland's smallest and most rural county, this organization created something fantastic: a family.
When I accepted this job, which I essentially created for myself as part of a grad school project in the fall of 2004, I started from the beginning. With the exception of creating a 501(c)(3) and forming a board, I had the chance to really think about what would make this new organization succeed. I went to the streets. I met as many people as I could and talked to them about who I was and what I was doing. This small town, like most, is quite provincial. There are families that have lived here for 300 years. There are, in fact, "From Heres and Come Heres," and I was obviously a "Come Here." But it didn't stop me. Within a two years, I had been awarded the Key to the City by our amazing Mayor (now in her fifth term.) I had created, with the help of our dedicated local county arts council director, an award honoring those who have showed unparalleled commitment to the arts (honoring said arts council director and her husband - without whom, there would be significantly less cultural opportunity in our area.) And, I had produced, staged and performed in Jason Robert Brown's "Songs for a New World" - our organization's most successful production to date in both attendance and gross & net income.
There is more to this story... there is more about the challenges I faced everyday. There is more about the work that arts & culture administrators do every morning, and every day as they start from the beginning to create something wonderful, not just so people can see a show, but so people can start a conversation. I hope this blog will help us to start a new conversation about the critical role arts and culture should play in our everyday lives. I hope that we can help more people to understand the impact of arts and cultural organization on the economy, on education, on quality of life, and more.
Join me for the journey, we are starting at the beginning. This blog is based on my experience and my opinion. Not everyone will agree with what I have to say, but everyone should agree that we need to be talking about it. So let's go out and do that. I coined a tag line at the Prince Theatre Foundation... "See a Show, Start a Conversation." Today, we will begin that conversation. Join me.
JS
