Category: Help Yourself

The Wallace Foundation has released Navigating Uncertain Times: A Scenario-Planning Toolkit for the Arts and Culture Sector developed by AEA Consulting and designed to help arts and culture organizations approach planning for a future marked by uncertainties, including the COVID-19 pandemic, social justice movements, climate change, emerging technologies, and other unforeseen circumstances. The free toolkit is accompanied by a new report, Arts Organizations’ Early Response to COVID-19 Uncertainty: Insights from the Field, also commissioned by Wallace and developed by AEA Consulting. Reflecting the perspectives of more than 160 nonprofit arts leaders on the implications of COVID-19 for the sector, the report outlines strategies deployed to address these impacts and priorities identified by arts practitioners. Read the Scenario-Planning Toolkit for the Arts and Culture Sector here and the Arts Organizations’ Early Response to COVID-19 Uncertainty report here. Both are available for free.

What will the future be like for nonprofit arts organizations? On Wednesday, October 21, the Wallace Foundation will launch “Reimagining the Future of the Arts,” a series of free webinars that brings together a diverse ​group of experts to facilitate conversations around some of the most pressing issues facing the arts sector today, grounded in research commissioned or supported by Wallace. Each session will be recorded and available for later view. Designed to be helpful to nonprofit arts practitioners from organizations of all sizes as well as policy makers, artists, and future leaders, the 60-minute interactive sessions will include insights from visual and performing arts leaders. The first session, on October 21 at 1:00 pm ET, will address the question “What do audiences expect from the arts and how can organizations respond?” Following a brief overview of research by Arthur Cohen of LaPlaca Cohen, a panel discussion moderated by Artnet critic Ben Davis will include Kate Maguire of the Berkshire Theatre Group; Lisa Richards Toney of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals; and Franklin Sirmans of the Pérez Art Museum​ in Miami. Registration is free, and webinars will be available on demand after the initial date. Register here.

On Wednesday, October 21, the League of American Orchestras will present “Women are Now Driving Philanthropy. Are Orchestras Engaging Them?,” a sponsored webinar that is free for League members. The COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturn, and social unrest have left arts nonprofits reeling. One group of donors may offer a lifeline: women. Research shows that women (inclusive of all who identify as women) and their networks give more during times of crisis. This webinar, developed and sponsored by Aspen Leadership Group, will examine how to include all women in ways that resonate with them as orchestras raise funds. Speakers include Marlah Bonner-McDuffie, vice president of development at League of American Orchestras; Anne Johnson, senior consultant and vice president at Aspen Leadership Group; Kathleen Loehr, senior consultant at Aspen Leadership Group and author, Gender Matters: A Guide to Growing Women’s Philanthropy; and Trine Sorensen, donor, board member of the League of American Orchestras and San Francisco Symphony, and former corporate consultant. The webinar takes place on Wednesday, October 21, 2:00 pm Eastern/11:00 am Pacific, and is free for League members. Learn more and register here.

On Wednesday, October 7, the League of American Orchestras will present “Balancing Acoustics and Physical Distancing as Orchestras Return to Their Halls,” a sponsored webinar—free to League members—in which Robin Glosemeyer Petrone and Scott D. Pfeiffer of Threshold Acoustics LLC will discuss how to balance creating safe spaces for performers and audiences while maintaining the unique acoustics of orchestras. With safety protocols in place, how should orchestras performing during the pandemic address issues of acoustic balance, communication among performers, and optimal sound? With the audience distanced, how best to ensure that concerts have the expected breadth and fullness of sound? When an ensemble streams a performance to in-person and virtual audiences simultaneously, what is needed to maximize the sound quality for both audiences? In this 60-minute webinar, developed and sponsored by Threshold Acoustics LLC, acousticians will address these challenges and discuss potential scenarios and solutions. “Balancing Acoustics and Physical Distancing as Orchestras Return to Their Halls” takes place on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, 1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Pacific and is free for League members. Learn more here. Questions? Contact League Member Services at member@americanorchestras.org.

