Scene Change

Why Today's Nonprofit Arts Organizations Have to Stop Producing Art and Start Producing Impact

By: Alan Harrison

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Paperback | 1 February 2024

At a Glance

Paperback
232 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.5 x 14 x 1.7

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'Alan is a visionary who believes that theatre changes lives for the better, and who creates teams who make sure that it does.' Russell Willis Taylor, Former CEO, National Arts Strategies

Nonprofit arts organizations have to place nonprofit ahead of arts in order to thrive in these pre-post-pandemic days. Most currently don't. Scene change is a phrase tied to the arts when discussing a literal change from one scene in a play to another, eliciting a new time, place, and situation. Here, however, it refers to actions made at this pivotal moment within the entire sector, where the rules that went into play over half a century ago can no longer apply for the arts to serve their nonprofit purpose. That charitable purpose - to help those who need the help - cannot exist in an environment of privilege, exclusivity, and the subjective concept of excellence. Excellence does not put food on a hungry person's table, if they even have a table. In his brilliantly unpretentious, snarky, and hilarious style, Alan Harrison pulls no punches. He identifies and addresses elitism, defines and defuses toxicity, and provides outlines for success, including a hopeful prediction for the future. This book also provides context for the pinball journeys of a 30-year adventure, leading nonprofit arts organizations in America - warts and all.

Industry Reviews

In the years that I have known Alan, I have learned more about running arts organizations, particularly if not exclusively not-for-profit arts organizations, than most people learn in a two- or three-year MA arts administration program -- and as I've taught in one such program, I can actually compare his skills to curricula and confirm that Alan is, indeed, a master class in his field. Alan's very popular contributions to The Clyde Fitch Report (a website that committed acts of journalism at the crossroads of arts and politics from 2012 to 2019, now on hiatus) were a joy to edit and one of the CFR's secret weapons. His persuasive writing skills, often rooted in the superlative use of inductive logic, are one more testimonial beyond the million other reasons why you should offer him a leadership position at your organization not tomorrow, not someday, but today. Alan has my highest endorsement -- and gratitude for all the guidance and mentorship through the years.

--Leonard Jacobs, Executive Director, Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning

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