A Statement of Organizational Restructuring by James Undercofler

It’s quite clear that a extraordinary number of not for profits (NFP) in the arts and culture sector will be forced to restructure, remap or perish.  From my vantage point this restructuring will have two faces:  organizational and programmatic redesign.

Organizational redesign will include a range of possibilities from mergers to cooperative ventures to graceful (and not so) graceful endings.  Some have suggested that a certain Darwinism will prevail, meaning that the weaker organizations will fail and the stronger ones survive, but this thought begs so many questions that cast doubt on its possible validity.  Does weaker mean weaker organizationally, or weaker artistically.  Sadly I believe it means the former.  Regardless, under the current stresses of diminished resources and classical audience participation, many organizations will consider options once alien to their internal discussions.  Already there are signs of cooperation that include partial mergers (various aspects of the organizations except for the artistic output), cooperatives (sharing all services and coming together around an artistic concept), the creation of virtual artistic worlds, and what appears to be an emerging concept of combinations between NFP’s and commercial entities.

Programmatic redesign will be demonstrated through increased emphasis on artistic collaboration, closer relationships within communities and expanded education programming. Necessity, as well as genuine altruism will drive these changes; changes that will enrich both the organizations as well as their communities.  Artistic collaborations may appear to be initiated by artistic expedience, but are more likely to be the result of artists’ creativity being awakened by a financially stressed situation.  Closer relationships to the community will result from a (much-delayed) recognition that only with these deep relationships can organizations discover its inner artistic voice.  And last, education programs will expand as an outgrowth of community relationships, as well as increased emphases on arts education coming from institutional funders.

To be involved in organizational change that results from severe economic and societal changes is both exhilarating and pure hell.  Visionary and skilled leadership, both artistic and administrative, during these times is vital: to guide organizations to a productive and central place in their communities, but also to offer the ever-so-important contributions the arts make to the world itself.

Professor James Undercofler is a professor in the Arts Administration Department at Drexel University

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