The League of American Orchestras’ Catalyst Fund is accepting applications now through Friday, November 6, 2020. The Catalyst Fund provides grants to help League-member orchestras build understanding of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) issues and to practice effective EDI strategies. Catalyst Fund grants support organizational-development initiatives for musicians, staff, artistic leaders, and board members, including consensus-building conversations, anti-bias training, institutional audits, and the creation of formal EDI plans. Shared learning is a key component of the program, and Catalyst Fund grantees have access to facilitated interactions through an online forum and virtual convenings. Grants range from $10,000 to $25,000, enabling successful applicants to work with a professional EDI consultant to advance self-defined internal EDI learning goals during a one-year grant period. Any League-member orchestra based in the U.S., including those that received grants in previous rounds, is eligible to apply (first-time applicants must attend a webinar that explains the Fund’s priorities and application process). This is the third and final round of the League’s three-year pilot program, made possible by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation with additional support from the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation. Applications are due on Friday, November 6, 2020. Visit https://americanorchestras.org/learning-leadership-development/the-catalyst-fund.html.

Today’s rapidly evolving cultural ecosystem offers orchestras opportunities to accelerate practices that put community and school partnerships at the center of their missions. On Wednesday, September 23, 2020, 1:00pm Eastern/10:00am Pacific, the League of American Orchestras will present The New Ecosystem for Community-Centered Commitments, a 90-minute webinar that explores the current context for growing equitable participation and co-creation of musical experiences in person and online. The webinar will look at how orchestras can collaborate with public education and community partners in fresh ways to offer social-emotional support and engagement during this period of isolation—and beyond. Facilitators Eric Booth, arts learning consultant, and Lecolion Washington, executive director of the Community Music Center of Boston, will be joined by a panel of orchestra representatives and community partners. The webinar is directed at executive directors, youth orchestra directors, trustees, education and community development staff, musicians, artistic staff, teaching artists, and anyone seeking to learn more about engaging in community and school partnerships in new ways. Learn more about The New Ecosystem for Community-Centered Commitments. Contact Member Services at member@americanorchestras.org with questions.

As the election cycle accelerates, the League of American Orchestras is providing information about how orchestras can take action to support voter engagement. As 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, orchestras and the League are strictly prohibited from supporting the election or defeat of any candidate for office, but they can engage in non-partisan voter engagement activity that encourages all voters to register and participate in the election process. Nonprofits are also allowed to expend funds and take public positions on referenda, ballot initiatives, propositions, and tax levies, as long as they do not cross the line into party or candidate endorsement. The League of American Orchestras resource, Playing Your Part: An Orchestra’s Guide to Public Policy Advocacy, includes a Q & A on the rules that allow issue advocacy and voter engagement by orchestras as nonprofit organizations. The League has also gathered resources about nonprofit participation in voter engagement including: National Voter Registration Day; an Elections Call to Action Toolkit; Vote.org, with essential voting information for each state; and Nonprofitvote.org, which helps nonprofits engage the people they serve in voting and elections, and includes a helpful guide to “What Nonprofit Staff Can Say about the Election.”

This week, Simon Woods, one of the orchestra field’s most experienced and forward-thinking leaders, joins the League of American Orchestras as president and CEO. Woods succeeds Jesse Rosen, who served as president and CEO from 2008. Learn more about Simon Woods at the League’s website.

As part of its ongoing dialogue about racism and discrimination in orchestras, the League of American Orchestras recently sent members a Statement on Racial Discrimination, a Symphony magazine article by Aaron Flagg chronicling the history of anti-Black discrimination in American orchestras, and supporting material that introduces the Statement, explains its purpose, and offers resources as well as answers to frequently asked questions.

On Wednesday, August 26, at 1:00pm Eastern/10:00am Pacific, the League invites members to attend a virtual forum where they can voice their reactions to the Statement and materials, discuss how they might use this statement at their orchestras, and ask questions. Only current League members may take part in the session. The conversation will be hosted by members of the League Board and its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee: Douglas Hagerman, board chair; Aaron Flagg, chair, EDI Committee; Gloria dePasquale; and Pratichi Shah. They will be joined by League staff members Jesse Rosen, president and CEO, and Lee Ann Norman, director, Learning and Leadership Programs. League members: learn more and register here.