Management and the Arts

William J. Byrnes

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781000587128
• Edition: 6
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Theatre

The sixth edition of Management and the Arts has been revised and updated with the latest concepts, theories, and practices to meet the evolving demands faced by arts managers in cultural organizations around the world.

This comprehensive textbook covers a wide range of topics, including planning, strategy development, leading, marketing, fundraising, budgeting, finance, staffing, and operations. The book takes an interdisciplinary approach as it explores how arts managers and leaders can develop equitable, collaborative, and dynamic organizations that bring communities together to experience all the arts have to offer. It also includes illustrations, tables, tools, techniques, and case studies that can be applied in a wide range of visual and performing arts organizations. Each chapter features terms, learning outcomes, real world examples, and discussion questions designed to help students build skills, develop strategies, and understand options to consider in meeting the challenges faced by cultural organizations.

New to this edition:

• An extensive focus on how arts managers and organizations can successfully engage in developing and implementing equity, diversity, and inclusion programs
• Expanded content on leadership, marketing, social media, and fundraising theories, practices, and ethics
• Updated content about planning and assessment, business models, entrepreneurship, and heuristics
• Expanded coverage of organizational culture and its impact on programming, operations, and inclusion
• Additional perspectives about leading in the arts, examination of theories of motivation and communication, and expanded discussion on leadership ethics
• Integration of topics on operations, budgeting, and finance including technology and CRM systems

Suggested additional readings, website links, and a broad array of other resources have been carefully gathered to help faculty guide students of Performing Arts programs and Arts Management courses as they explore what is required to work with artists, board members, staff, funders, volunteers, and community leaders.

Management and the Arts includes access to a companion website featuring a sample syllabus, additional project assignments, suggested resources, and chapter-by-chapter PowerPoint slides (www.managementandthearts.com).

1 Arts Management Overview

DOI: 10.4324/9781003030287-1

Terms & Concepts

• Definitions: the arts, culture, management, arts management
• Mental models
• Systems theory
• Arts ecology
• Cultural/Creative industries
• Manager
• Organizations
• Organizing
• Levels of management: operations, managerial, strategic
• General Manager/Director
• Administrator
• Division of labor
• Corporate culture
• Functions of management: planning, organizing, leading, controlling

Learning Outcomes

• L.O.1.1: Be able to summarize definitions related to terms such as the arts, culture, management, managing, arts management, and levels of management
• L.O.1.2: Explain the significance of the NEA "How Art Works” system map when studying arts management and the importance of the five dimensions of the value of the arts
• L.O.1.3: Describe the differences in the four models that make up the creative industries classification system
• L.O.1.4: Be able to summarize what managers do and define organizing and organizations
• L.O.1.5: Explain how managerial levels function in the operation of cultural organizations
• L.O.1.6: Provide examples of how the four functions of management (planning, organizing, leading, controlling) can be applied to the operation of cultural organizations

Part 1: Introduction to the Field of Arts Management

It makes sense to start our journey through management and the arts by pondering what assumptions we have about the meaning of the words "arts" and "management." When we combine these two words, we are connecting two different areas of human activity and each word is packed with meaning that resonates differently with people. A further complication occurs because "arts management" may also be called cultural management or arts administration. Do all these combinations of words mean the same thing? To a large degree, it depends on the context in which these terms are used.

This book will use the term "arts management" in lieu of listing all these alternatives each time. In some parts of the world, cultural management is the preferred term, while in others, it may be arts administration or management (DeVereaux, 2019). For example, in the United States, it is common to find university programs that pair the word "arts" with management or administration rather than "culture" (AAAE, 2019). While elsewhere, it is common to find educational programs with cultural management titles combined with cultural policy (ENCATC, 2019). Cultural heritage and tourism are also subject areas found in programs of study. These title variances are more than merely naming differences. The philosophy, methodology, and goals of educational programs vary in different parts of the world.

The word "arts" also can encompass a wide range of activities. To be "in the arts" or to be someone identified as an "artist" can carry with it perceptions that range from awe and admiration to stereotypical responses such as someone who is impractical, who will struggle to make a living, or worse, is seen as someone who is eccentric, outside norms, or pretentious. And like the different titles for arts management, being an "artist" could also mean you are an "arts entrepreneur," or "cultural entrepreneur," or even an "artpreneur" (artist-entrepreneur) (Vecco, 2020).

The point is that when we use the term "arts management," we have assumptions, perceptual frameworks, stereotypes, and biases (conscious and unconscious) that shape how we think and talk about the work being done and the person in the role of an arts manager. We form what is called a mental model of arts management. A mental model can be described as "beliefs, ideas, images, and verbal descriptions that we consciously or unconsciously form from our experiences and which (when formed) guide our thoughts and actions within narrow channels” (BusinessDictionary, 2019). We also need to recognize that arts management as a mental model is continuing to evolve. The model is being reassessed and transformed as arts managers and cultural organizations confront the lack of equity, diversity, and inclusion that has marked the field (Stein, et al., 2020, pp. 5-8).

Let's take a few moments to explore a sampling of definitions we commonly encounter for words such as "art," "the arts,” and "culture." The outcome of this exploration should be a more nuanced understanding of a few basic concepts about our mental models of the arts and management.

