January 22, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 153, Pt. 2 1823 too evident, its causes are still mostly [From the National Press Club, Dec. 7, 2006] And I believe the most effective and engag- unknown. We do know that a better un- CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND EXCHANGE ing way to learn about other people is to ex- derstanding of the links between the (Remarks by Michael Kaiser) perience their arts. We need to provide ac- cess to the art and the culture of other peo- It is a great pleasure to be here today to environment and breast cancer could ples. We need Americans to see what moves discuss the Kennedy Center’s approach to help improve our knowledge of this other people, what they think of as beau- complex illness. The Breast Cancer and international cultural exchange. I must admit to being a relative newcomer tiful, what they worry about. When we Environmental Research Act is de- to the international arts scene. In fact, after hosted the Iraqi Symphony at the Kennedy signed to reveal those links by making I finished business school and applied to the Center three years ago the most common re- a truly meaningful research invest- World Bank for an entry-level position, I was sponse I heard was, ‘‘I didn’t know Iraq had ment and charting a national research told I was exactly what they were not look- a symphony.’’ Most Americans were com- strategy. ing for—someone who demonstrated no pas- pletely unaware of the level of education and culture of the people of Iraq. In October of sion for international affairs. I hope they In Deanna’s words, that is why pass- last year, we hosted 900 performers from ing the Breast Cancer and Environ- would take me more seriously today. In the early 1990’s, I took the Alvin Ailey China at the Kennedy Center in a landmark mental Research Act is a real oppor- American Dance Theater on tour to Japan, 4-week festival of Chinese art. We presented eastern and western music, tunity for Congress to ‘‘step up for Greece, France and elsewhere. But my inter- Chinese opera, theater, ballet, modern dance, women and breast cancer.’’ Recog- national work really began with an invita- film and puppetry. Virtually every perform- nizing this call to action, 66 of my Sen- tion by the Rockefeller Foundation to help ance was sold out. One memorable shadow the Market Theatre in Johannesburg in 1994. ate colleagues and 262 members of the puppet performance depicted the devastating Three weeks after Nelson Mandela’s inau- House of Representatives joined me in impact of the Japanese bombing of China guration I took my first of 18 monthly trips the 109th Congress in supporting the through the eyes of a little boy. My audience legislation. I hope that the new session to Jo’burg; I worked for the Market Theatre, developed a new and vivid idea of the con- I participated in the creation of the Arts of Congress will give us another oppor- cerns of Chinese parents; they realized they Council for the new South Africa and I were far more like Chinese people than they tunity to make good on our promise to taught an arts management program in finally pass the bill. were different. Jo’burg, Durban and Cape Town. I fell in love Not only our audiences were affected. The In one of my last correspondences with a nation and gained a mentor at the press attention in Washington, throughout with Deanna, she wrote of her frustra- same time. the United States and in China was huge. I tion that a bill with so much support Barney Simon, the late, great founder of believe we influenced the thinking of many had yet to be enacted by Congress. It the Market Theatre taught me that the arts people. truly can change the world. Barney, an un- We have festivals of Japanese art, Arab was a fitting reminder of the way likely father for South African theater, de- Deanna was mindful of the public art, Indian art and Russian art planned for veloped and exported anti-apartheid protest the coming years. sphere beyond her own immediate situ- theater. He played a major role in educating But that is only one half of the cultural ex- ation, even as she dealt with a grueling Europeans and Americans about the horrors change puzzle. regimen of radiation and chemotherapy of apartheid. He did change the world. I feel we have to exchange with other na- in her final moments. Her inner And he changed me. tions but it does not necessarily have to be strength could not be extinguished I learned from Barney about truth in art; art that we offer. about the courage it takes to be a real lead- I have learned through my travels that then, nor will her contributions be for- er, and about the difference between pro- there is almost no arts management edu- gotten now. She will be greatly missed. ducing a show and producing change. cation in other countries. When Barney died in 1995 the world lost an And while I could and often do make f arts hero. And I lost a mentor. speeches on the need for better arts manage- What I learned from Barney provided the ment education in the United States, I find foundation for my international work at the the state of this training in other countries MICHAEL KAISER ON CULTURAL Kennedy Center. to be even more rudimentary. It appears that DEVELOPMENT AND EXCHANGE I have spent the last 5 years building an the central role of government funding in Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I am international activity that I, perhaps na- other nations has limited the perceived need ively, believe will change the world. Maybe pleased to share with my colleagues a for this kind of education. But so many gov- not as dramatically as Barney’s work at the ernments, in fact most governments, are cut- recent speech by Michael Kaiser, the Market Theatre, but change nonetheless. ting