resources

If you are an Emerging Leader or established arts administrator, the collection of resources below will connect you with new ideas, research, and information relevant to leadership and the arts in your community.

• 2009 Emerging Leaders Survey Results
• Webinars
• Starting an Emerging Leader Network
• Mentorship Tool Kit
• Notable Blogs
• Arts Management Programs
• Book Store Recommendations for Emerging Leaders and Networks
• Research and Information

2009 Emerging Leaders Survey Results
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Emerging Leaders Network, Americans for the Arts and the Emerging Leaders Council surveyed the field of emerging arts leaders to determine current professional development needs and trends. The survey was distributed between October 2009–January 2010 and completed by 554 individuals.

Executive Summary [PDF,144KB]  |  Full Report and Analysis [PDF, 688 KB]

Raw Survey Data
Part 1 [PDF, 592KB] | Part 2 [PDF, 707KB]  

Webinars
Committed to expanding your professional skills and knowledge, but can't always travel to meetings and presentations? Americans for the Arts is pleased to be able to provide high quality online professional development at no cost to our professional members.

Check out pre-recorded webinars in our Leadership Development On Demand Series and Starting and Sustaining an Emerging Leaders Network.

You must be a member to receive free access to all webinars and many other exclusive benefits.  If you are not a member, each webinar is $35.

Starting an Emerging Leaders Network

The most challenging aspect of launching or maintaining an Emerging Leaders Network in your community or on your university's campus can be deciding what model works best for your community. Do you need a staff person to oversee the organization or will a group of volunteers work? Do you need a fiscal sponsor? How large of an area will you serve?

In response to this, Americans for the Arts and The Emerging Leaders Council has developed a guide for starting and sustaining your network, produced a webinar, and will be periodically releasing Network Overviews in order to provide Emerging Leaders with access to the models that work. 

Start an Emerging Leaders Network |  Find an Emerging Leaders Network near you

For more information, contact Stephanie Hanson, Leadership Development Program Manager, at leadership@artsusa.org.

Emerging Leaders Mentoring Resources Toolkit

Notable Blogs

Below is a list of blogs that we think emerging arts leaders should be aware of. If you know of blogs or publications that we do not include in our list below, please e-mail us at leadership@artsusa.org.

• Against the Grain
• Americans for the Arts Blog
• Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy
• Barry's Blog
• Chronicle of Philanthropy
• Createquity
• Daniel Pink
• Engaging Matters
• Fast Company
• GIA New's blog
• Harvard Business Review
• Josh Linkner
• Jumper
• The Kennedy Center and Michael Kaiser
• Leadership Freak
• Marketing for Nonprofits
• Philantopic
• Robert Egger
• Rosetta Thurman
• Seth Godin
• The Artful Manager

Arts Management Programs

Considering getting an advanced degree in Arts Administration or Management? 

Than the Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) is the best resource for you. The directory offered on their Website is not an endorsement of any particular program. Rather, it is a jumping off place for you to begin your search for the right program for you. 

Americans for the Arts Store
This is your one-stop shop for all the books you need to get ahead and lead your organizations and communities. Don't forget to also check out the Gift Shop for handmade decor, jewelry, and accessories.  Are you looking for a book to read with your Emerging Leaders Network and colleagues?  Here are some of our recommendations!

• Art, Dialogue, Action, Activism by Barbara Schaffer Bacon and Pam Korza
• Building Communities, Not Audiences by Doug Borwick
• Civic Dialogue, Arts, and Culture by Pam Korza, Andrea Assaf, and Barbara Schaffer Bacon
• Everyone Leads by Paul Schmitz
• How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar by Rosetta Thurman and Trista Harris

Research and Information
The Americans for the Arts Research Team has compiled thousands of research abstracts, news articles, project profiles, and sample documents into an Arts Policy Information Center. Here you can gain access to the National Arts Policy Database, where there is a search category for emerging leader-related entries. Also check out our list of Essential Arts Research Sources, where you can peruse the websites of other cultural and nonprofit research centers.

If you have additional resources to share that would be useful to the Emerging Leaders Network, please e-mail Leadership Development Program Manager Stephanie Hanson at leadership@artsusa.org.