Conduit, Portland’s 13-year-old non-profit contemporary dance center, needs $15,000 by August 31, or it may go out of business. They’ve just finished a weekend of benefit performances featuring stalwart Portland dancers and dancemakers, including guest soloists from the recently bailed out Oregon Ballet Theater.
My take? The center, like many small to midsize arts non-profits here, needs to put away the cheerleading pom-poms and grow up organizationally if it wants to be taken seriously by the community it serves.
Conduit should engage in conversation with better-positioned arts groups about how to collaborate and move forward; it should radically question its own mission and vision; and it should prove itself worthy of community support not by eleventh-hour fundraising galas (“save us or we will close!”), but by the consistent excellence of its services and programming, administrative competence, and unique position in Portland. Until it does that, my pocketbook is closed.
I’m the first person to stand up for modern dance as an intractable piece of Portland’s cultural life, right alongside our resident symphony, art museum, theatre, ballet and opera companies. Each of those major institutions are also limping along in the current economy (though Portland Opera ended the most recent fiscal year in the best financial shape).
No question: times are tough. “We’re trying to keep our doors open but being challenged by the economic environment,” says Conduit co-founder Mary Oslund (pictured above), a longtime doyenne of the Portland dance scene. And so Conduit is seeking your cash so that they can continue doing their thing: hosting modern dance workshops, classes and performances at their downtown Pythian Building digs, sometimes in collaboration with bigger-name arts groups like PICA and White Bird Dance.
But the question is this: does Conduit, a small Portland arts non-profit with a narrow mission and an annual budget of $45,000, deserve a $15,000 bailout in public support to continue on their current path? I’m not convinced they do.
In an interview just before opening their weekend-long fundraising shows, Oslund openly admitted the organization, founded in 1995, has been doing little to nothing to grow or improve itself over the past several years. “We’ve slacked off on approaching foundations” for funding, she said. She added the center “hasn’t developed” organizationally in several seasons; the non-profit currently has three board members, all of them involved as dancemakers with the center. Earned income from rentals and classes is down, and Oslund called their contributed income (ie, donations) “very low.” This does not exactly inspire confidence in Conduit.
In spite of this, Oslund is “pretty encouraged” by response to the center’s plea for support, and says she’s feeling hopeful about the organization making the $15,000 it needs in the next 28 days. She feels Conduit’s unique mission as a service organization for the Portland modern dance community sets it apart and makes it worthy of support from cash-strapped Portlanders, who are being tapped and tapped again by arts groups straining to survive. “We support artists from White Bird and PICA and various colleges and universities,” she says. “Our mission is very broad.”
If that’s the case, then why not merge? Oslund says it’s been considered previously; she mentions White Bird Dance as a friendly partner with the organization. “White Bird has tried to find a dance space for years,” she says, adding regretfully that “it would be difficult to make their schedule work with ours. We tried to make it work out and I think we had some kind of plan, but the economy has made that difficult.” And what about partnering with globe-trotting dance theater troupe, BodyVox, which just opened their own new modern dance center? “BodyVox is about itself,” Oslund says bluntly.
If Conduit wants to truly position itself as the hub for modern dance in Portland, it still has plenty of room to grow. Many burgeoning dance troupes skip Conduit altogether when considering Portland performance or rehearsal spaces. Rumpus Room Dance’s recent show, RESA, was staged at Disjecta art center in North Portland. Northwest Dance Project performs at Portland Center for Performing Arts. BodyVox recently moved into their own impressive new Pearl District digs. In an interview this past spring Jen Hackworth, of Key Turn Project, admitted her fledgling dance collective was forced to rehearse in a tiny Southeast warehouse in advance of their spring show, because they couldn’t afford Conduit’s rehearsal rates.
This whole saga of an ambitious contemporary arts org on the rocks might sound vaguely familiar to Portlanders. Just a few years ago, a scrappy young arts administrator named Gavin Shettler founded a cutting-edge contemporary arts space: the Portland Art Center. The PAC eventually landed in prime Chinatown real estate, 10,000 feet of space dedicated to showcasing Portland and Northwest visual artists, and to providing services for those artists. Soon the organization hit a major roadblock: fundraising lagged behind ambition; artists with no nonprofit governing experience tried (in vain) to steer the ship; pride trampled reality. The PAC faced imminent closure.
In an interview in mid-January of that year, Shettler said he remained committed to keeping the PAC’s doors open. The organization was flooded with donations and support. One week later, Shettler shuttered the center. The visual arts community recovered from the setback, and found other venues and ventures to sustain and develop their work. And maybe they grew up a little in the process.
a well written, bold take on this situation.
