206 stories by "Michael Kaiser"
The major problems facing the arts today are not the lack of great artists but the dearth of sophisticated planning, marketing, fundraising and board development skills.
Anyone who cares about the arts must be happy that this great institution will open its new season this month. But did the remarkable firestorm surrounding these negotiations do enough to st…
This is my last week as President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It has been a remarkable honor to serve in this position for well over 13 years. I have had incredibl…
Whenever a show makes this big move it is a cause for celebration. It suggests that the producing theaters created something of value, something that for-profit producers believe will be of …
It is easy to get depressed about the future of the arts in America when one reads countless stories of arts...
Working with so many arts organizations that are facing financial challenges, I often hear board and staff discussion about the need for a mega-gift. "If only we had an angel" is a…
Summer is a good time to think through all the celebrities your board, staff and artists know or have worked with and think about ways to use one or two in the upcoming season.
The American View: It would be so great to be working in a European arts institution. After all, those organizations get such a large portion of their budget from the government. The Europe…
Too many talented arts executives - whose organizations have achieved a great deal under their leadership - fail to promote...
The men and women who run the shows, move the sets, carry the props, light the lights, manage the sound, dress the performers and on and on are among my favorite colleagues in every arts job…
Send a clear, concise well-formatted email that focuses on highlights from the season, including some photographs, to donors (and key prospects), volunteers, board members, subscribers and k…
While many arts institutions may have the same general goals (sell more tickets, raise more money, etc.) the path to achieving these goals will differ markedly from one organization to anoth…
Like most people in the arts, I believe that the boards of arts organizations must give their artistic leaders the freedom to...
I have written frequently about the dangers of erecting a new building before an arts institution is really ready for...
Too many arts managers are not comfortable with financial concepts and data. They can create an operational budget that adds up correctly, but have little knowledge of the workings of the st…
I have learned that we cannot simply impress donors and audience members by showing them the great level of accomplishment of our artistic and educational endeavors.
Without a clear picture of the art and other programs that will be mounted in the future, the organization cannot achieve its mission, cannot build an audience or donor base and, frankly, is…
A serious effort must be made to engage people in their 20s and 30s today, to make the case for the importance of our arts institutions, to make it fun and rewarding to participate as a dono…
While board members bring their knowledge and experience from other ventures to the board room, this experience is not always transferable. Knowing how to market banks, soap or computers doe…
These are people who are fighting on the front lines of arts education: teachers, administrators, arts managers who are united in the belief that a solid arts education is a crucial componen…
I have to admit it: in my 30 year arts management career I have been ambivalent about the value of international touring. While many of my peers disagree strenuously with me, for every bene…
Last week I wrote in my blog of my special history with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. I mentioned that to celebrate...
As I count down the number of days left until I leave the Kennedy Center, I am getting nostalgic about my entire career. ...
Arts journalists keep those of us who run arts organizations honest. They question us when they believe our offerings are too timid, too easy, too glib.
There is one reason that a subset of arts organizations are facing difficulties that can and must be avoided at all cost: the loss of one, incredibly important donor whose gifts were so larg…
