Stereotypical Artists

Let's talk about 3Arts in Chicago, a newly developed granting making organization focusing on giving money directly to artists.

Here's the website and a great comment on them from the Nonprofiteer

I love what 3Arts is doing.  The question is why aren't more foundations giving more money directly to artists?

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I'm confident a foundation would never say this directly but I think that part of the reason is because they believe artists don't have the slightest idea what to do with money.

To them giving even a small grant directly to an artist is like throwing money away.

Better to give it to an arts org run by responsible business people instead of those silly artists.

And you know what the sad part is, this "artists don't understand money" stereotype is often kept alive by some artists!

I can't count how many times I have tried to discuss some business matter with an artist for them to quickly say . . . "that's not my thing".

This attitude is not only sad, it is damaging to the artistic industry as a whole.

As long as the arts funders and the general public at large is allowed to embrace the artist/money stereotype it ensures that signficant amounts of money will never be placed directly in the artist hands.

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So here's my advice to artists.

When an artistic organization, or an individual artist, makes a horribly dumb business decision I want you to be as upset as you would be if they made a horribly dumb artistic choice.

Comments

[Tony]

Another major flaw in that line of thinking is assuming that organizations and "responsible business people" always do a great job with their money.

'Cause lets face it companies in and out of the arts waste incredible amounts of money on poor decisions every day.

But this caught my attention. . . "When an artistic organization, or an individual artist, makes a horribly dumb business decision I want you to be as upset as you would be if they made a horribly dumb artistic choice."

How do you even know about it until well after the fact, if ever? I can't think of a better example than Congo Square.

I can't claim to know much about the business end of how they work as an organization, I only know what I'm told second and third hand. But everything I'm told seems to point to being the polar opposite of what's on stage. We only see firsthand what's onstage.

Or are you referring more to decisions with a group we work for?

[Adam]

Tony,

I was thinking more about bad decisions made (or about to be made) within companies.

Your point about not knowing about other groups business decisions until after the fact is well taken.

And I love your point that being a business person damn sure doesn't promise that you make good decisions.

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I think where I'm going with this post is that artists should be talking more about the good business decisions they have made (and there are plenty) and more openly critical of companies that make poor business choices (even if they are only aware of them after the fact).

Artist are going to have to be the ones that champion that idea that if your business is following apart the fact that your play is "good" onstage doesn't really count for much.

Business folks have been saying that to artists for years but haven't always been heard (often for good reason)

But if artists starts expressing that idea more to each other then we may seem some progress.

[Chris Casquilho]

I'm okay with artists having strengths in one area and weaknesses in another. Daring, impulsive unfettered creativity and business acumen do not necessarily go hand in hand. The foundations should take into account that there may be some wastage - just like contractors do when building a house. Further, the foundations could take the additional responsibility of providing business help to the artists as well as the money - accounting services, guidance on best-practices (insofar as they correspond to the foundations' reporting requirements, etc.) The foundations granting directly to artists have it easily within their power to make sure artists succeed. To the greatest degree possible, let the artists do their work - after all, the grants are there to free them from the fetters of money-worry.