Top 10 Posts of 2023

The most-read entries from the first year of ArtsManaged Field Notes.

So much of any year is flammable,
lists of vegetables, partial poems.
Orange swirling flame of days,
so little is a stone.
—Naomi Shihab Nye, from “Burning the Old Year”

I launched ArtsManaged Field Notes in January 2023 as a new project under the ArtsManaged umbrella (field guide, short videos, and field notes). The larger purpose was to make and share useful, actionable, and free resources for Arts Management practitioners. I’m honored and grateful that more than 1,200 of you subscribed along the way, viewing posts more than 50,000 times.

Here’s a top-ten list of the most-read Field Notes from the first year.

1. The beautiful budget
   Don't be fooled by its buttoned-up appearance. A budget is a complex work of human expression worthy of complex human attention.

2. Why do we “hire” an arts experience?

   “Jobs to be done” shifts focus from who might buy a ticket to what they want that ticket to buy.

3. ArtsManaged: Origins of a Meme

   Naming the energy and alchemy of making art work.

4. Churn, baby, churn

   Attracting new audiences to your arts organization is essential, but 80 percent of them may never return.

5. Two questions to find your superfans

   If you could only ask two questions to unleash word-of-mouth referrals and increase group attendance, consider these.

6. The pyramid and the wheel

   Johan Galtung defined two structures for human interaction: thin-and-big (the pyramid) or thick-and-small (the wheel). Which describes your organization? And is it the right one?

7. The undertow of overhead

   Indirect costs for nonprofit arts organizations aren't (usually) a sign of waste. They're part of the puzzle that makes the mission work.

8. Do less, better

   Does your mission statement inspire or exhaust you?

9. Three stages of nonprofit boards

   Boards must rise to the challenges of their changing enterprise and changing world. One framework describes the archetypes along the way.

10. Your venue is not a backdrop, it’s a character

    The built environment carries lots of baggage into any social experience. It's useful for arts managers to unpack it.

Excited to continue the journey in 2024! Tell your friends to join the fun.