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Strategic Planning in the Arts: A Practical Guide
Artistic Planning
Once the external and internal analyses are completed, there must be a discussion of future artistic programming. It is essential to understand the anticipated artistic initiatives well enough to be able to secure the resources needed to support them.
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The internal analysis reveals those areas of concern that must be addressed in the strategy section of the plan. In every plan for every arts organization there must be a discussion of future artistic programming and needs; this provides the motivation for the remaining sections of the plan.
While it is absurd to suggest that artists can and should know what the results of their creativity will be, it is nonetheless crucial that arts organizations plan their exhibitions and productions as explicitly and coherently as possible. No one can predict how a specific work of art will be realized, how a production of "Don Giovanni" will emerge or whether a new piece of choreography will remain in the repertory. This does not mean that one cannot develop guidelines for the number, size and nature of the productions and exhibitions to be undertaken.
By no means is this meant to limit artistic initiative. On the contrary, the goal is to understand the anticipated artistic initiatives well enough to be able to accrue the resources needed to support them. If an arts organization plans to mount expensive and esoteric productions, there are obvious marketing and funding implications: Will a unique marketing approach be needed? Must the organization expect to lose money? Is special underwriting required? Is it available? Are there identifiable donors who may be attracted to this work? The answers to these questions must be developed explicitly so that the organization is not left without the audience it hopes to reach and the funding it requires to continue to produce good work.
In developing an artistic plan, it is essential to understand the needs of the artists. This is not a simple task. When one asks creative people about their requirements, one frequently receives a very long list. Artists are visionaries and their visions are not constrained by budgets and cash flow considerations. The challenge to the planner is to work with the artists to prioritize their needs. It is not the role of the planner to second-guess the artists. They must simply understand the artists' requirements and develop alternative scenarios for meeting them. If a choreographer hopes to use more dancers, the plan must address this need, but in a time frame that allows the organization to function in a fiscally-responsible manner. Explaining to the choreographer the implications of the increased costs of adding dancers and identifying those projects that may have to be sacrificed to afford the additions help the artists set their own priorities. It is dangerous when administrators become the decision-makers on artistic matters.
A complete artistic plan addresses many issues including:
NUMBER OF PRODUCTIONS OR EXHIBITIONS
The number of annual productions or exhibitions has huge artistic and budgetary implications. The drive to express their vision with greater strength and clarity frequently has artistic directors pressing for more productions.
The cost of additional exhibitions or productions, however, can be immense. The impact on the budget depends on the quality of the planning that led to the programming decisions. If earned income from the new presentation plus the underwriting available are enough to cover the added costs, the growth in programming strengthens the artistic profile of the organization in the best way possible. If there is no realistic revenue plan, the fiscal health of the organization is jeopardized and future presentations are threatened.
The decisions regarding the number of productions and their budgets are some of the toughest issues that must be addressed in the plan. One does not want to commit to produce more art than the organization can afford. Yet too much conservatism can restrict artistic growth - the organization's very reason for being. This tension is never fully resolved even in the best arts organizations; the on-going pressure to produce more and better art spurs the development of stronger earned and contributed income streams.
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