Art & Business Council Chicago

There are 1100 non-profit art organizations in Chicago, one third of these are theatre groups – Chicago is a theatre town. These organizations bring economic activity of 1.1 billion dollars, ticket costs excluded. People park to go to a show, eat and drink, and perhaps spend the night at one of the hotels. Only one of twenty-five of these non-profit groups has a budget over a million dollars a year. It’s the large organizations that stand for most of the revenue and money. But the small groups are still recognized as important, not only in economic returns to the city, but also for democracy and society. It is these groups that Arts&Business Council of Chicago are mainly working with.

The small organizations struggle. They have small budgets, do most things themselves, and are many times volunteer based. At the same time they have an ”entrepreneurial savvy”, they are described as creative, very skilled and practice-based. The idea of the program is, we are told by Executive Director Peter Kuntz, to give these people some business skills to be able to better run their organizations. Art&Business Council set up a programme where they train volunteer business people, ”use corporate brain-power to help Art organizations”, to take a role in the board of a small art organisation, and help out with change. They are ”change-agents”, but the changes suggested must take into account the actual situation for the organization: they have small budgets, few people wear many ”hats”, changes might take time.

One of the misunderstandings that might arise in the meeting between business people and the Art, Andrew Michel says, is the double-ended misconception of the other. To succeed, the Council needs to prepare both sides. The ideal volunteer candidate have five years or more of business experience and has in one way or the other been involved in Art and would like to contribute. This has given many positive results.

The study visit to Art&Business Council Chicago is part of the conference ”Creative Entrepreneurship and Education in Cultural Life”, held in Chicago on July 16–18 2009. Read the opening speech by Nätverkstan here:chicago_opening.