CI to Eye

Jennifer Rosenfeld is a business coach who collaborates with top musicians to create profitable and impactful online education businesses. A leading arts entrepreneurship educator and speaker, Rosenfeld has worked with non-profits, university music programs and conservatories, and professional musicians on developing a wide range of educational and artistic projects. She received her JD/MBA from Stanford University. In this episode, Jennifer Rosenfeld believes there is a massive financial opportunity for arts organizations between the very extreme zone of low ticket prices and enormous major gifts. In this episode, she shares how arts organizations can create significant new earned income revenue streams through in-depth educational and experience-oriented programs. She also explains why arts organizations are underutilizing their vast human capital and shares how your organization can leverage its assets to help close budget gaps.

The guests on CI to Eye during 2020 provided hope, guidance, and insight during an unprecedented year. Listen to all of their “CI to Eye moments" in this special episode as you rebuild and reimagine the future of the arts.

Betty Avila is the Executive Director of Self Help Graphics & Art, an organization on the East side of Los Angeles. Working at the intersection of arts and social justice, Self Help's mission is to foster the creation and advancement of new art works by Chicana/o and Latinx artists, with a focus on printmaking. Betty was named one of C-Suite Quarterly Magazine’s NextGen 10 in Philanthropy, Arts and Culture, and an Impact-Maker to Watch by City Impact Labs. In this episode, Betty and Erik talk about her efforts to combat the workaholism culture in her organization and the challenges of fundraising as a person of color. Betty also questions the impact of Primarily White Institutions who are now taking on funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion work, possibly channeling funds away from organizations that have long existed to serve those needs.

This top-rated session from Capacity Interactive's Boot Camp 2020 explores what three incredible arts leaders have learned navigating their teams and themselves through this turbulent year. Whether you’re a team member, lead a department, or run an entire organization, this session will give you inspiration and insight as we move through this uncertain time.

Joshua Dachs is one of the world's leading theater design consultants. Drawing on a background as a violinist, an architect, and a theatrical set and lighting designer, he has led FDA's consulting practice since 1984. He provides planning, programming, and design leadership for hundreds of successful projects, including the Mariinsky II Opera House in St. Petersburg and the newest Broadway theatre, the Stephen Sondheim. In this episode, Joshua and Erik lift the curtain on the mysteries of theater design. They discuss how seat layout impacts the way comedy is received, why some roadhouses have "absurd capacities," and why Broadway theaters are so uncomfortable.

What is the state of the arts in 2020? Where are we? Where are we going? How have arts organizations responded to the massive changes driven by the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and the reckoning of systemic racism? In this episode, Erik speaks with three consultants to understand how the arts landscape has evolved and how it is moving forward. Tom O’Connor Consulting Group’s Performing Arts Marketing Roundtables COVID-19 Sector Benchmark - TRG TRG 30

Kristie Swink Benson is the Director of Communications at the High Museum of Art, where she has helped position the museum as an integral part of the fabric of Atlanta and developed a passionate and diverse audience. She built her communications career in government and the for-profit sector. In this episode, Kristie and Erik discuss how the High Museum programs beyond blockbusters, targets their institutional marketing to a three-to-five-mile radius around the museum, and employs thoughtful engagement efforts to attract and engage a more diverse visitor base.

Arthur Cohen is the Founder and CEO of LaPlaca Cohen. He oversees the company’s research project, Culture Track, an ongoing study tracking the shifting attitudes and behaviors of cultural audiences in the United States. In this episode, Arthur and Erik discuss the findings of LaPlaca Cohen and Slover Linett’s recent Culture Track study. This survey of arts audiences and the wider U.S. public seeks to answer a range of urgent, complex questions about how arts and culture fits into the hearts, minds, and social lives of Americans during these uncertain times. 

Britton Smith is an actor who has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally. He is also the President and co-founder of the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, which builds the capacity of directly impacted advocates, artists, students, organizations, and communities to use the arts as an integral part of their social change work. In this episode, Britton and Erik talk about the recent Broadway for Black Lives Matter virtual forum, a public conversation about racism in theater that brought together thousands of industry players. The forum's mission was to "heal, listen, and hold itself accountable to its history of white supremacy while moving towards becoming an anti-racist and equitable space."

Anastasia Boudanoque is a classical talent manager, producer, and impresario who has been involved in the careers of some of the most compelling performers of our time. In this episode, Anastasia and Erik discuss how online views of classical music content have skyrocketed during the pandemic. This data suggests a much larger interest than previously assumed and a much higher potential for engagement with the art form.