Definitions and Terms

L.O.1.1: Be able to summarize definitions related to terms such as the arts, culture, management, managing, arts management, and levels of management.

When we use the word “the arts," we typically mean "the various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and dance” (Oxford English Dictionary, n.d.). Preceding "the arts” is, of course, someone creating art which is defined as "works produced by human creative skill and imagination" (LEXICO, n.d.). The works being produced in the various branches of the arts include many of the items listed in the various Creative and Cultural Industries models in Table 1.1 (film, video, graphics, etc.).

When we talk about the arts, words like cultural and culture are also part of the conversation. In the context of this book, we will use culture to mean "activities such as the arts and philosophy, which are considered to be important for the development of civilization and of people's mind” (Collins Dictionary, n.d.).

The words cultural and culture, when connected to management, can then be seen as encompassing processes designed to help shape and develop civilization. In future chapters, we will explore the term "culture" to describe the values and behaviors that create the unique internal environment of an organization. For example, when we talk of an organization’s "corporate culture," we are describing the values, beliefs, rites, and rituals shared among the people in the organization.¹

But what of this other word, "management"? Management is a relatively new term (though the concept of managing is not), coming out of the evolution of business practices in the late nineteenth century (Pindur, et al., 1995). One of the many definitions of management is that it "is the process of working with people and resources to accomplish organizational goals” (Bateman, et aL, 2019, p. 12). This definition is general enough to cover most arts management functions (e.g., the "organizational goal” involves presenting visual or performing arts events that align with the mission).

There are dozens of variations on the definition of management, and as Peter Drucker pointed out, "Management denotes a function and the people who discharge it. It denotes a social position and authority, but also a discipline and a field of study” (Drucker, 2008, p. 3). He goes on to say that "Management is a practice rather than a science or a profession (Drucker, 2008, p. 11, emphasis in original). This view is reinforced by Henry Mintzberg, who also notes that managing is a "practice, learned primarily through experience, and rooted in context" (Mintzberg, 2011, p. 9).

When connecting the concepts and activities associated with "arts" and "culture" to the definition of "management,” the result can be confounding. Our mental models about the process of creating art and being "in the arts” are seen as antithetical to the process and functions of management. In fact, "management" is often depicted as a force impending creative activity. However, simplistic negative stereotypes of management and managers only reinforce unproductive prejudices.

Rather than being an impediment, arts management in the context of this book is seen as utilizing the functions of management to connect the creative work of artists to audiences and communities in support of the mission of the organization.² The many varied roles and functions of arts managers will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 2.

As noted in the Preface, arts management is interdisciplinary in its scope. It draws on knowledge in fields such as aesthetics, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and an understanding of art forms (music, dance, etc.). Arts management is a continually evolving practice that adapts to the changing forces in societies and in social-cultural, political, legal, economic, education, and technological environments. Whether it is called arts management, arts administration, or cultural management, the end goal is to support artists and artistic expression by facilitating the work which makes it possible for people to experience the arts and for a society to flourish.

This brief examination of some of the terms and concepts commonly used when talking about the arts and management was designed to raise questions about the assumptions we make and biases we may hold. Developing and sharing key definitions of terms like arts or cultural management, the arts, culture, and creativity with staff, board members, and patrons can help build shared values and a shared understanding of why the arts organization exists and its higher purpose. Advocacy for the arts can also be strengthened by sharing definitions of these terms to help build cultural literacy in a community and enhance the arts ecology. Several resources are listed at the end of this chapter for those who wish to go more deeply into these and other relevant topics.

Systems and How Art Works

L.O.1.2: Explain the significance of the NEA "How Art Works” system map when studying arts management and the importance of the five dimensions of the value of the arts.

Let's step back for a moment and ponder how the field of arts management operates in society. We can gain some perspective by taking a macro view of the context in which the arts function. Since much of the creative work occurs in organizations, we can examine the interrelationships between the arts as a form of expression in the environments that make up a social system. We can start this analysis by looking at these relationships from a systems theory perspective.

A system is defined as "an interconnected set of elements that is coherently organized in a way that achieves something" (Meadows, 2008, p. 11). Meadows stresses that "a system must consist of three kinds of things: elements, interconnections, and a function or purpose" (Ibid., emphasis in original). Systems can range from being simple to complex. A thermostat is often cited as a simple system for controlling the temperature. In contrast, your immune system is a complex and interconnected set of systems that help keep your body functioning.

In the realm of an arts organization, the system elements include people and a place interrelated through the creative work being presented, with several purposes, including entertaining people. The interconnected elements that are "coherently organized" to support the systems of artistic expression happen through an organization, "which is a collection of people working together to achieve a common purpose" (Schermerhorn, 2013, p. 11). The achievement of the "common purpose" may take the form of an informal group of artists working together in a co-op or manifest itself in a well-established institution su...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Endorsements
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Arts Management Overview
• 2 Arts Managers and the Practice of Management
• 3 Adaptive Arts Organizations
• 4 Planning and the Arts
• 5 Organizing: Organization Design and Culture
• 6 Staffing, Boards, and Volunteers
• 7 Leading in the Arts
• 8 Economics and the Arts
• 9 Control: Operations, Budgeting, and Finance
• 10 Marketing and the Arts
• 11 Fundraising and Development
• 12 Managing and the Arts
• Index