David Shriver’s Post

What is the future of the arts when nearly all arts institutions are struggling for finances? A telling story in The Guardian reveals the situation in the UK. But it doesn't have to be this way - there are solutions. ⚠️ 🎭 Crisis in the Cultural Sector The majority of England's largest subsidized cultural institutions, celebrated for their global renown, are now operating at a loss. New financial data reveals that 73 out of the top 100 organisations funded by Arts Council England reported losses, with the deficit averaging about £300,000. This group includes the Royal Shakespeare Company, highlighting the widespread struggle to even break even despite substantial efforts. 🛡️ A Call to Arms - And Beyond the UK Caroline McCormick, chair of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation (CPF), is spearheading a lobbying campaign, Culture Makes ..., set to launch in May. The campaign aims to safeguard British culture, advocating for its recognition as an indispensable pillar of society, rather than a luxury for prosperous times. "It is now all so close to the bone," McCormick remarks. The initiative has garnered support from nearly 40 cultural bodies, including prestigious names like the RSC, Edinburgh International Festival, and Southbank Centre. The RSC’s joint interim executive directors, Sandeep Mahal and Vicky Cheetham, emphasize the transformative potential of arts and culture, especially in challenging economic times. They assert, "This campaign will help to build our collective understanding of the economic, creative, social, and physical power within the culture sector in the UK." 🌟 The Path Forward The challenge that many arts organizations run into is that they make broad appeals to funding for the health of society. But the value proposition has to move away from broad ideals to specifics: what will your organization specifically do, how will that be measured, and what track record do we already have to give confidence about the forecast? No doubt - the arts are important, much like literacy is too, but the sector needs to move from broad appeals to specifics. I will be writing more details on how to achieve this vision in the coming weeks (cc Living Opera). #CultureMatters #FinancialCrisis #CulturalInstitutions #ArtsFunding #UK https://lnkd.in/gPaXykza

Thank you BDmagAU. Bring on the North Australian Concert Hall. We are ready. …Similarly, the Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM), which was born in Townsville three decades ago, continues to be a key economic driver in the region every year. The total spending associated with the AFCM in Queensland amounted to $9.32 million in 2023 and saw a return of $3.28 million in the state. Notably, 80% of this economic impact was felt in the Townsville region. Yet, arts organisations like AFCM are also facing challenges with financial constraints and the need for adequate infrastructure, which Executive Director Ricardo Peach says is vital to sustaining their growth, particularly amidst the current cost-of-living crisis. “Organisations like ours undergo cycles,” says Ricardo. “We receive a set amount of government funding that isn’t indexed. As inflationary pressures persist, our costs rise, so arts industries need local busineses and the broader community to support us now more than ever. “AFCM attracts many visitors not just from across Australia but also internationally. Infrastructure is essential for us and other local creative industries to ensure we can have a bigger piece of the pie and bring artistic and cultural events all year round, which, of course, would have a flow-on effect for the economy.” In the 2023/24 Townsville City Council budget, $45.7 million was assigned to community support programs, libraries, visual and performing arts, galleries, and events. Bolstering this, the Queensland Government allocated $50 million for a new concert hall, adding to the $100 million already granted from the Federal Government in 2021. This pending construction, while promising, highlights ongoing debates about resource allocation and the lack of performance venues for both amateur and professional organisations. However, it is a good indicator that the city is being recognised Queensland-wide for the artistic talent that is being cultivated in the region… Townsville City Council Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts Arts Queensland Townsville Enterprise (TEL)

As Autumn sets, I have been reflecting on summer and particularly the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. As a resident I have to admit it, I don’t like the Fringe. The city comes to a standstill, you can’t get anything done or go anywhere and there are just people everywhere. But, as a businessman, I cannot deny how much money the Fringe brings into the Scottish economy. The Edinburgh Fringe is the biggest arts and cultural event in the world. After the Olympics and Football World Cup, it is the third highest ticketed event in the world. So, it’s not going anywhere. And why should it? There has been a big drive to reduce access to the Fringe recently, remove investment and make it smaller. But Fringe showcases Scotland to the world. Why would we try and slow down the one month that has more impact on the city than all the other months combined - every single year? If anything, we need to be investing more into it. It needs better management, I think everyone can agree with that. There needs to be a way to allow for sustainable growth and a correct distribution of profits from the festival. But it can’t end. Fringe needs to be allowed to flourish, so Edinburgh can continue to flourish.

I look forward to contributing to this event as speaker and as moderator of our session on evaluation, raising the question : "are we measuring the right things?" Come along or make sure you follow key updates from what promises to be a truly stimulating daylong seminar. #majorEvents #majorEventslegacy #majorEventsFuture #eventEvaluation #culturalValue

Three simple actions to arrange successful events (well, and pretty much anything) in small towns. (1) explore. Guaranteed you’ll find the most incredible resources from people to assets to venues. It will all be there. (2) ask. You’ll be surprised how often people say yes and genuinely want to help you out. (3) trust. It may not look like you imagined and it almost certainly won’t be what a big hotel would offer. But that’s ok. Fit for purpose is the new perfect. And it will never be boring !! 5 weeks to go until this years national Social Impact in the Regions conference. If you care about regional communities and want a unique adventure I thoroughly suggest you book your ticket.

