Changing Arts with Tom O’Connor
Changing Arts with Tom O'Connor is a podcast for arts professionals looking to make change in our industry and in our organizations. In this series of conversations, hear from people working on the ground to make change at all levels: from their own team or organization to macro effects on the field.
Our first season included conversations with a range of professionals from the arts industry covering topics including Disability Inclusion in the Arts; Embedding Anti-Racism in Strategic Planning; and Arts Education and Cultural Responsiveness. We are now planning for season two and can’t wait to introduce you to more incredible colleagues from our industry. If you would like to nominate a potential guest, send us an email!
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Podcast logo by Morgan Boecher
Ep. 11 | Arts Leadership Now: In Conversation with TOCG's Cynthia Fuhrman
Tom sits down with Cynthia Fuhrman, TOCG's Vice President of Executive Search to discuss her unique perspective on how art organizations and their boards can meaningfully represent their communities, particularly through political advocacy and collaboration with other arts organizations in their communities.
Ep. 10 | Disability Inclusion in the Arts: Sarah Hom and Sarah Kenny
Tom sits down with Sarah Hom of Roundabout Theatre Company and Sarah Kenny of Disney Theatrical Group to talk about the importance of disability inclusion in the arts, from creators to audience members, and their work to make Broadway more inclusive.
Ep. 9 | The Great Boundary Setting: Crossover Episode of CI to Eye
Tom was recently a guest on Capacity Interactive's podcast, CI to Eye, and spoke about TOCG's views on salary transparency, hiring (and resignation) trends and practices in the arts, and the importance of caring for the people who make the arts work.
Ep. 8 | Next Generation Arts Donors: Melissa Cowley Wolf
Tom talks with Melissa Cowley Wolf, founder of MCW Projects and Director of the Arts Funders Forum, about the expectations and current trends among the next generation of arts funders.
Ep. 7 | Arts Education and Cultural Responsiveness: Holly Bass
Tom talks with Holly Bass, teaching artist and National Director of Turnaround Arts at the Kennedy Center, about the power of arts education to deliver culturally responsive experiences that can have a liberatory effect on the lives of students.
Ep. 6 | Impact for the Long Game: Minnesota Opera's Lee Bynum
Tom talks with Lee Bynum, consultant with The Inclusion Firm and the Vice President of Impact for the Minnesota Opera, about what his role entails and his vision for how change happens in organizations as they seek to serve their whole communities, and how the work we do today can ripple out for the long term.
Ep. 5 | The Multi-Track Arts Career: Producer Sally Cade Holmes
Tom talks to Broadway Producer, consultant, podcast producer --and more -- Sally Cade Holmes about false choices, blurring lines between business and creativity, and ways to improve training for artists and arts administrators in our current realities.
Ep. 4 | More Seats at the Table: in Conversation with TOCG's Jordan Sanford
Tom talks to Jordan Sanford about working toward diverse and equitable institutions through hiring strategies, opportunities for lasting change, and the barriers to entry in our field.
Ep. 3 | Rebranding an Icon: Carnegie Hall
Tom talks with Sara Villagio, Chief Marketing Officer of New York City's Carnegie Hall about the company's recent rebrand, virtual programming during the pandemic, and how change is introduced in large, storied institutions.
Ep. 2 | Elevating Arts Marketing: In Conversation with TOCG's Rani Haywood
Tom talks to Rani Haywood about the changing nature of connecting with audiences, ways they both hope the field will evolve on the other side of the pandemic, and the changing nature of what it means to be an "arts marketer."
Ep. 1 | Embedding Anti-Racism in Strategic Planning: SPACE on Ryder Farm
Tom talks with Emily Simoness, Edie Demas, Deepa Purohit about the ways in which SPACE approached and developed their 2021 Strategic Plan through the lens of DEIA and Anti-Racism.
Introducing: Changing Arts with Tom O'Connor
Introducing a new podcast from Tom O’Connor Consulting Group.