And another thing: duty of care

Our arts, cultural and other for-purpose sectors are designed to put others first – but we’re much better at doing so for our audiences and constituents than we are for ourselves.

This month’s ‘and another thing’ vlog for my Patreon followers uses the examples of the Voice to Parliament referendum, ethical fundraising and our ‘post’-pandemic workforce crisis to talk about Board members’ duty of care to their organisations, teams and each other.

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Beyond the governance gaps

Past and present board members and those who support our boards—I want to thank you. In the machine of arts, cultural and not-for-profit governance you are one of our most necessary cogs: legislated, expected and required. From statutory authorities to volunteer-run collectives, you underpin all of our work.

The skills you must wield are varied and plentiful, yet your presence, consideration and time receive little or no remuneration—and often little thanks. But your work is a literal gift, an extraordinary, mandated generosity—without which our organisations would not be allowed to exist.

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And another thing: Zoom fatigue and our hybrid future

When Zoom has Zoom fatigue, what hope is there for the rest of us? This month’s ‘and another thing’ vlog talks about the depressing trend of employers ditching digital ways of working and the importance of fighting for a more hybrid future.

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Doing it differently: fit-for-purpose governance models

I enjoyed rabble-rousing about how we could (and should) be doing governance differently with Cecilia Anthony and Diversity Arts Australia’s Lena Nahlous for Creative Australia’s Governance Conversations webinar series in July 2023. 

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And another thing: let’s all take Mondays off

t’s time for us to reject the idea that too-much-work-for-too-little-pay is a problem our sector can’t solve. This month’s ‘and another thing’ vlog talks about why and how we could make it happen).

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And another thing: artists leaving arts practice

Welcome to ‘and another thing’, my brand new series on things that interest or infuriate me – exclusively for my amazing Patreon followers.

This one starts with a recent ArtsHub article on Theatre Network Australia’s report that says 51% of independent artists are currently considering a career change. 

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And another thing: gaslit about arts governance

Have we all been gaslit about arts governance?

My latest ‘and another thing’ blog for my Patreon followers highlights the confusion between what we think we need to do and what the legislation actually requires of us.

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We can do better than Boards

Following my collaboration on AICSA’s Rethinking Arts Governance event last year, I articulated some issues arts organisations have with arts Boards and shared examples of Boards making the best of the current situation.

In doing so, it became depressingly clear that our sector has learned how to bend without breaking when it comes to arts governance. But if the cause of most of our Arts Boards’ dysfunction is the governance model itself, perhaps a break is what we need – to throw the model out and start again.

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