Theatre Design & Technology - Oct 1966 - 23

Every Good Building Needs A Foundation
Alvin H. Reiss

I.R. CODE: administration - economics - subsidy

Because I am concerned primarily with the administrative
aspects of the arts, my first impulse when addressing an
audience is to "count the house." If every seat isn't
filled, my next impulse is to wonder why and then ask
some basic questions. "Have we really reached the public
we're appealing to?" "Have we explored every avenue of
promotion?' ,
Audience development, however, is only one aspect of
arts management, a field which has grown more complicated and more sophisticated within the past five or ten
years. A series of recent developments have affected the
basic structure of the arts, and thus affected the role of
the arts manager. I would like to examine these developments, their significance, the problems they have created
and the prospects they offer. With this as background, I
would then like to delve briefly into the future of the
arts.
I think that many people have been somewhat dazzled by
viewing the arts quantitatively. A reliance on statistics
alone to measure cultural progress is both dangerous and
erroneous. The fact that cultural centers are rising allover
the country does not necessarily mean that what is going
into these centers is good. There is a definite need to
view the arts from a broader perspective - to discover what
is happening, why it is happening, and what it really
means. Only then can we truly assess developments in
the arts and discover what problems exist, why they
exist, and what new problems are in the offing. And I
must emphasize, that there are problems in the offing.
What then are the developments which have led the arts
to where they are today?
First I believe there has been a general democratization
in the non-profit arts field. In the past, we had a great
many cultural organizations dominated by boards composed
of single, wealthy individuals, a kind of elitist structure.
Within the past ten or fifteen years, we have had a growing middle-class involvement in the arts field. We have
had greater and wider representation in arts organizations
by people who are not necessarily the wealthy few.

OCTO BE R 1966

Second, we have an increased emphasis on professional
management in the arts. Up to three or four years ago,
one was hard pressed to find written material of pertinency to arts managers.
But today, with a proliferation of arts activity, and a more
organized approach to the problems of management, we
are witnessing a broad expansion of the literature of management, an expansion so great that, at times, it has resulted in a duplication of effort. In fact, we seem to be
reaching the point where only the most sophisticated
arts administrators are aware of what is available to them.
The man at the bottom of the totem pole, isolated from
major centers of activity, may often be unfamiliar as to
emerging government programs in the arts, special reports
on audience development, etc. Unless he is part of a
national organization concerned with keeping him informed,
he discovers that the knowledge gap between him and his
confreres widens tremendously.
Third, as far as the public is concerned, we have seen a
gradual withering away of the mystique surrounding the
arts. To cite an example of what I mean by mystique,
I'm reminded of the Canadian dance company, which,
several years ago, approached a leading local business for
financial assistance. The corporation responded, "We don't
know what you really do in a dance company. What is it
all about? It's too esoteric for us to understand or to become involved in." However, after the managers of the
dance company were able to explain the importance of
their activity to the entire community, in economic as well
as spiritual terms, the barriers came down, and local business support was won. Now, the barriers are beginning to
come down everywhere. People are accepting the arts as
a part and parcel of everyday life. Businesses are accepting the arts as something that involves the total community, not just a select few.
Fourth, and this is very important, we have had an interdisciplinary exchange between the various arts forms. We
have had museums presenting concerts. We have had theatres sponsoring art exhibits in their lobbies. This kind of

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