Governance – Page 6 – LARSEN

Post-COVID or post-burnout: less is necessary

As a sector, we came together in 2020 and 2021 with extraordinary responsiveness and resilience, and began this year with the hope 2022 would be better, easier, or at least somehow different. Australia had reopened, interstate and international travel was once again possible, and our organisations equipped with new skills to meet artists’ and audiences’ changing needs.

Bad news Boards

The suggestion that Australian arts organisations should reset (or even remove) their Boards has clearly struck a nerve.

Within days of my provocation at the 2021 Reset Conference, I was inundated with responses from all over the world. This included hundreds of social media posts, pages of emails and dozens of interviews that acted both as an overwhelming affirmation of the proposal and a depressing indictment of the state of the sector and the broken governance models we’re forced to work within.

Looking for allies for arts governance

From the start of 2023, I began reducing my client workload in order to write – with a focus on my debut poetry collection (Public. Open. Space, Fremantle Press), the second edition of The Relationship is the Project and my independent research into rethinking arts, cultural and for-purpose governance – which will remain my focus in 2026 as I hope to publish a book-length manuscript.

If my work or writing has been of value to you, I’d appreciate you joining me as an advocate, ally or accomplice from just $2.50/month on Patreon).

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Art of Governance survey findings

In preparation for my Bundanon residency in May 2022, I launched a survey (which you can still contribute to) asking the Australian arts sector to share your experiences of being on, employed or contracted by, or reporting to arts, cultural or not-for-profit organisations governed by managing Committees or Boards.

I am so very grateful to all those who shared their time and thoughtfulness (and, in many cases, trauma) to contribute to the survey, which will provide the basis for my ongoing work in this area – including an initial analysis coming soon. And, as promised, a summary of the survey’s key findings follows here.

Art of Governance survey opens

In preparation for my 2022 Bundanon residency, I kicked-off some research into the governance of arts, cultural and not-for-profit organisations in Australia (and beyond).

Resetting our arts boards

Many (if not most) of us are part of the hugely messy and even more misunderstood space that is not-for-profit governance in Australia.

We report to boards, or report to people who report to boards. We apply to the organisations they oversee for our jobs, grants and opportunities. We are board members ourselves.

But this governance model is broken. Even when they’re working well, our boards are usually much harder work than either board members or staff members would like. And good boards can become bad boards in the space of one AGM.

Category: Governance