back on their arts support. And arts or- president of the Kennedy Center. Mr. After my internship with Barney and after ganizations in big European countries and Kaiser is an impressive and highly re- observing the arts world from a different per- small African nations and Latin countries spected national leader in arts policy spective when I ran the Royal Opera House and Asian countries are threatened. Arts and advocacy. Last month, he ad- in London, I developed my own ideas about managers here and elsewhere have no idea dressed the National Press Club and cultural exchange. how to respond. The Kennedy Center has given me a unique They have never learned how to develop spoke about the importance of cultural platform to test these ideas. Shortly after I new sources of contributed funds and have development and exchange. arrived in Washington, I was approached by been unable, for various reasons, to develop In addition to his role as the presi- State Department officials asking me which high levels of earned income. dent of our national performing arts American artists should be sent abroad to Therefore, I believe that instead of only ex- center, Mr. Kaiser serves as a cultural represent the United States and to foster changing our art for the art of other nations, ambassador for the administration. He cultural exchange. we should also offer our experience and ex- I surprised these State Department rep- has traveled around the globe to assist pertise in arts management and revenue gen- resentatives by explaining that many people eration to arts managers and government of- cultural organizations in many coun- around the world feel they experience ficials in other countries. tries—including Latin America, the enough American culture. It may not be high We at the Kennedy Center believe we are in Middle East, and Asia. Cultural diplo- culture but people from London to Jo’burg a strong position to address this issue be- macy is an effective part of our Na- to St. Petersburg to Beijing have so much cause we have systematically developed ap- tion’s outreach to other countries and exposure to American movies, television and proaches to teaching arts management. cultures, and Mr. Kaiser’s role is an pop music that they have no real interest in When I first arrived at the Kennedy Center more. in 2001 we established an arts management impressive part of that effort. And while I am certainly in favor of send- institute to address the challenge of training He is an articulate and visionary ing talented Americans to perform abroad, arts managers in the United States and leader for the Kennedy Center and a sending a great artist for one concert for 1000 abroad. To date, we have welcomed 66 Fel- major national resource. I believe his of the richest and most powerful people in lows; half of them have come from countries address to the National Press Club last any nation has virtually no impact. other than the United States. These prac- month will be of interest to all of us, I suggested that we need to take a new, ticing arts administrators have come from and I ask unanimous consent that it be two-pronged approach to cultural exchange. Russia and the Czech Republic and Malaysia First, we need to recognize that Americans and Spain and Egypt and Pakistan and nu- printed at this point in the RECORD. know almost nothing about other peoples. merous other countries. They take classes in There being no objection, the mate- We read about political leaders and move- development, marketing, technology, finan- rial was ordered to be printed in the ments but we know nothing about the people cial management, labor relations etc. I teach RECORD, as follows: who live in China or Lebanon or Colombia. strategic planning every Friday morning.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 10:58 Jun 06, 2017 Jkt 059102 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BOOK 2\LOC FILES\BR22JA07.DAT BR22JA07 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 1824 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 153, Pt. 2 January 22, 2007 But they also work in our various depart- ing in that country and has a stated goal of enue potential in concrete. We cannot in- ments on high level projects, participate in reducing this level of support. Also, this crease true earned revenue since we cannot board meetings and other similar events, and funding is concentrated; too few organiza- increase the number of seats in our theater. develop a strong understanding of the way tions receive any government funding and I remember bringing the Ailey company to an arts organization can function. For many the non-government organizations—NGO’s— the Herod Atticus—a beautiful Roman am- of our Fellows, and certainly most of our for- are typically tiny and struggling. phitheater built into the base of the Acrop- eign Fellows, this is their first exposure to a I have spent the last two years training a olis in Athens. The entire company was awed large, well-functioning arts organization. group of 35 arts managers of small arts orga- by the setting—performing outdoors with Just last month on a trip to Cairo I was nizations in Mexico who all run NGO’s. They the moon over the Acropolis. I only stood on touring an independent arts center named each received their first government grants stage and marveled that there were the same the Townhouse. As I opened a door to its new in a special program called Mexico en number of seats as when it was built 2000 theater, there was Nora Amin, a former fel- Escena, Mexico on Stage. These grants were years ago. low, teaching arts management to a group of 2-year grants totaling $50,000. These productivity and earned income con- young Egyptians. It was both surprising and Part of the grant was access