Art festivals need money to exist. If we want a healthy artistic workforce we need to pay people for their work. An art festival business plan doesn't always add up without corporate sponsorship and with limited public funds, and an economic crisis... we are at the mercy of money. It's the responsibility of the festival leaders to align where the money comes from with the festival's values that should represent the audience /community values. But we know a lot of money, doesn't always come from a clean source. How to deal with money that comes from 'dirty' sources? Is rejecting it for good use, wrong? What would be the reliable alternative for fundraising? This is such a difficult challenge but I'd love to hear YOUR view on this. https://lnkd.in/eyqPM25w

Plant a seed and watch it grow, but first, nurture the soil. Are you a performing artist and want to take your act to the next level? Are you a career professional and want to grow your network? Do you want to tour regionally? Nationally? Internationally? Do you own or operate a venue and want to start booking acts to expand your current market? Do you run an arts non-profit and want to learn more about the industry? Do you want to know more about the business of performance in general? If so, then please join me for an infosession on booking conferences as I explain my process, preparation, and experiences when utilizing these platforms. POP-UP Performing Arts Infosession Announcement Topic: Booking Conferences Date: Saturday (08/24) Time: 10:00 AM Location: Liberty Park Public Library 402 S Pittsburg St, Spokane, WA 99202 Spokane Public Library Spokane Arts My name is James Pakootas, and I'm an international, award-winning performing artist, producer, and filmmaker who cultivates change with the power of words. I've built a career on stage and in the community through grants, fellowships, residencies, and booking conferences. These conference platforms helped teach me the business of music, and each conference conducts business slightly different than the others. All in all, they taught me how to leverage my position, timing, and artistic talent to prospective talent buyers across this country and beyond. I leave for Western Arts Alliance (WAA) this Sunday. Before I go, let me share the ins and outs, how I prepared for this trip, how I'm going to best utilize my time once I touch down, and how I'm going to follow up once I get home. Then I'm going to refocus, make adjustments, and begin preparing for Arts Northwest this October, right here in Spokane. Let's "demistify" some of the business of performance and start developing a process that helps us find success in our own definition of, "making it." You define the verb. Let me help you take action. 📸📸📸: @stevealboucq #chasedreamsworthliving #performingarts #performingartist #performingartists #bookingconference #waaconference #westernartsalliance #artsnwconference

If your community or organization hosts an annual event or festival, this free webinar will provide an overview of provincial, federal, and even corporate programs that can help offset costs and scale up experiences. And yes, this does include Canada Day celebrations! Click below to register. #funding #events #festivals #celebrations #communitygroups #fallfair #musicstage

📌 #SaveTheDate The European Festivals Association, Stiftung Zukunft Berlin and A Soul for Europe are glad to announce that the Berlin Conference will take place on 7 and 8 November at the Allianz Forum, right next to the iconic Brandenburg Gate! EFA, along with festivals and festival cities and regions, will once again be key contributors. Since 2004, this conference has brought together a diverse spectrum of individuals from the arts to politics, providing a platform for collective discussion and action towards a cultural Europe. Reflecting on the words of then newly appointed President of the European Commission, José-Manuel Barroso, “The questions of what Europe can do for culture, and what culture can do for Europe, are not new. But in this context they have acquired a new sense of urgency […] What is needed now is sustainability of action – the translation of good intentions into good decisions.” Detailed information about the programme and registration links will follow soon. If you have any questions, please send an email to info@efa-aef.eu.

Adelaide Fringe 2024 was a massive season and it took herculean efforts from everyone to get through! Incredible numbers attended, just over 1 million ticket sold and 4.6 million attendances .. (if anyone has questions about the difference between those numbers please ask! It's quite simple, there's lots of ways to attend that doesn't involve a ticketed show) it was fantastic to see so many tourists come to Adelaide for Fringe 2024 - they bought huge numbers of tickets and spent big in local hotels and restaurants. in many ways a big triumph, but of course there is more to the story and one of the scariest elements is the fact that festival presentation costs have gone up by about 30% in the last year or so .. the ticket sales were up by around 4% (1,040,305) and the average ticket price remained the same around $33. So it doesn't take much to look at the sums and realise it is very tough to make it all balance. Lots of festivals have cancelled and closed down in recent months because of these rising costs in the supply chains. We are going to work harder than ever to try raise enough money to shore up the Fringe in future - Adelaide Fringe is a precious jewel of the nation and we need all the help we can get to survive this storm.