Exciting Changes at PCMI!

Summer is usually a time for cleaning out your files and finding the bottom of your inbox, but, as you know, here at PCMI we have been busy examining and refocusing our program to bring it into closer alignment with The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage’s overall focus on fostering and supporting programmatic excellence. In a few weeks we will be sharing the details of this re-envisioning with you, but for now we can say that PCMI will be a more streamlined program that emphasizes the ways in which strong management is a tool to propel programmatic aspiration and achievement, and to connect cultural work of high quality to broad and diverse audiences.

Look for an announcement about our new guidelines in mid-October, to be followed by orientation workshops and open question-and-answer sessions throughout the month.

We look forward to starting this new chapter in our program, and to working with you to identify ways that the tools of cultural management can be best used to foster programmatic growth and advancement.

Reading Group

Our Business Books for Arts People group is coming back this fall, featuring Peter Senge’s classic The Fifth Discipline. BBAP is a reading group for arts managers and art makers who are curious about the language, culture, and concepts of the wider business world. We read contemporary and “classic” business books, and talk about how they can (or can’t) be applied to non-profit arts and heritage organizations. It’s always a lively discussion—and the first five people who RSVP get a free copy of the book!

If you’ve ever heard someone drop the phrase “learning organization” or “Systems thinking,” that person is referencing Peter Senge. The Fifth Discipline is his most widely-known and acclaimed book, in which he set s out a new set of principles for managing organizations that are designed to make them more adaptive and enduring. The Harvard Business Review called it one of the “seminal management books of the past seventy-five years,” and the Financial Times said it was one of the “five greatest business books of all time.” And it’s cheaper than an MBA.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, November 4 at the Center from 12:30 – 2pm. We always serve some snacks and beverages, but you should bring a lunch. Please RSVP by emailing pcmi@pcah.us .

The Capitalization Study

A few weeks ago you probably received from us a copy of Getting Beyond Breakeven, a study commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the William Penn Foundation. [If you didn’t get a copy you can find a pdf of the study here]. It’s very readable, and is supplemented by a set of case studies that are an education unto themselves. Over the coming weeks and months we will be hosting conversations with selected organizations to talk about the findings of the study, as well as hosting broader information sessions to present ways of acting on its recommendations.

Turbulent Times Working Group -- New Program for Future Leaders

Over the last year PCMI has been working with the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and NFF Philadelphia to provide a coordinated series of programs and services designed to help organizations survive and thrive during the current economic downturn.

We're glad to announce a new program for the fall--a one-day leadership development seminar led by National Arts Strategies and hosted by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. NAS is known for presenting high-quality professional development programs for arts professionals around the country. This program is designed for mid-career arts leaders, those with 5-15 years of experience who hope to be running an arts organization 5-7 years in the future. Applications are due October 2nd --more information is available on the GPCA website.

Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative

The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
1608 Walnut Street 18th Floor
Philadelphia PA 19103

www.artshelp.org

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