February 14, 2011

After two decades in service to arts and culture, Randy Bourscheidt retired as head of the Alliance for the Arts at the end of 2010.  We wish him well in his future endeavors, and we also embrace this period of leadership transition as an opportunity for a fresh look at our services, structure and future.

With generous support from the Altman Foundation, we are working with the Support Center for Nonprofit Management's Executive Search & Transition Management program. The Support Center's involvement will help ensure that that the Alliance's next leader is capable of carrying the organization's programs into the future.  We anticipate that the entire process, taking us up to the start of the new director's tenure, will take six to nine months.

In addition, the Alliance's board has formed a transition committee to work in tandem with senior staff and the Support Center.  It is our intent to have an open, transparent process--informed, in large part, by our stakeholders.  This isn't just about finding a new leader for the Alliance.  This is about the opportunity for organizational transition and transformation.  And that takes time, thoughtfulness and care.

In the meantime, I want to assure you - and all our constituents - that Alliance for the Arts is in good hands during this transition.  Robert Libbey, Chief Operating Officer, and Anne Coates, Vice-President, along with a dedicated team, and focused and engaged board, will continue to deliver high quality services.

Thank you for your continued support of the Alliance.  This is an exciting time, and I look forward to communicating with you regularly to update you on our progress.  We will also be posting updates on the transition by email and to our Web site at allianceforarts.org.

Sincerely yours,

J.P. Versace, Jr.

Chairman

December 1, 2010

The Alliance for the Arts is essential to the vitality of the arts in New York City and I'm proud to be a part of it. I'm writing to ask you to join me today in ensuring the future of this extraordinary organization with your generous support.

Alliance programs are thriving. Here is a little bit about what we are doing.

The Alliance is a cultural connector. NYC ARTS and NYCkidsARTS, our signature online resources, provide a strong marketing engine for visual and performing arts organizations of all sizes by listing their offerings. For visitors and New Yorkers, they are a one-stop source for information on the breadth of art available in New York---from off-Broadway theater such as the Signature's Angels in America, to discussions and lectures like the Public Art Fund Talks, and performances and exhibitions from world-renowned institutions like BAM's Next Wave Festival and MoMA's Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present.

We are broadening NYC ARTS' reach and increasing its ability to develop arts audiences. This year, people from 190 different countries have viewed more than 3 million pages on the site. Thousands more subscribers joined our e-mail, Facebook and Twitter services. Imagine how much this reach will grow when, by the end of this year, NYC ARTS goes mobile with the launch of the NYC ARTS iPhone App.

The Alliance is a cultural think tank. We seek to understand the broad range of cultural activities that make the city a destination for the arts. Alliance research is unique and informs the arts community, policymakers and philanthropists about the status and trends in the city's $25 billion cultural industry. For example, last year's study, "Recession and the Arts" was cited by George Soros' Open Society Foundations in its decision to donate $11 million to struggling arts groups.

As we enter an exciting period of leadership change and challenge, we plan to work with the Support Center for Nonprofit Management to successfully manage the transition from our retiring president, Randy Bourscheidt, to a new leader in the first half of next year.

As a champion of our hard-pressed cultural organizations, I'm asking for your support to sustain and strengthen the Alliance's work in 2011. Your generous donation will make the organization's vital contributions to the entire arts community possible. To make a donation, please click here.

Sincerely yours,

J.P. Versace, Jr.

Chairman

P.S. Please follow these links to learn more about the Alliance's work.

About Us

Get the News

Culture Chronicle

Staff and Trustees