Here's something exciting that we've discovered - for the past two years Barry's Blog and Update from the Western States Arts Federation has compiled a list of the 25 Most Powerful and Influential Leaders in the Nonprofit Arts Sector. After reading last year’s list, I was excited to see who would be represented this year. As a nonprofit administrator, my curiosity was naturally piqued as I sought out peers and mentors, colleagues and friends. The list is, as the author readily admits, incomplete. But the actual names on the list weren’t what impressed me most—what struck me is that it exists at all.
As a society, we like to list things very much. We want to know the best cities to live in, the best colleges to attend, the most powerful people in television, business and in the world. It seems out of place to list the most powerful leaders in the nonprofit sector, much less the arts nonprofit. Largely, we are less concerned with being included on a list, but instead are professionals that are constantly trying to make a difference in this world.
I saw many adept and profoundly capable colleagues on the list—many of whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with throughout my twenty-plus year tenure—who are indeed making fundamental leaps in the world of nonprofit arts. Bob Lynch, Michael Kaiser, Daniel Windham, Sandra Rupert, Moy Eng, Jonathan Katz, Laura Zucker, Alan Brown, and Rory MacPherson have all personally touched not only my life but Big Thought and the work that it does. Big Thought, like many other nonprofits committed to the arts and creativity, relies on these people as advisors and partners in advancing the arts across the country. Without them, we might not be experiencing today’s successes.
We are in debt to many more, though, like Eric Booth, Dennie Palmer Wolf, and Tom Wolf. These ingenious talents offer far more than sound advice to arts administrators and arts organizations the country over. Their work validates a field that is sometimes seen as extraneous and non-essential.
Barry’s list identifies a community, a nationwide consortium of nonprofit arts professionals and advocates that are influencers and provokers of activism. We are not alone! And it’s good to see it, written down somewhere, with names attached. But perhaps more importantly, this list sets a precedent for identification with the people in this field. This year, perhaps only those in the arts nonprofit read Barry’s list. Next year, maybe a few more. The year after, perhaps it’s thousands who want to know more about the work that we do.
Kudos to blogs like these that begin to associate the nonprofit arts with talent, power, and importance.
Gigi Antoni
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
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What does it say about our field when such a high percentage of the list is from the funding community? I wonder about that... and come to no conclusions.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that’s almost to be expected, especially with the economy in its current state. In times of financial trouble, we turn to government leaders and funders for help and guidance. However, you do bring up a valid point, which is why we also pointed out a few other non-funding folk who didn’t make the list this year from whom we’ve sought advice and ideas over the years: Eric Booth, whose skill at training artists to become teaching artists is unmatched; Dennie Palmer Wolf, who’s spent nearly a decade helping us do research on first Dallas ArtsPartners and now Thriving Minds – research which informs our programming decisions every day; and Tom Wolf, who has acted as a consultant to numerous arts organizations, including our own – he helped us draft our strategic plan and define the future for our organization.
ReplyDeletePerhaps next year, if the economic hubbub dies down a bit, these fine folks – and the dozens of others guiding and advising nonprofit arts administrators across the country – will merit mention on this list!
good blog, i am sorry. I am blogger from indonesia
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