to a week- straints, that the arts have been facing for deeply rewarding. long seminar on planning at the beginning of centuries, place great pressure on ticket We have also developed a training program the grant and quarterly classes thereafter. I prices, unless new sources of funding can be for the leaders of arts organizations of color am the teacher of these programs. developed. And in most countries, raising throughout the United States. This program The program ends this month, as the gov- ticket prices simply means reducing audi- complements periodic in-person symposia ernment of Mexico changes. Virtually all of ence size and diversity, hardly an attractive with more frequent on-line training sessions the groups have made huge strides. Most option. that have become an efficient way for us to have improved their artistic quality substan- We teach how to plan for the challenges reach students from many geographical tially and many have created new fund-rais- faced by every arts organization and how to areas at once. Since developing this program ing and marketing capabilities. About one- plan for the idiosyncratic challenges faced in four years ago, we have created others for half of the groups are truly poised for addi- a given country. small and mid-sized orchestras and arts or- tional growth and achievement as this pro- While every arts organization must address ganizations in New York City. In total we gram ends. the productivity problem, the challenges are working with 90 arts organizations in As I was initiating my work in Mexico, I posed by religious factions in Pakistan are this country, And, most recently, we have also began to develop a relationship with the different from the government restrictions developed a program for training Board government of China. faced by Chinese organizations. members of arts organizations and created a Our festival of Chinese art was of great in- Of course, a good deal of this planning website, artsmanager.org, featuring arts terest to the government there and a strong must address how to develop new sources of management resources. relationship was developed. In keeping with revenue, and particularly, how marketing In some cases, we work with individual my philosophy expressed earlier, we traded can be used to aid this effort. My mantra for arts organizations in need. For the past two art for expertise. The Chinese provided us running a successful arts organization is years we have worked to help save the Dance with a remarkable array of performers and good art, well marketed. I have yet to see an Theatre of Harlem. More recently, we have performing groups. We offered back training arts organization that routinely produces worked to assist an arts organization truly in arts management. great art and also markets that art aggres- in a perilous place at a perilous time: the I go to China twice a year to teach up to sively that does not have the resources to Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra—New Or- 500 arts managers at a time; in addition, we pursue its mission. leans’ largest classical arts organization. host 20 arts managers from China at the Ken- We teach why this is true and how to im- Hurricane Katrina destroyed the LPO’s the- nedy Center for a week each summer. I must plement strong artistic planning and how to ater, its offices, its music library, and its admit to being a bit daunted the first time I develop a comprehensive marketing cam- larger instruments. The subscriber base has faced a room of 500 students; and the So- paign. Most recently, we have addressed these been scattered and the donor base focused on cratic method of teaching I prefer took my issues in Pakistan. The Pakistani arts ecol- other more immediate needs. students many days to become accustomed ogy has experienced 30 years of neglect and Yet the intrepid LPO staff and Board, with to. its government has asked us to help build some guidance from us, has been able to I have also had to fight, as I have else- back this sector. We have created a plan to raise enough to bring the full orchestra where, to ensure that the majority of my address this goal. Central elements of this back, to mount a fairly large spring program students are truly arts managers and not plan include: this past season, and to pay off virtually all government bureaucrats. This has been a Investing in physical infrastructure: Paki- the payables of the institution. consistent challenge in every country in stani theaters are in tremendous disrepair. I All of this work has prepared us to address which I have taught. visited one of the country’s ‘‘best’’ theaters, the challenge of teaching arts management But my students in China are excellent and the Alhambra in Lahore. in other nations. learn quickly and are working diligently to Our focus has been on countries in transi- It has a floor so warped it can not house develop private sources of funding and new tion and in trouble. professional dancers, and has only 10 lighting marketing techniques. Like my students in Why? instruments, as compared to the 300 or so we Because I believe that the arts play an es- Mexico and elsewhere, there is far greater expect in an American theater. pecially important role in troubled societies. comfort attempting to raise funds from foun- Creating flagship arts organizations: There I believe that the arts have a power to dations and corporations but I continually are no larger arts organizations that create heal. Expressing anger, pain and fear on pressure my students to attempt to develop important art and serve as role models for stage is productive and effective. The protest an individual donor base as well. the nation. A national gallery of art is about theater of South Africa helped many people For