CI to Eye

Robert Barry Fleming is the new Executive Artistic Director at Actors Theatre of Louisville. A native Kentuckian, this is his first year at Actors Theatre after serving as Associate Artistic Director of the Cleveland Play House and Director of Artistic Programming at Arena Stage. He previously worked as a producer, director, choreographer, performer, and teacher. Tune in to his weekly podcast, Borrowed Wisdom, which asks what we can learn from one another. In this episode, Robert and Erik discuss his bold, new, modern vision for Actors Theatre of Louisville as its first queer, Black leader. Throughout the conversation, they address how capitalism, equity, race, and theater history intersect.

Kamilah Forbes is an award-winning director and producer and serves as the Executive Producer of the World Famous Apollo Theater. In this episode, Kamilah and Erik speak about the Apollo's historic and current foundational role in American culture and the global Black community. They also discuss the Apollo's planned physical expansion, their evolution from a presenting house to a curatorial and residency non-profit venue working to develop a broader American canon, and the importance of getting comfortable with discomfort in this moment of historic change for cultural institutions.

In this episode, we reflect on the wisdom of six CI to Eye guests who have shared their thoughts on racism and inequity in the arts and suggested steps to ensure cultural organizations are becoming more equitable institutions. Listen to Full Episodes  President of the National Civil Rights Museum: Terri Lee FreemanListen Now   Multicultural Marketing Maven: Donna Walker-KuhneListen Now   Dissecting Privilege, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Traditional Orchestra World: Jessica SchmidtListen Now   Is Your Organization Anti-Racist?: Cardozie JonesListen Now   Examining White Fragility: Robin DiAngeloListen Now Classical Music’s Diversity Crisis: Afa DworkinListen Now

Drag superstar Jackie Beat has been entertaining audiences across the U.S. and in Europe for over thirty years with her razor-sharp comedy and hysterical song parodies. Jackie has written special material for the likes of Rosie O’Donnell, Margaret Cho, Sandra Bernhard, Patricia Arquette, Jennifer Coolidge, Elvira and more. In this episode, Erik interviews his favorite drag queen because arts administrators can learn a lot from Jackie about pivoting from live to digital programming and connecting on social media. Plus, at this point in quarantine, we can all use some laughs!

James Langley is the President of Langley Innovations, a strategic consulting and training firm,  which he founded to help institutions advance a philanthropic revolution. Over his career, James has worked with institutions across the country at different levels to help raise over $3 billion. In this episode, Erik and James discuss his humanistic view on philanthropy, which prioritizes long-term relationship-building over short-term results. Based on those principles, James shares how to authentically cultivate first-time donors—like those you may have acquired recently through refunded tickets or online fundraising campaigns—and evolve them into lifetime supporters.

Seth Godin is the author of 19 books that have been bestsellers around the world. He has five TED talks and is involved in projects that spread his wisdom and generosity, like the altMBA, The Marketing Seminar, and his podcast, Akimbo. His blog is one of the most popular in the world. In this episode, Seth Godin—one of Erik's heroes—shares his ideas for arts leaders in crisis and beyond. Please listen to these ideas carefully, think about them, and share them widely to unlock the future for the arts.

Colleen Dilenschneider is the publisher of Know Your Own Bone, the powerhouse website that provides data-driven insights about marketing, fundraising, engagement, and more for arts administrators. It's required reading for anyone working in arts and culture today. Colleen is also the Chief Market Engagement Officer at IMPACTS Research and Development, a data and technology company. In this episode, Erik asks Colleen to share her research about how COVID-19 is impacting intentions to visit cultural entities and which types of organizations attendees intend to visit post-crisis. She also revisits her data on why cutting marketing budgets during financial difficulties is the wrong move.

Matías Tarnopolsky is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Philadelphia Orchestra. He previously served as Vice President of Artistic Planning for the New York Philharmonic, Senior Director of Artistic Planning for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Producer for the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers. Before temporarily closing its doors, The Philadelphia Orchestra gave a final performance on March 12, 2020, to an empty hall, yet still reached half a million people through livestream, video, and public radio. In this episode, Erik and Matías talk about how amid this crisis and beyond, every arts organization must transition to a media company.

Brett Egan is the President of the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland, where he provides training for arts leaders on strategic planning, fundraising, board development, and marketing. In this episode, Brett and Erik discuss the seven clear steps arts leaders should consider when institutions are being put to the ultimate test. Brett also provides his guidance around fundraising, marketing, programming, and leadership during this unprecedented time.   COVID-19 Resources for Arts Organizations:   Americans for the Arts Economic Impact Dashboard: https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-topic/disaster-preparedness/the-economic-impact-of-coronavirus-on-the-arts-and-culture-sector   Americans for the Arts COVID-19 Resource and Response Center: https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-topic/disaster-preparedness/coronavirus-covid-19-resource-and-response-center   Nonprofit Finance Fund COVID-19 Tools and Resources: https://nff.org/covid-19-tools-and-resources-nonprofits   CI to Eye with Zannie Voss: https://ideas.capacityinteractive.com/ci-to-eye-podcast-episodes/critical-research-for-arts-leaders-zannie-voss DeVos Institute of Arts Management COVID-19 Announcement: http://devosinstitute.umd.edu/What-We-Do/News-and-Announcements/Announcements/Announcements/COVID19%20Announcement

Anna Glass has been involved in the performing arts as both an artist and arts administrator for over twenty-five years. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem where she co-launched a collaborative initiative, with Virginia Johnson, addressing racial inequity in ballet. In this episode, Anna and Erik talk about the challenges of leading an organization through the loss of its founder. They also discuss how the Dance Theatre of Harlem came back from its hiatus and received its biggest gift yet, a $4 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, to hire more dancers and grow its administrative staff.