A professor of arts administration at Drexel University joins a growing number of voices to question whether the current nonprofit structure has become outdated or too confining, especially for arts organizations.
James Undercofler, writing in his new Arts Journal blog, State of the Art, asks: “Does the traditional not-for-profit 501(c)3 organizational structure impede the effective presentation and production of the very art it was established to facilitate?”
His answer is, in many cases, yes.
“Creative artists from all areas want to create their own organization, so that they can create their art,” he writes. “It’s almost as if one step has to precede the other.”
Mr. Undercolfer’s previous experience includes running a number of arts groups, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Minnesota (Perpich) Center for Arts Education, and the Educational Center for the Arts, in New Haven, Conn.
What do you think? Can artists raise money to support their creative efforts without getting bogged down in the formal structure of a nonprofit group? Post your comments below.
0 Responses to Should Arts Groups be Nonprofit?
jshaughnessyhodges - February 3, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Thought of you all when I read this…
a7_476bc9_2 - February 3, 2010 at 3:46 pm
I think artists can be effective advocates for their arts organizations, but the reason you have people working in development and fund raising is to raise the necessary funds for an arts organization while the artists focus on their craft. Now, many nonprofits can do a much better job at presenting and supporting its field of the arts, but such improvements are an internal governance issue for the arts organization. If an arts organization is not effective, then don’t look at the artists or the fund raising staff, look at the Board and its members. The current nonprofit structure is not in and of itself too confining or outdated, but too many Boards may well be both.Tom CannonSavannah, GA
schammond - February 6, 2010 at 2:09 pm
I think a broader question is can artists be viewed like the creators of technology and other innovations? The innovators raise venture capital. Can those of us who are passionate supporters develop a model that similarly responds to the funding needs of artists?Susan C. Hammond