Createquity is embarking on our next research investigation, and we would like to invite your participation from the very start! We’re seeking to understand the history of change in the arts ecosystem, so that we can make better-informed predictions about what mechanisms for change may be most effective in the future.
Our first objective is to identify what the most significant changes within the arts ecosystem have been within the past half century or so. Then, for each of these changes, we’d like to know:
- What have been the significant drivers in making that change possible?
- Was the change at least partly attributable to an intentional effort? If so, what were the characteristics of that effort (e.g., funding, scope, timeframe, etc.) and how much influence did it have?
- Does it seem like the change has been positive or negative from the perspective of our healthy arts ecosystem definition?
- Which aspect(s) of our healthy ecosystem definition does it relate to?
As a starting point, we thought it would be useful to consult a handful of very senior and/or retired field leaders to ask them their perspective on these questions. Since we are still at a very early stage of this process, we’re soliciting your input on who we should be talking to. At this point we are especially interested in connecting with individuals who are knowledgeable about the for-profit arts and entertainment industries, as well as people who work(ed) outside of the Eurocentric/institutional mainstream of the nonprofit arts. To the extent possible, we’d like to hear from people who share the systems-level, big-picture understanding of the arts world (or their piece of it) that Createquity emphasizes. Please feel free to offer suggestions via email or directly in the comments section. And thank you!