In Art We Trust: The Board of Trustees in the Performing Arts

Little exists in print that considers in a constructive way the obligations and opportunities for members of boards of trustees. Most of what is written is directed primarily toward the legal ramifications and responsibilities of trusteeship - thus, the need for a publication including suggestions or guidelines for the establishment of boards, for the strengthening of boards, and for the development of more effective working boards. The need is for guidelines based on reality gained through experience, not on theory. The demand for such guidelines comes from current board members as well as from the management and artistic staffs of professional not-for-profit performing arts organizations. Thus, this manual includes information based on and directed toward all not-for-profit professional performing arts institutions: theatre, dance, opera, music, and performing arts centers. It recognizes that there are definite differences in specific structures among and between some of these art forms but reflects the conviction that all have many common or similar structural identities, insofar as board/staff responsibilities and relationships are concerned. This book is directed toward professional artistic directors, professional management, current board members, as well as toward the lay community that may or may not ever serve as members of boards of trustees.