Melody Caban’s Post

Check out our latest blog for insights on the financial landscape for museums and how your museum store can be a powerful player to diversify your revenue.

As trustees of the National Education Museum project we get asked “Why do we need this museum?” We could start with “Because we haven’t got one” but that’s not good enough. Well of course it will entertain, and it will provide a centre for those who wish to research the history of education. But that’s not an answer either. It’s because we really do need one. Far too much of the discourse on education policy is about the “now” and “the future”. There is far too little knowledge and understanding of where we have been, of what has been successful and what has failed, of what we should value and what we should discard. A National Education Museum for England and Wales can change that - as we educate, enlighten and entertain. Support us, join us, become a Founder Patron. https://lnkd.in/eDWCyRpt

Lessons in Digital Revenue: Museums are innovating online to boost revenue streams in a variety of ways, from virtual tours to licensing of digital content. This article from MuseumNext offers valuable insights for any organization looking to grow digitally. Explore key strategies here: https://bit.ly/3NTwzOp #ActionableInsights #OnlineFundraising #DigitalRevenue #NonprofitInsights #VirtualEngagement #OBrienGarrett

News | From a £100m first-year fund, cathedrals, gardens and museums receive grants including £500,000 for York Minster (Chapter of York) and £1.3m for Wales’ Great Glasshouse 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ebYSXFP9

🌟 Exciting News Alert! 🌟 I am thrilled to share that a mix of cultural and philanthropic luminaries recently gathered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to raise funds to support young artists. This event was truly a celebration of creativity, and it reaffirms the importance of nurturing and empowering the next generation of artistic talent. 🤝 Collaboration for a Cause: One of the beautiful things about this gathering was the coming together of cultural and philanthropic luminaries. When leaders from different sectors unite for a common cause, amazing things can happen. The collaboration exhibited at this event demonstrates how impactful partnerships can drive change and support young artists in their creative journey. 💡 Nurturing Creativity: Investing in the arts has always been vital for the progress of society. This event not only highlighted the importance of preserving our cultural heritage but also emphasized the significance of fostering new artistic talent. By raising funds for young artists, we are nurturing the future of creative expression and innovation, ensuring that their talent will be recognized and appreciated. 🌟 A Platform for Young Artists: As this event successfully fundraised for young artists, it is highly likely that we will witness an influx of opportunities and initiatives for rising and aspiring talent. Young artists will get more chances to showcase their work, have access to resources, and broaden their network. - It's an exciting time to be a young artist, and I predict that the momentum generated through this event will have a long-lasting impact on the art industry, enabling more young creatives to thrive and follow their dreams. 🚀 Harnessing Technology and Creativity: With the ongoing advancements in technology, we have witnessed new mediums of artistic expression emerging. This event, and others like it, provide an opportunity to blend technology and creativity, opening doors to innovative projects and experiences.

Exciting news 🎉 There is a new donor collaborative in Europe to promote Socially Engaged Arts and they are launching their inaugural fellowship programme. The fellowship is designed to connect and support visionary leaders of arts organisations, driven by community engagement and social change, across Europe. An opportunity to strengthen organisations, enhance leaders’ professional development, and drive impactful advocacy efforts. https://lnkd.in/dMfUr_aK #SociallyEngagedArts Civitates - The European Democracy Fund

A great and innovative program for the right organizations.

I always look forward to these reports from the American Alliance of Museums. A couple takeaways that really stuck with me: This statistic drew my eye and fills me with some amount of unease heading into 2025: "One in ten museums (11 percent) report donors withdrawing or threatening to withdraw support due to exhibit and/or program content related to topics such as diversity, race, gender, and sexuality. Seven percent of museums report government entities withdrawing or threatening to withdraw support due to such content." I feel this statistic in my bones: "Forty percent of museums are creating more exhibits in-house as compared to five years ago." HAI continues to shift its business strategy as in-house teams complete work in which we would have participated. It's not a bad thing to stay agile in the field and to know what you're up against.

I just tripped over this blog by Alan Harrison, that is hosted on the artsjournal website. I found his provocative writing interesting because he shares a perspective with me –that within the not for profit theatre sector, many companies put a priority on their own growth, over serving the needs of their Community. "The difference between artists and arts organizations, as discussed in the books Scene Change and Scene Change 2, is that artists make magic and arts organizations make money. Nonprofit arts organizations, which are supposed to be different in nature than commercial art (but, so often, choose to believe that the presentation of art is somehow a charitable activity – it is not), have made the error in judgment to produce as their commercial counterparts would. They measure their success not by how much better the community is — in either social service, community activism, social justice initiatives, or just helping out poor people — but by reviews from the press, ticket sales, and all the wealthy donors’ names on the walls. Vainglory doesn’t come close to describing the idea that an “artistic vision” somehow is a charitable goal, but pulling people out of despair is not. And, as we’ve stated on numerous occasions, that’s why the money is drying up. To nonprofit arts organization leaders: stop blaming the pandemic. Stop blaming the audiences. Stop blaming everyone else. Look straight in the mirror, even if you inherited the dysfunction. ...artists: try to understand that you are more important to your community than the organization that may or may not hire you for a job. You have more leverage than you think. When other companies have chosen the path of community-centrism, they have provided more artists jobs than ever. Nonprofit arts organizations that do work that improves the community generally are happier and more fulfilling places to work than a simple gig could offer. And the need is constant for creative ways to solve your community’s biggest problems. To put it another way: if all the nonprofit arts organizations were to close in your community, who would suffer? In the short term, a lot of people, including artists. In the long term, artists would find ways to team up, collaborate, and use their skill sets to create art in response to the community, not in spite of it. If all the artists in a community were to suddenly leave, who would suffer? Everyone. There is no community without creativity. There is no business without creativity. And, of course, there is no art without creativity. Take advantage of that. As an artist, you deserve to be heard."

The Tulsa Artist Fellowship (TAF), launched in 2015 by the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF), is a charitable organization founded by billionaire philanthropist George B. Kaiser in 1999. From the TAFs inception, its mandate of supporting the arts in Tulsa has created an infrastructure for the arts through housing, subsidized studio spaces, funding for studio assistance, health care stipends, and a $150,000 award for 10 new fellows every year. This sense of community building with an ecosystem for the arts is demonstrated consistently over the weekend of Tulsa Artist Fellowship Open House. Kicking off the weekend is the opening night exhibition “Earthbound: A Dark Sky Exhibit” at TAFs Flagship public project space. While it’s being used for the exhibition tonight, it also operates as a communal space for uses as varied as literary readings, performances, sound installations, screenings, discussions, talks and interviews, workshops and more. The exhibition is in partnership with “Space for Us”, an organization dedicated to making STEAM resources and careers in space sciences more visible and accessible to underserved communities, while promoting dark sky protection and advocacy. I wrote about the TAF and exhibition for Whitehot Magazine #Art #Artists https://lnkd.in/eGHimE-m