Power outages and page turners

The power was out in my house all day due to Tropical Storm Debby moving through North Carolina. I wasn’t sure it would be safe to drive to my office on campus, so I just stayed home. I can’t really concentrate on much when this kind of uncertainty is happening, so work went out the … Continue reading Power outages and page turners

Libraries have a strong social media game

As I’ve said elsewhere, I’m baffled by the lack of imagination in the content offered up by arts organizations on social media. But libraries…they have a strong social media game. Why does it work? Authenticity and personality. They are unapologetically themselves, leaning into their own nerdiness, which is exactly why people love libraries. For today’s … Continue reading Libraries have a strong social media game

If arts organizations did these 9 things, everything would be better.

Sometimes I read something and just think – that’s it, I don’t have to write any more. If everyone just did this, it would all be fixed. The “it” I’m thinking of is how arts and cultural organizations can better match with the untapped potential connection with audiences. In this LinkedIn post, Rob Fields, art … Continue reading If arts organizations did these 9 things, everything would be better.

Row X: What if the arts were powered by small donations?

On my blog on ArtsJournal.com I published a post imagining what it would mean for the arts to have widespread support so that it inspired thousands – maybe millions – of people to give small donations. Below is a link to the post, and it’s copied below in its entirety. Let me know what you … Continue reading Row X: What if the arts were powered by small donations?

Book Recommendation: Tracks on the Campaign Trail

Sharing this book recommendation today in honor of the shakeup in the 2024 Presidential Campaign: Tracks on the Trail: Popular Music, Race, and the US Presidency by Dana Gorzelany-Mostak. It’s an open access book, so it’s free to access for everyone. Published just last year, it includes a whole chapter on Kamala Harris.

Day 1 of Visitor Studies Association Conference

I’m in St. Paul, Minnesota for the 2024 Visitor Studies Association conference. It’s a conference for visitor studies professionals from all kinds of museums (science, children’s, art, history, zoos), mostly people who work on in-house evaluation teams, though there are consultants and I met some marketing folks, too. I sat in three (!) sessions today … Continue reading Day 1 of Visitor Studies Association Conference

Summer travel, summer learning

I’m on my way to the Visitor Studies Association Conference in St. Paul, MN. It’s my first time attending this conference and my first museum-focused conference, since I’m more of a performing arts person. I’m eager to learn about visitor experience from colleagues in the museum world, a sector that has a much longer history … Continue reading Summer travel, summer learning

New approaches to going out

My social media feed has popped up with not-serious-but-serious messages like this one: And one I neglected to screenshot that was to the effect of, “why do libraries close in the evenings? I don’t want to go to a bar, I don’t want to go to a club. I want to sit with a few … Continue reading New approaches to going out

Ted Gioia’s Year of Humanities

On a bit of a whim, I signed up for Ted Gioia’s premium Substack, The Honest Broker, to get access to his 12-month reading, listening, and viewing list “A 12-Month Immersive Course in Humanities”. I’ve been looking to backfill certain areas of my education that I think are lacking, which include the humanities. But let’s … Continue reading Ted Gioia’s Year of Humanities