"I have spent much of the last two years trying to convince arts organizations to plan their art four or five years in advance. I believe that this time frame gives the organization the time it needs to find resources, create excellent art and attract an audience. Virtually every project we mount at the Kennedy Center was planned five years before it is on one of our stages."
Jennifer Edwards, another contributor to the Huffington Post, posted this rebuttal in her article, In Times of Crisis: Saving Art:
"Planning ahead is important, but if art is truly in crisis we need to step back and see the whole picture before promoting future spectacles. I think it is safe to say we need more leaders thinking about realistic options for artists and arts organizations. I would like to begin conversations about what 'saving the arts' might look like. Let's start by individually and collectively deciding what we are trying to save: the act of making art? The idea of what it means to be an artist? Or the non-profit arts structure we currently have."
Do you think such early planning for programming is realistic for all arts organizations? If not, which disciplines/types of organizations would have a more difficult time planning four to five years ahead?
