Workin' For a Livin'

Describe your work and what it entails. I am the Executive Director of Arts Alive, a position I accepted 10 years ago when I was 29. As an executive director of any arts nonprofit in a rural setting, the job can be really expansive. Obviously, I do the normal Executive Director things, like lead the organization, help the board make guiding decisions, connect with community and partners, steward relationships with our donors and the foundations that help us keep the lights on. Part of this leadership is being an entrepreneur - I get to develop income-generating business ideas, new programs to serve the community, and I monitor the success of these new ideas to help the board and donors decide what to invest in. I also do program work. I design the gallery and stage production of the Ewing Arts Awards, an event we've hosted in partnership with the Keene Sentinel for 10 years; I have coordinated the Arts and Culture Track of Radically Rural since its inception, bringing national innovators to Keene to learn from them as our programs develop; and I design our annual Arts Leadership Summit in late Fall, to support nonprofit arts leaders to connect, learn and collaborate. One really cool thing that I get to do is offer direct support to our Fiscal Sponsees. They are individuals and groups who are making art and doing good in our community, and they partner with Arts Alive. I provide them with financial management and coaching to develop their ideas and projects, and help them make their way to becoming independent businesses. What do you enjoy most about your job? I'm very motivated by the mission of Arts Alive. I believe arts and culture are a key element to making a community connected, proud and thoughtful - and those are all things we need to maintain respect for each other and hope for the future. By supporting artists and nonprofits, I hope to give folks the chance to shine and get the resources they need to do their amazing and creative work right here in the Monadnock Region. I also love that no day is the same. I'm always meeting new people and developing my own skills and knowledge. Nonprofit work is great because you need to be agile and respond to community needs and interests. I've learned how to facilitate planning sessions, how to conduct a study on community health in an ethical way, how to write code for websites and how to manage all different types of folks in a welcoming way. What is the most challenging aspect of your job? I am an artist "on the side." I have a fine arts degree and work professionally in theatre - directing, playwriting, production design and performance. For a while, I felt like I couldn't bring my creative self to my job at Arts Alive because I believed I had to put on this very business-like persona to be relevant, reliable or respected in this field. In the last five years I've come realize that my "artist self" is actually a more important asset to Arts Alive in authentically reaching artists. So I would say that's actually a very challenging aspect of my job - as an artist I am curious, emotionally available, passionate about teaching and constantly scheming and inventing - and while its fulfilling, it takes a lot of energy and dedication to bring that to work every single day. What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a similar career? Three things: The biggest benefit I get from doing this work is living a life that is meaningful and that makes a difference in the community. And often its not a job that comes with a big paycheck, so you need to know your priorities. A lot of folks don't understand organizations like Arts Alive, suggesting that "arts service organizations" or "arts councils" are irrelevant or that they drain resources from the real artists. True, we don't make art, but we help make art happen. Not every arts instigator, arts leader or volunteer board member has all the knowledge, connections, time, resources or tools to do what they want to do. That's why we're here. To fill the gaps. That's also what makes it a multifaceted job - you have to be willing to continually learn, grow and be ahead of the curve in the field. The most important skill is the ability to listen and lead towards the needs you hear. What is your favorite thing about working in the Monadnock Region? Dogs in the office, walking meetings on the rail trail, the collaborative spirit - there's so many great things! One of the things that really surprised me as a young ambitious person was that everywhere else I'd faced sexism and ageism in some really disappointing ways. Not here. This region has been so welcoming!