Editor's note: This story is part of an ongoing series for Arts Access examining the health and well-being of our North Texas arts economy.
Corporate giving to the arts is down 21% nationally since 2019, according to SMU DataArts. That's why the Business Council for the Arts (BCA) is rethinking how to connect arts organizations with potential board members.
The group hosted Bridging Arts and Leadership on Thursday.
It’s the first time BCA has tried what CEO Stacie Adams calls “speed dating for the arts.” The event gave attendees a chance to quickly meet and engage with representatives from various arts nonprofits, whether they were simply curious or seriously interested in serving on a board.
The 14th floor at The Stacks in Deep Ellum was divided into four sections, each focused on different art mediums such as music, theater, dance and fine arts. About 130 business leaders were invited. Nearly 50 art organizations set up tables with information about their missions. Attendees could walk around, introducing themselves to different companies or go directly to the medium they felt most passionate about.
Adams says she wants to help arts nonprofits make it easy to find new voices to fill leadership roles and gain supporters who can strengthen both visibility and resources for arts organizations.
“You might have an interest in music, but you may only know about one or two arts organizations that play in that space,” she said. “This is an opportunity for you to potentially be introduced to a new organization.”
Many attendees were a part of the BCA’s Leadership Arts Institution, including Leslie Tipping, the owner of Tipping Mineral Management, an oil and gas exploration company. Being a small-business owner herself, Tipping found this as a great opportunity for both business leaders and art organizations to grow.
“A lot of my clients are very connected to the arts. They're huge supporters and donors,” Tipping said. “So I think this will allow Tipping Mineral Management opportunities to connect with our clients on a different level.”
Some attendees, like James Hansen Prince, discovered organizations they had never heard of before. Prince is the founder of The Core Theatre. The Richardson-based theater has been open since 2008, but still struggles with awareness.
“When you don't have the money for promotion and publicity, it's very, very hard,” Prince said.
The Core Theatre is an intimate, 54-seat theater that puts on six live plays a year. Hansen said they’re aiming to gain three good board members who can elevate their business.
“To grow you have to have more skills than you have. You've got to have accountants, lawyers, marketing people,” he said. “Then when you get into larger grants, they want to know, well, who's on your board? How many board members do you have? How do they fit in society? Are these legit board members?”
The BCA hopes making these introductions at the board level will ultimately benefit artists directly.
“It's not only a way to give more exhibitions but also a way to introduce those emerging artists to a whole new group of patrons they might never have had access to,” Adams said.
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