"The voices that give this book life are brimming with tactical wisdom, but the strategic inquiries humming below the surface offer the reader an even more profound pathway to an equitable future. These voices ask fundamental questions about our economy, health care systems, and historical pathologies that wonder out loud why creativity itself isn’t more deeply inscribed in our concept of ‘infrastructure.’ How different would we ALL be if we adapted an artist’s sense of possibility into our moral infrastructure as well as our production modalities? This collection gives us a sense of what to do on our journey to a creative horizon, but profoundly, read against the grain, this book gives us a sense of WHY an artist’s sense of interdependence and ecology are what the world urgently needs to explore."—Marc Bamuthi Joseph, artist, cultural strategist, Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact at The Kennedy Center "This impressive anthology developed and edited by Tonya Lockyer draws on dance’s embodied understanding of dynamic systems to critique traditional approaches to arts administration, and creatively reconceive it as a co-creative practice that assures the sustainability of a life in the arts. At once visionary and pragmatic, the book offers ideas and tools to develop close relationships with communities, develop models of shared leadership, seek new methods of funding, and provide honest insider perspectives on living as a contemporary dance artist. With twenty-nine contributors, it is an inspiring read for those who aim to deepen their own creative administration practices."—Naomi Jackson, PhD, author of Dance, Human Rights, and Social Justice, Professor, Arizona State University "This is a groundbreaking book—significant and highly relevant beyond the arts. The case studies, tools, and experiments are useful for anyone interested in team building, audience development, galvanizing support across multiple constituents, storytelling, user experience, marketing, community-building, and placemaking. It’s also a pleasure to read." —Jennifer Edwards, MFA, Creative Strategist | Human Systems Choreographer | Director / Producer "This straight-talking book is timely and will become a well-worn handbook equally useful for art producers, administrators, artists, students and teachers. Full of resources for immediate practice or further research, the book is structured so you can read the essays in any sequence as your curiosity or needs dictate. Artists on Creative Administration asks us to consider all that surrounds a work of art as an inseparable part of the creative act. It inspires action that could forge new, unusually generative and supportive collaborations, communities and systems."—Susan Marshall, Choreographer, and Director of Dance at Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts "Not being a dancer or arts administrator, I didn’t know what to expect when opening this book. I left with a much deeper appreciation for what dancers, choreographers, producers, managers, and dance-focused nonprofit directors endure to make our world better through dance. This is a wonderful collection of essays that are in turn provocative, illuminating, moving, and occasionally hilarious. It is a timely work that delves into the power and importance of dance and art, while challenging existing beliefs and practices and providing thoughtful solutions."—Vu Le, NonprofitAF.com "It’s a joy and a challenge to see all the life stories and iterative work practices that form the contents of Tonya Lockyer’s robust, smart volume of essays from the overlapping fields of art and management. The joy is in seeing the aggregation of so much knowledge from the dance world in one place. The challenge is in paying attention to the ethics, problem-solving, and radical shifts that are embedded on every page. It is thrilling to see the ideas that so many have been working on for so long brought to light and to a wider audience."—Liz Lerman, MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow, and Institute Professor, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts "Tonya Lockyer and colleagues have crafted a terrific new playbook for the times and challenges of today! Artists on Creative Administration is more than a book; it’s a beacon for those ready to reimagine, be inspired, challenge the status quo, and co-create a world where everyone can thrive. It’s a testament to the power of innovative thinking and the crucial role the arts and artists play in shaping a better, more meaningful, and creative world."—Tim Cynova, Principal, Work Shouldn’t Suck "Reading this book will make you understand why the arts are always at the vanguard of social movements. Artists on Creative Administration speaks to, and is of, the contemporary moment, encapsulating the ongoing and ever-present critical challenge experimental artists face in artmaking, community building, and importantly, in reimagining the structures of arts administration. It’s inspiring how this collection of stories, strategies, and experiences emanates from the lives and voices of groundbreaking artists driven to change the landscape of arts-making, decision-making, and arts administration—from the ground up. Artists on Creative Administration nurtures images of what decolonization might look like—by imagining and implementing economic and organizational structures that mirror the social structures of indigenous communities with collective identities—where the community, and communal sustenance, come first. In AOCA, we see how decisions and ideas can surface from a diverse team of stakeholders, whose programs and projects embrace their specific localities, in a spirit of shared values leading to shared joy."—george emilio sanchez, writer, performance artist, advocate for indigenous rights and sovereignty, Performance Director Emergnyc, Professor College of Staten Island/CUNY
2024-10-21
Socially engaged artist Lockyer edits a collection of firsthand accounts of finding, building, and sustaining a life in the creative arts.
Emerging from the National Center for Choreography-Akron’s Creative Administration Research program, this essay collection and workbook features an eclectic mix of contributors and styles, including stories, essays, case studies, and interviews. It’s divided into four distinct sections: “Place,” “Leadership,” “Capital,” and “Pathways.” Based on the title and the first entry—an entertaining essay on how to build an audience for contemporary dance in northeast Ohio, which is particularly difficult on Sundays when the Cleveland Browns play—the reader may initially assume that the accounts focus solely on that locale. However, the scope quickly broadens to include experiences from the dance scenes in Nashville, Seattle, New York state, and the San Francisco Bay Area. If there’s an overarching theme, it’s perhaps best expressed by choreographer and director Raja Feather Kelly, who writes, “In America, artists have to ask for permission to be artists.” The book offers particularly compelling advice on how to approach marketing, especially when dealing with local newspapers that may have limited understanding of, or space for, contemporary dance. An excerpt from a podcast interview by multidisciplinary artist Miguel Gutierrez is especially engaging, as it delves into the financial specifics with clear figures for each worker involved in rehearsal and production. At the end of each piece is an “Administrative Experiment,” which urges readers to think deeply on a topic or try out a new skill; however, not all are administrative in nature, as some involve dance exercises and other creative tasks. The final appendix includes a further “Investigative Retreat Toolkit,” featuring guided questions to provoke reflection and discussion—a helpful starting point for creative administrators after absorbing all the other advice. Although this workbook might have a limited audience, it provides a wealth of information, success stories, and unique insights for its target audience.
An illuminating and constructive workbook for anyone involved or interested in creative administration.
