arts axis llc founder and president Andrew Taylor writes a weblog on ArtsJournal.com. The Artful Manager explores both deep and fluffy issues surrounding arts and cultural management, marketing, and support.

Go there, or subscribe to the weekly e-mail summary.

New in 2021: The Artful Manager book! Fifty posts from the first decades of "The Artful Manager" blog &emdash; curated, updated, and connected in one publication.

You can also follow Andrew's twitter feed @artfulmanager.

Business in service of beauty
Posted on Tuesday January 16, 2024

This beauty course is not aimed at putting beauty in service of business. My aim is the opposite. I want leaders to put business in service of beauty. Diane Ragsdale (2022) The world lost a brilliant mind and beautiful spirit with the passing of Diane Ragsdale last week. Elsewhere, in time, I will share more […]

Two goals to rule them all
Posted on Thursday June 01, 2023

I've been reading and thinking a lot about human cognition – about how we make sense and take action. The useful answer describes a combo platter of species-wide sense-making systems and their unique manifestation in each of us…

Strategy and the “standard story”
Posted on Wednesday May 03, 2023

Any strategy or plan for future action is essentially a story. It describes the present and coming world, the dynamics of the past that invoked them both, and the actions that will propel an organization toward a desired future.

Come work with me!
Posted on Monday May 01, 2023

The Arts Management Program at American University has just posted a full-time contract faculty position for the coming Fall. If you’re interested in joining an amazing learning community in Arts Management, in the global cultural city of Washington, DC, give it a look! And/or pass it along to friends and colleagues who might be a […]

Chasing beauty without losing balance
Posted on Friday February 24, 2023

One of the main takeaways from the classic in-depth case study of Steppenwolf Theater is that “self-sufficiency, sustainability, and success pull in different directions.” This tension is a constant balance and bother for arts managers who want to play the long game.