Entering Cultural Communities: Diversity and Change in the Nonprofit Arts

Chapter 2: Changing Culture and Practices Inside Organizations

38 2 Changing Culture and Practices Inside Organizations betty farrell All organizations that are launching efforts to develop new customer/ audience relationships and new levels of participation—whether by deepening the experience of current audiences or by expanding the organization ’s reach to newcomers—will face the need to change at least some aspects of the way they operate. At the very least, they will need to reexamine their practices of doing business as usual. Despite organizational differences in artistic genre, size, age, depth of staff, or mission, cultural organizations such as museums, dance companies, theaters, literary arts groups, musical groups, presenters, arts learning centers, and community cultural centers share some common challenges in identifying what kinds of organizational change are necessary in the project of building greater public participation. They need to draw from a range of strategies to create the infrastructure that will allow them to implement and support the activities that will sustain the most successful practices over time. Organizational change is not easy. Referring to the museum world specifically , but with an insight applicable to many organizations, one cultural critic has argued that “organizational inertia is spontaneous, profound change is not. Truly far-reaching change requires the kind of sustained and steadfast leadership that can endure periodic setbacks and survive inevitable spells of unpopularity, both within and outside the organization” (Weil 1997, ix–x). Strong leadership and the institutional alignment of goals can produce organizational adaptation or change that is relatively smooth and proceeds by widespread internal consensus. But most efforts are more halting and fraught with ambivalence—developing out of necessity, proceeding by trial and error, and sometimes met with resistance and structural barriers. This 39 changing culture and practices inside organizations chapter will explore the multiple ways in which cultural organizations are working on internal sources of change—revising the images they project to the public, the meaning and uses of their physical space, their organizational dynamics, and their projects and programs—and the successes and challenges they have faced in the process. crafting a new public image Many canon arts organizations—typically characterized by municipal/ universal collection museums, symphony orchestras, and opera and ballet companies, with their origins in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries during a period of intense cultural institution building in major U.S. cities—appear daunting to newcomers to the arts. They are housed in formidable, imposing buildings. They may not be easily accessible by public transportation from all residential parts of the city and suburbs, and they are often located in urban downtowns where parking is expensive . They tend to have a high admission price, except on the free days or evenings when they may seem overly crowded. The uniformed guards at their doors and throughout their buildings seem most closely to resemble police officers or terrorist-screening airport security personnel. And these are just the most immediately visible, physical barriers that a new visitor to a museum, symphony hall, or well-established performance space would have to overcome in order to enter. There are also the perceptual barriers—what to wear, how to speak and act, what not to touch or do, and whether that person at the front desk will look at you as though you don’t belong—that might prevent someone from crossing the threshold of this foreign and somewhat exotic cultural space. That there are real and perceived barriers that restrict the access of newcomers and make the art world seem impenetrable is not news to cultural organizations of all kinds, especially the canon institutions. The San Francisco Symphony has addressed this issue on its Web site, where a “How to Prepare” button on the home page leads directly to a “Firsttimer ’s Guide.” The top five misconceptions about going to the Symphony: 1. Everyone wears tuxedos or evening gowns. 2. You should clap after every movement of a piece, even that one piece they always play at the beginning where a violinist stands up and everyone plays the same note. 3. Classical music isn’t meant to be enjoyed—it’s meant to be appreciated. 40 betty farrell 4. It’s good to leave your cell phone or your pager on during a performance —especially if you answer the phone and carry on a complete conversation. 5. Coughing adds to the music—it’s like a new percussion instrument. Allow us to clear some things up. We want your...