SCENE CHANGE WHY TODAY’S NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TO STOP PRODUCING ART AND START PRODUCING IMPACT by Alan Harrison ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 26, 2024 Many in the nonprofit arts sector will decry this manifesto as heresy, only validating its necessity. Harrison presents a radical new vision for nonprofit arts organizations in this nonfiction work. Drawing on his 30 years of experience in nonprofit theater, the author breaks down, in easy-to-understand language, the United States tax code and the ways in which nonprofit groups misconstrue their responsibilities as a 501I: “The purpose of nonprofit arts organizations is not about… the production of art, but the production of impact using the arts as tools.” Harrison also discusses the toxic influences within these organizations, including the lie of subscription revenue, glory-chasing artistic directors, and overly-pampered big-money donors. The author proposes pragmatic reforms placing focus on better outreach to the neighborhoods these organizations operate in. Better diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) integration both on the boards and staffs, along with transparency regarding both donations and pay, would increase hospitality and impact, per Harrison. He argues that fostering diverse voices would help institutions to better understand the specific issues that require a nonprofit’s help—be that aiding the houseless, combating gun violence, or raising awareness about the opioid crisis—while putting on shows that both engage and matter to the community. The author is aware that his advice will be seen as controversial and pulls no punches as he explains the problems he views as inherent to nonprofit arts organizations. Sarcastic asides are common, and Harrison has seemingly never met an analogy or metaphor that he didn’t love, but he also emphasizes the importance of data and gives specific advice. Some of this work’s progressive ideas, like giving away tickets or divesting from a theater space, could be game-changing, though the text doesn’t offer many real-world examples aside from Minneapolis’ Mixed Blood Theatre, New Haven’s Long Wharf Theatre, or the occasional personal anecdote. While forceful, even the harshest commentary is not presented prescriptively, and it clearly comes from a place of love for the subversive and utopian possibilities of the arts. ~ Kirkus (July 1, 2024), http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/alan-harrison/scene-change/

In his brilliantly unpretentious, snarky, and hilarious style, Alan Harrison pulls no punches. He identifies and addresses elitism, defines and defuses toxicity, and provides outlines for success, including a hopeful prediction for the future. Furthermore, this book also provides context for the pinball journeys of a 30-year adventure, leading nonprofit arts organizations in America – warts and all. A truly gifted writer who dutifully, nay expertly combines levels of humor and compassion that seamlessly identify, and as articulately as one could ever hope, the offers of solutions to some of the challenges in the nonprofit and arts sectors, along with sharing his very own, impassioned thoughts about the flurry of inequities he sees as a citizen of the world on a daily basis, Scene Change: Why Today’s Nonprofit Arts Organizations Have to Stop Producing Art and Start Producing Impact by author Alan Harrison shares his perspectives; in layman’s terms and with a genuine diligence to never wander or shirk his prose responsibilities. A man who was adamantly strong when it came to promoting the mission of ArtsWest and whose clarity of purpose together with an undeniable steely, and unwavering focus when lasered in on something, his thoughts within this book are just as decisive, just as impassioned as they are in real life (if you have ever had the chance to meet him in person), and therein his ability to identify the priorities needed to achieve a goal and then make it/them a reality are, to my mind, second to none. In closing, the books is not only a must-read for anybody even the slightest bit interested in what he has to say, but a serious must-have for all donors, board members, and all those even vaguely attached to the non-profit performing arts. Alan himself fully admits that he never set out to be an arts administrator, let alone an executive director, not even understanding at that time what a non-profit organization was or how it operated, or not, as the case might be. Moreover, and as most unemployed performers put it, and with just $5 in his bank account, he had to get himself a job job. Thus to read about his rise, and some time glorious falls, within this locked-into industry over the years, not only provides the reader with a sense of knowing the man behind the prose, but actually aligns us to his chosen directive, his dedicated profession to explore, and subsequently help change; and thus gives us all a better sense of his humor and worldly viewpoints culled from his smorgasbord of experiences with their/his regard. ~ Exclusive Magazine, https://annecarlini.com/ex_books.php?id=610

“IT’S VERY FUNNY! Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect. It’s very funny — that was one of the biggest things I was struck by. It feels like Alan is talking to me in a normal, congenial way, rather than a dry arts management textbook-type thing. We have enough of those….So fun!” — Katie Birenboim, Call Time ~ Katie Birenboim, Call Time

“It’s a very quick read. And as for the arts organizations I work with — I’m going to make sure they get this book.” Larry Brechner, "Art on the Air" ~ Larry Brechner, "Art on the Air" - NPR, Indiana

In the years that I have known Alan, I have learned more about running arts organizations, particularly if not exclusively not-for-profit arts organizations, than most people learn in a two- or three-year MA arts administration program -- and as I’ve taught in one such program, I can actually compare his skills to curricula and confirm that Alan is, indeed, a master class in his field. Alan’s very popular contributions to The Clyde Fitch Report (a website that committed acts of journalism at the crossroads of arts and politics from 2012 to 2019, now on hiatus) were a joy to edit and one of the CFR's secret weapons. His persuasive writing skills, often rooted in the superlative use of inductive logic, are one more testimonial beyond the million other reasons why you should offer him a leadership position at your organization not tomorrow, not someday, but today. Alan has my highest endorsement -- and gratitude for all the guidance and mentorship through the years. ~ Leonard Jacobs, Executive Director, Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning

Alan is a visionary who believes that theatre changes lives for the better, and who creates teams who make sure that it does. He is a delight to work with, and learn from. ~ Russell Willis Taylor, Former CEO, National Arts Strategies

Alan is a gifted writer who is able to, with humor and compassion, identify, articulate, and offer solutions to some of the challenges in the nonprofit and arts sectors. As well as the inequities he sees as a citizen of the world. I have very much enjoyed his essays and posts these past few months and always look forward to reading his perspectives. ~ Stacey Bridge, Assistant Director, Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

Alan is clear and passionate in his work in the arts. He was fierce, in the best sense of the word, in promoting the mission of ArtsWest. He has an uncommon clarity of purpose and focus. I admire his decisiveness and ability to identify the priorities needed to achieve a goal – and make it happen! I do not believe that any detail eludes Alan. His decisions are meticulously thought out and his word is trustworthy. I enjoy his sense of humor and view of the world and welcome every opportunity to learn from his experience. ~ Karen Lane, Executive Director, Seattle Women's Chorus and Seattle Men's Chorus

Alan has a rare combination of talents – he understands the arts as well as he understands the business of arts organizations. He is an expert non-profit manager and a natural marketer. ~ Dianne Loeb, Advising/Special Projects, ADCo; Former Board Member, Seattle Repertory Theatre