as we have learned in America, indi- to open; we need major dance and theater cope with their anger while also producing vidual donors are far more loyal than insti- and musical organizations as well that can change. tutional donors, and there is far more total serve as centers of expertise and training. Arts can address all segments of society. money available from individuals, and, even- Improving production capabilities: If Paki- While the largest arts organizations typi- tually, far larger gifts available from indi- stani artists are to compete internationally, cally address the wealthier and better-edu- viduals. Arts organizations that rely most the nation must develop more expertise in cated segments of society, the smaller non- heavily on institutional giving typically re- technical theater: lighting, set, costume and government organizations reach far beyond main small. sound design. the elite. That is why we have focused our Much of my work here and elsewhere fo- Teaching Arts Management: There is vir- attention on these organizations. cuses in part on the problems faced by all tually no training for people running arts or- Artists are opinion generators. When we arts organizations, whether in Beijing or ganizations. We must develop some teaching support artists in troubled areas, we teach Butte. capacity in Pakistan, as we must in other others about the problems in society and the Of course, the central difficulty we face in countries in which we can only play a mini- impact of those problems. the performing arts is the challenge of im- mal role. In fact, the arts are the safest way for peo- proving productivity. Creating arts education programs: There is ple to express themselves. Unlike virtually every other industry, we little arts education in the schools and very And the arts can replace pain with beauty. cannot cover the costs of inflation with in- few teachers equipped to bring the arts into My first foray into this new international creases in productivity. There are the same the classroom. In addition, there are few realm was in Mexico—until the recent Presi- number of performers in Don Giovanni as works developed expressly for young audi- dential election not really a country in tur- when Mozart wrote it over 200 years ago. ences so children are rarely introduced to moil but an arts environment in turmoil. This productivity challenge is matched by an the arts. The government of Mexico has been re- earned income challenge: once we build a Building international awareness of Paki- sponsible for approximately 90% of arts fund- theater we have literally set the earned rev- stani arts and culture: There is very little

VerDate Sep 11 2014 10:58 Jun 06, 2017 Jkt 059102 PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BOOK 2\LOC FILES\BR22JA07.DAT BR22JA07 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD January 22, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 153, Pt. 2 1825 understanding of the rich history of culture don the projects they initiated with grant But it would be impossible for us not to in the region. And there are currently few funds. This could have been avoided if a try. arts organizations that can tour with com- matching requirement had been attached to Thank you. petitive programming. the grant and the groups were required to de- f We have begun to implement this plan. We velop new sources of funding. produced a one-week training program for 30 Most arts groups in most countries address TRIBUTE TO ANTHONY J. ZAGAMI arts leaders this August. We have created a very small audiences and have minimal web site on Pakistani culture to be used to scope of operations. While bigger is not al- Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I would educate their children and others throughout ways better in the arts, some level of size is like to take this opportunity to recog- the world on the rich heritage of this nation. required to have an impact and to establish nize Mr. Anthony J. Zagami as he con- We have planned a children’s theater col- a measure of stability. We need to help arts cludes 40 years of dedicated public laboration between the Kennedy Center and groups get larger. service. Mr. Zagami officially retired the Pakistan National Council on the Arts. While it is assumed that fund-raising skills on January 3, 2007, from the U.S. Gov- Additional programs are also in the planning are the major deficiency in many countries, ernment Printing Office with the dis- stage. in fact, marketing knowledge is minimal at tinction of being the longest serving But if Pakistan is to develop into a true best. We must teach how to develop focused democracy, artists must be free to create, programmatic marketing campaigns that general counsel in history. and an infrastructure to present this art help sell tickets and aggressive institutional In the mid-1960s, Mr. Zagami began must be developed. marketing campaigns that help raise money his distinguished career on Capitol Hill It is still unclear if the current govern- and awareness. as a Senate page. I first met Tony ment will demonstrate a sustained interest We need to expand the planning horizon for many years ago when he was working in this endeavor and will be willing to arts organizations in troubled countries. in the Senate Democratic cloakroom. change the vestigial laws that continue to Most arts organizations have planning hori- Following his service in the cloak- restrict artistic freedom. zons of less than 6 months. This makes it vir- room, he worked for the Secretary of I am committed to working with the gov- tually impossible to build strong fundraising ernment of Pakistan to build the strength of efforts and major touring programs. But we the Senate and eventually went on to its arts ecology