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The New Face of Arts Leadership in the West - westaf - The Western ...

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can improvise. Whenever I hear this example<br />

about know<strong>in</strong>g what to do with <strong>the</strong> A-wrench,<br />

I th<strong>in</strong>k that is all well and good, but <strong>the</strong>y are<br />

tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> damn A-wrench with <strong>the</strong>m.<br />

So, whenever I hear about <strong>the</strong>se younger leaders<br />

try<strong>in</strong>g to figure out how to fund organizations<br />

and you are bas<strong>in</strong>g it upon what was done <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> 1970s, that fund<strong>in</strong>g is gone. I just stood <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

circle and heard that conversation. It is a different<br />

game, and money and resources are a big<br />

part <strong>of</strong> it. I went over this comparison between<br />

first-house mortgage and student-loan debt with<br />

my colleague, who is <strong>in</strong> his late 50s and th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g<br />

about retirement from <strong>the</strong> academy, and I<br />

said, “Yeah, I’ve got all this student-loan debt,”<br />

and he said, “Well, I worked my way through<br />

school.” And I said, “You did? How much was a<br />

semester <strong>of</strong> school for you?” “Eighty-six dollars.”<br />

“Eighty-six dollars! That was books for one class.”<br />

It is a very different time, and we are go<strong>in</strong>g<br />

to have to improv how to improv at this po<strong>in</strong>t<br />

because we are deal<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a very different<br />

time with a very different set <strong>of</strong> resources and<br />

mentality. I don’t know what it is go<strong>in</strong>g to look<br />

like, but I do know that we are go<strong>in</strong>g to have to<br />

get out <strong>of</strong> look<strong>in</strong>g for patterns <strong>of</strong> success and<br />

honor our creativity that we have with<strong>in</strong> us.<br />

Brenda Allen: I th<strong>in</strong>k that that creativity is<br />

part <strong>of</strong> it. I can talk with you about ways that<br />

I was and have been creative and perhaps<br />

we just need to put that on <strong>the</strong> table more. I<br />

also had to be creative com<strong>in</strong>g to college as<br />

first generation, and I am not try<strong>in</strong>g to act as<br />

if I was <strong>the</strong> only person who has experienced<br />

problems just because I’m a Black woman from<br />

a work<strong>in</strong>g-class background. I am not do<strong>in</strong>g<br />

that at all because problems are contextual.<br />

But, <strong>in</strong> some ways, <strong>the</strong>re are still those similarities<br />

and perhaps that becomes part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> shar<strong>in</strong>g<br />

and tell<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> stories. I am conced<strong>in</strong>g that now<br />

is a very different time, but <strong>in</strong> some ways <strong>the</strong>re<br />

are still those similarities. It still comes down <strong>in</strong> a<br />

sense to heart, it comes down to what do you<br />

really want to do and how important is it to you,<br />

really? What are you will<strong>in</strong>g, if at all, to sacrifice?<br />

How assertive and aggressive are you will<strong>in</strong>g to<br />

be? Certa<strong>in</strong>ly, a lot <strong>of</strong> what happened <strong>in</strong> terms<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> civil rights movement was <strong>in</strong>novative<br />

for those times, was creative for those times.<br />

Margo Aragon: I just have a quick example for<br />

Amanda for that question <strong>of</strong> be<strong>in</strong>g prepared<br />

for improvisation. Where I live <strong>in</strong> Idaho, <strong>the</strong>re<br />

is a Nez Perce tribe and with<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir tribe, <strong>the</strong>y<br />

develop speakers and leaders, and <strong>the</strong>y do it<br />

at a young age. <strong>The</strong> way <strong>the</strong>y do it is <strong>the</strong>y call<br />

on people and ask <strong>the</strong>m to say a few words. It<br />

is k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> nerve-wrack<strong>in</strong>g at first because <strong>the</strong>y<br />

don’t really know what to say. But, <strong>the</strong>re are<br />

ones who do show signs <strong>of</strong> be<strong>in</strong>g up to it or<br />

be<strong>in</strong>g able to speak. So, as <strong>the</strong>y recognize<br />

<strong>the</strong>se people at a very early age—maybe 12, 13,<br />

14—those are <strong>the</strong> ones whom <strong>the</strong>y choose more<br />

and more, and <strong>the</strong>y beg<strong>in</strong> to be <strong>the</strong> speakers<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir tribe. <strong>The</strong>se are people without notes,<br />

<strong>the</strong>y don’t write th<strong>in</strong>gs down, <strong>the</strong>y speak extemporaneously.<br />

I k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> see what’s happen<strong>in</strong>g<br />

here as develop<strong>in</strong>g this k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> a group where<br />

we do acknowledge that you will be called on.<br />

So, if you can th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>of</strong> yourselves <strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong><br />

be<strong>in</strong>g ready, that some people will call you at<br />

this conference or at some po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> rest <strong>of</strong><br />

your lives, you will be ready to be a speaker.<br />

Those opportunities will come to you and, when<br />

<strong>the</strong>y do, just know<strong>in</strong>g that you may be called<br />

upon at some po<strong>in</strong>t helps you become prepared.<br />

And <strong>the</strong>n, by practice, it comes about.<br />

Obviously, those first few times—it happened<br />

to me as well, not be<strong>in</strong>g a part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir tribe,<br />

<strong>the</strong>y will say, “And after this we will have Margo<br />

speak.” I had no clue about <strong>in</strong> this context<br />

what do people talk about, what is <strong>the</strong> right<br />

th<strong>in</strong>g to say or not? It is a form <strong>of</strong> example and<br />

practice. I completely understand that feel<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>of</strong> what do you say? How do you know? It just<br />

comes with <strong>the</strong> territory. You’ll be able to do it.<br />

James Early: Baby Boomer, James Early. For<br />

me, be<strong>in</strong>g a non-formal artist, which is a way<br />

<strong>of</strong> say<strong>in</strong>g that I am discover<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> creative<br />

dimension <strong>of</strong> myself more and more as I get<br />

older, but be<strong>in</strong>g among formal, self-declared<br />

artists, it’s really <strong>in</strong>spir<strong>in</strong>g. One <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> challenges,<br />

I th<strong>in</strong>k, with regard to leadership, is what context<br />

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