Here are the key oversight questions. 1. Do you have a business plan? 2. Do you have a development plan? 3. If so, can I (funder / reporter) see them?
In any downturn market arts programs, and especially performance art programs, are going to be hit hard. That’s a given. That Oslund hasn’t pursued foundations isn’t surprising – the ROI is low to nil. They’re not fruitful relationships to cultivate.
Doug Stamm’s question of a few months ago looms: how many (world-class) arts organizations should a city the size of Portland support?
All arts admins have program plans, all dream of expansion. It’s the savvy ones which can contract and merge and persist which survive.
The problem though is that these small to mid-sized ngo arts centers are critical (maybe not individually but as a group) and if we are going to pay for anything at all (federal/state bailouts for car companies and banks, our taxes paying to murder foreign-sounding countrymen, half the $#!% that P-town pays for, etc.) than why should we not save one small art company. $15,000 can go a lot farther in one small arts non-profit than in almost any other use (except for literally buying food for starving people or putting clothes and shoes on naked children and elderly). Besides, that is probably just to pay legal and accounting fees, utility bills, etc. In the grand scheme of costs, $15,000 is almost nothing.
I agree that $15,000 can go a LONG way for a small to midsize arts non-profit.
But I don’t think organizational disarray merits the money. I don’t understand why the “squeaky wheels” of the arts scene deserve the money more than other, equally struggling small to midsize arts groups that work intensely and quietly to right themselves… I’m thinking especially of the many many small to midsize theatre companies here, who don’t shoot up flares every time they’re on the brink of closure. They recalibrate, they reorganize, they move forward.
Portland Center Stage has several million dollars left to raise for its Armory capital campaign. The Oregon Symphony is about to take an ax to its musician’s salaries after doing the same to its administrative staff. OBT has no orchestra for its 2009-10 season.
Ultimately, Portlanders – and their pocketbooks – will decide which organizations are most critical to the health and scale of our arts scene here.
Serving on the board of the Bach Cantata Choir, we struggled long and hard a couple months ago with the question of whether or not to go for a ‘summer bailout’ program. While we are not in the position (fortunately) of needing an instantaneous cash infusion or shutting down, the budget is EXTREMELY tight.
We ultimately decided, rather than to ask for a handout (not that I blame organizations who are in dire straits and do ask for a bailout) to require more financial support from members (higher dues), we made some programming decisions in the hopes of attracting larger (and newer) audiences, and in some other cases scaled back on programming in order to slash orchestra costs. Grants are harder than ever to get; while we’re redoubling our efforts in that department, no one’s holding out hope for a massive new windfall there.
While every organization is different, and there’s no question that the needs of a modern dance troupe and a baroque choir and orchestra are very different, small, struggling arts organizations can and will survive this ‘storm of the century’ type economic meltdown we’ve been going through lately. It’s a question of: have you tightened the belts enough, demanded all you can of your members/supporters, and taken a hard look at (and if necessary re-calibrated) your business model?
I think if all those things have been done then there’s nothing wrong with asking for a bailout. Stephen’s right though that ultimately it will be arts-supporting (or not) Portlanders who decide who will stay and who falls by the wayside. I wish them the best of luck.
But Stephen, “disarray” is a alarming word. Mary is a sterling person – I have no doubt as to her integrity.
Do you mean Anne-Leibowitz-disarray, or some such as you’d find in any struggling small city arts organization run by artists?
Define your terms!
PDX97217,
I don’t mean to disaparage Ms. Oslund personally. I too have found her to be a person with integrity (and as a non-profit, Conduit is obviously lightyears away from any rampant Annie Leibovitz style of poor business management).
I used the term “disarray” to characterize an organization’s asking the public to cough up 1/3 of their annual budget in 30 days or else they will close.
“annual budget of $45,000, deserve a $15,000 bailout”
1/3 of their budget? That jumps out at me. I think a lot of professional artists will be getting some free schooling in business planning the next few years. Crying “it’s a shame” or “it’s unfair” might work once. But then what?
If I look at what I can cut out of my tightening budget, art is right there at the top.
When I am solicited by arts-oriented nonprofits for bailout-type donations, I consider two fundamental questions:
(1) How active is this organization in our local communities? and
(2) How affordable and accessible are this organization’s events for ALL local residents?
One point mentioned in your article gave me great cause for concern: Conduit has only three people on a board of directors and “all of them involved as dancemakers.” Any nonprofit should have more than the legally-required 3 members (president, secretary & treasurer) and board members should always be a diverse group of people that are representative of the local population.
