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July 5th, 2008
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Confronting the cultural conundrum

Arts management workshop draws a big regional crowd

By Frank Kuznik
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
April 30th, 2008 issue

It took Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser less than 24 hours after he landed in Prague to find an impressive bit of arts fundraising.
 “The National Theater is a great example of private philanthropy,” he said after seeing a production of the ballet Onegin there. “The people of this country funded the building of that theater. They collected the money in little boxes.”
Kaiser was in town last week to give a two-day workshop in arts management for nearly 400 aspiring impresarios from the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. Prague was the latest stop in his ongoing effort to nurture the growth and development of the arts worldwide by providing formal training in support areas such as fundraising, marketing and strategic planning. It’s a self-appointed mission that’s taken him all over the globe — Argentina, South Africa, Mexico, Egypt, Pakistan — and attracted a surprisingly large crowd here.
“The level of interest is truly astonishing,” he said. “Except for China, where I had a class of 500, I’ve never had that number before.”
  Kaiser arrived at a propitious moment. Cuts in government funding have thrown the local arts scene into disarray, and the National Theater notwithstanding, there is no tradition or infrastructure for private support of the arts in this country. But, to Kaiser, who rescued the Royal Opera House in London from impending doom during his tenure as executive director there, this is not so much a problem as an opportunity.
“We raised $100 million in England, where there’s no tradition of giving,” he said.
Which is not to say that he came here as a savior. “There’s not that much I can do in two days,” he was quick to point out. “What I hope is to start a dialogue that will continue, not just between people here but around the world. Everyone is facing the same problem: Governments don’t keep pace with the dreams of artists.”
Kaiser’s mantra is “Great art, well-marketed,” which he’s turned into an art itself at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., mounting outrageously ambitious programs like the 2002 Sondheim Celebration (six musicals by Stephen Sondheim, all in one season, and all sold out) and amassing a base of 35,000 donors. While few houses have the resources to do that, anyone can use the practical lessons that Kaiser has learned: A mission statement is critical. Fundraising is a business transaction, not begging. Use the press to build interest and excitement. Market the living daylights out of your product.
“It’s an accident of history that we know how to do that in America,” he said. “The Puritans who founded the country thought that singing and dancing were evil. So the arts had to learn how to support themselves.”
After just two days in Prague, Kaiser seemed to have a good handle on the local scene. “It’s incredibly dense,” he said of the sheer amount of cultural activity. But like many visitors to the city, he was also struck by how narrow and unsophisticated the marketing is. “Way too many posters, which is the worst way to sell something,” he noted.
   Marketing was one of the subjects Kaiser hit hard on the first day of the workshop, which was capped by a reception at the U.S. ambassador’s residence. “It was a really, really good day,” he said, exhausted but happy as he took a breather in the sumptuous residence library. “I think I made some converts.”
That seemed to be the consensus among the workshop participants at the reception, almost all of whom were struck by Kaiser’s optimism and inspirational tone, though some remained skeptical. “Good fundamentals, though not much relation to Czech realities,” said one.
But the richness and potential of the Czech arts scene were very much in evidence at the reception, with Czech National Symphony Orchestra General Manager and trumpet player Jan Hasenöhrl making an appearance to play “Kaiser’s Blues,” an original piece he wrote for Kaiser based on Strauss’ “Kaiser Waltz.”
“People are really generous here,” Kaiser marveled after the performance as he held a framed copy of the composition. So was Kaiser with his hard-earned advice, which he dispensed for free. If it takes root, hopefully the next time he’s in town, Czech artists will be doing more than playing the blues.

Frank Kuznik can be reached at fkuznik@praguepost.com


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