Q

May 9, 2016

 

QUALITY – extract

“There had to be a section on quality simply because there had to be a Q in an A to Z of arts management. But it’s really unnecessary because quality is imbedded in every aspect of an arts organisation’s activities.

Our artists want the chance to be at their most creative when they work with us so that they can produce art of quality that is valued by their peers and the audience.

Our Artistic Directors want a quality relationship with us which involves trust, effective communications, respect and a shared passion for the company’s mission. They want to partner with someone who is thoughtful and cares about quality in all aspects of the organisation (Reid 2013, p.106).

Our audiences expect us to provide a quality arts experience. It may a different one from last year. It may be more challenging than last year. But it has to be just as good if not better than last year. As Maifeld ( 2012, p. 219) says delivering consistency of quality requires care. He goes on to quote Hewison & Holden (2011) saying that “[o]rganizations demonstrate true care when they view their audience as a ‘relationship, not a transaction’”.

Our boards are expected to provide quality governance so that our organisations remain financially resilient enabling the ongoing creation and sharing of art into a distant future.

Our government funders expect us to produce quality art and to be able to prove that we have done so.”

REFERENCES

Hewison, R & Holden, J, 2011 The Cultural Leadership Handbook, F Gower, Farnham

Maifeld, K 2012, ‘Review of “The Cultural Leadership Handbook: How to Run a Creative Organization” by Robert Hewison and John Holden’, The Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society, 42(4): 217-9

Reid, W 2013, ‘Dual executive leadership in the arts’ in Caust, J (ed) Arts Leadership: Internal Case Studies, Tilde University Press, Melbourne:, 98-111