From what you’ve written, Conduit seems like an insular organization that lacks a sustainable membership-driven funding structure.
I wish I was contacted before being quoted in this posting. We don’t practice in a “tiny southeast warehouse”. It is a dance studio which we hold weekly classes in. I love where we practice and I love Conduit. KTP would have never been able to afford our shows anywhere else in Portland and we are very appreciative of their personal support. No dance organization in Portland has been more encouraging to my fledgling company than Jim, Tere, and Mary.
-Jen Hackworth
Also, I would hope that an arts writer for our free local newspaper would be more encouraging of one of the only accessible modern dance studios in Portland. I find it insulting the way in which this issue is being discussed. If one doesn’t want to give one’s money to Conduit, stay at home. But there were plenty of people there this weekend (and next) that were happily lending their support and enjoying the modern dance community which Conduit has helped to shape.
I am extremely disappointed in Beaudoin’s post. I have read his reviews in the Willamette and Mercury and can’t help but feel like he is frustrated with the Portland Art’s scene in general.
So find your ideal city to report in.
Why instigate a feud within the art community of Portland. Many people support and enjoy what Conduit provides. Let them have a fundraiser like everyone is entitled to. He’s taking out the “fun” out of Fundraiser. If you don’t want to financially support Conduit then don’t. Is this conflicting with his financial interests? No. Why doesn’t he review the Oregon Humane Society tomorrow or OBT? OBT supports Conduit. Let them have a fundraiser. When was the last time he was at Conduit anyway? Let them grow.
Stephen, I’m sure you feel quite brave for posting such a bold call to …what exactly? So you think Conduit is in disarray and hasn’t properly done its duty in fundraising. You’re welcome to keep your pocketbook shut to them. But are you seriously advocating that others should do the same because, in your judgment, Conduit hasn’t done enough and ought to be merging with … who? BodyVox, White Bird? Do BodyVox and White Bird want to take on responsibility for running a dance center right now? (By your argument, shouldn’t the Bach Cantata Choir merge with Portland Vocal Consort? After all, each has a “narrow mission” and are presumably feeling the economic pinch).
I have lots of opinions about which arts organizations “deserve” support and which ought to be allowed to fade away. Because I don’t pretend to have any clue about how any of them are managed, or the kinds of challenges they are facing, I try not to publicly pillory them or imply that they are mismanaged. I certainly don’t advocate for others to close their pocketbooks to them just because I choose not to support them.
Is a $15,000 shortfall excessive on a $45,000 budget? I don’t know. The Oregon Symphony reportedly has an $8 million accumulated deficit on its $16 million budget. Like Conduit, the Symphony is trying to figure out what to do about that — adjusting and recalibrating to fit current economic conditions. Unlike a scrappy start-up theater company, Conduit can’t easily retract its ambitions when times get tough. You see, it’s primary expense (I presume) is rent for its space in the Pythian Building. That space, and the availability of it for the dance community, is largely what defines Conduit. It’s not an arts producer (like BodyVox) or a dance presenter (like White Bird); rather, as part of Portland’s arts infrastructure, it has hefty fixed costs. If it raises its rental fees, it runs the risk of shutting out users who are just as financially strapped.
Beyond the issue of Conduit, you do a disservice to the arts community by using incendiary terms such as “bailout” and “handout.” Sure, you can argue that any request for emergency funds is “asking for a handout.” But the semantics are important; in our current economic clusterf*ck, “bail out” and “handout” have become pejoratives with specific meanings.
Any nonprofit arts organization that is asking the community to make a contribution should not be accused of begging for a handout. Conduit is not asking for the unwilling public to give them money. It is posing this simple question: “Will you help us?” It is telling the community what its needs are, and asking those who support its mission to step up. If you don’t support them, don’t contribute and don’t attend the benefit performances. Please don’t encourage people who don’t support the arts to bitch and moan about how the arts are screwing them out of their hard-earned dollars.
As a critic, Stephen Marc Beaudoin dines at the top of the food chain, performances. But dance is an ecology of students, choreographers, rehearsal studios, performance spaces and more. It is like saying, “we don’t care about Provista going out of business, we just want to consume at Yakuza”.
Mr Beaudon should offer his promotional expertise to Conduit, gratis, as an expert consultant, with the intent of improving the dance ecosystem’s health, rather than arrowing critical species.
Where is Stephen now? I was hoping for a response from him or his editor. Thank you MightyToyCanon for being so articulate. Modern dance will live on. I will be going to the show tomorrow and my pocketbook will be open.