Comments at Grant Celebration

Last night we hosted a celebration of the Art & Science Fund Grant program, as the grant awards were announced for the first time. Twenty-seven local arts, culture and science organizations received funding. The grant program is administered by Flagstaff Cultural Partners, and funding comes from the BBB Revenues at the City of Flagstaff.

A few folks in attendance asked me to share my comments from the event. Here they are:

We are here to celebrate and recognize these 27 different organizations that dedicate themselves to making Flagstaff a better place to live. You provide quality arts cultural and science experiences to our community. Funding from the City of Flagstaff is a clear validation of your work. The City – and by the City I mean it’s staff, elected officials and its residents – understands the value of your efforts. That’s why long ago they built a BBB revenue stream and applied some of it to the arts, culture and science.

And in Flagstaff, we have a very supportive community. People love and value the work you do. They tell us so. They come out to your programs, they tell their friends, and they truly appreciate what you put into this town.

And yet, I know… and we all know… that it’s not enough. The support is incredible, valuable and needed. But we face enormous issues right now in our work. The economy is showing no signs of a short-term bounce back. Money is tighter, attendance is down, and financial security feels less secure than ever before. We appreciate and greatly need the support we have, but we face an uncertain future.

What you do is creative work. When you are on stage, or in studio, or working with people, your work shakes things up and gives people a sense of hope and excitement. You are not afraid to create new and different approaches with your programs and the messages that your work communicates.

This is one of the values of cultural work… we aim to show people their own world, but from a different perspective than they have witnessed before. We open eyes, open minds and open hearts. And this comes from our ability to think outside the box in terms of what we present to our audiences.

Now, in these times, it is more important than ever that we utilize that creative spirit and apply it to the business side of operations.

We cannot cling to existing sources of revenue… and not only must we constantly seek new sources of revenue, we must also look at ourselves honestly. We must ask where we can do things differently, become more efficient, or build completely new ways of approaching how we finance our work.

We must be fearless in this regard. Hold no aspect sacred. Don’t be afraid to throw out the old ways of doing things and start over again with a completely new model. Look at things in new ways. Ask outsiders for input about the most inside aspect of your operations. Try new things. Be bold.

Shaking up the business side of your organization does not mean you are shaking your foundation. Yes, business is important – it’s essential in that it gives us the ability to do our work more effectively, but it’s not our foundation.

What you do in terms of your programs – in the places where you impact people and their lives – that’s the real foundation of your work. It’s in the standing ovations, or the laughter of your audiences. It’s in the young dancer realizing her own ability. It’s in seeing Jupiter through a telescope for the first time or being touched by a beautiful piece of music.

You impact people with your creative spirit. Keep it flowing and thanks for making Flagstaff a truly unique community.

Cheers,
JT