but will also work with the also have to help train arts entrepreneurs. In become the general counsel for the nation’s artists to change legislation that my experience, there is no conflict between Joint Committee on Printing for 9 prohibits this development. planning and entrepreneurship but this is years. Mr. Zagami would ultimately I have learned a great deal from my experi- not evident to everyone. work in the Senate for a total of 25 ences in China and Mexico and Pakistan. I We must encourage artists to collaborate years in various capacities. can summarize them in ten major observa- with administrators. One of my students in In 1990, Tony began his tenure as the tions: Mexico experienced a total life change when longest serving general counsel in his- Most arts managers in many countries he handed over to an administrator the have few peers and fewer mentors from things he did not know how to do and fo- tory. In this capacity, he oversaw an whom they can learn. These managers feel cused exclusively on his role as artistic di- agency that is responsible for the isolated and helpless. If a major donor is rector. Today, he has two years of his budget printing and distribution of the CON- truly going to make change, one must pro- in the bank! GRESSIONAL RECORD and nearly every vide consistent and substantial technical The training we offer must be practical other governmental publication. Mr. support as well as cash. and hands-on. While our goals are idealistic, Zagami served at a momentous time in To make major change in many countries our training techniques must be imme- the history of the GPO, as the agency requires involvement of the government. In diately implementable if our students are to worked to move into the digital age. Mexico, for example, arts groups receiving make change. consistent government funding must return And finally, we must work hard to encour- Tony is known as a diligent, thor- to the government that portion of their sub- age arts organizations not to waste any- ough, and dedicated public servant, and sidies that equal their private fundraising or thing. While this is true for arts organiza- I am honored to recognize his out- extraordinary ticket sales. tions throughout the world, those organiza- standing service. His record of service, This means there is no inducement for act- tions in challenging environments must use which spans more than four decades, is ing entrepreneurially. I am working with the every dollar and every hour to maximum ad- tremendous indeed. I know my Senate government leaders of Mexico to change this vantage. colleagues join me in congratulating rule to foster the development of new Next on our agenda is a major project with Tony Zagami for his tremendous work sources of funding. We must also make the the 22 Arab countries. Again we are using case for the arts to government leaders. our two-pronged approach to cultural ex- over the years, and I wish him the best Most governments do not appreciate the eco- change. We are mounting a major Arab arts in the years to come. I hope he will nomic impact of the arts, the role of the arts festival at the Kennedy Center in 2009. But, enjoy his retirement as much as we in tourism and the role of the arts in cre- beginning this coming spring, we are also have enjoyed his presence around the ating international image. holding annual symposia on arts manage- Capitol over the years. Private donors must also be involved in ment in the Arab countries. We have begun f changing the culture of giving in any coun- by surveying a large list of Arab arts organi- try. When I consulted to the Market The- zations to determine their chief concerns. ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS atre, one of our Board members was one of Just last month I visited Cairo, Amman, the wealthiest people in the world. When I Riyadh and Damascus to discuss our plans asked her why I did not see her listed as a with government leaders, arts managers and TRIBUTE TO JUDGE OTHA LEE donor to the Theatre, she replied, ‘‘I do do- artists. The response was very positive from BIGGS nate. I donate my time by coming to Board all sectors and the press we received was en- meetings.’’ But we also need to make donors couraging. On numerous occasions during ∑ Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, there comfortable that their money is truly having my trip I heard enthusiasm for our idea of are many public servants who hold of- an impact and is being well-spent. This is helping Americans understand Arabs, as peo- fice and it is not possible to make men- particularly important in countries without ple rather than as political entities. And the tion of the milestones in their lives; a tradition of arts philanthropy. In other training we are offering is seen as an act of however, with Otha Lee Biggs, probate words, we must market to our donors as well generosity by people who do not always as to our audience. think of Americans in that way. judge of Monroe County, AL, I must Non-recurring grants must be tied to a I am convinced that this project, our most make an exception. His remarkable matching requirement. If arts organizations ambitious to date, will have the dual bene- tenure is truly notable. Judge Biggs are forced to raise new funds to match a fits of educating the American public while served 36 years as probate judge and as large gift from a single donor, they are also creating stronger cultural institutions chairman of the Monroe County Com- forced to develop expertise in fund-raising. I in the Arab world. We hope this will allow mission. He has been dual-hatted, as asked the Mexican government, before they these institutions to play a more vital role they say. made two-year grants to my students, to in- in their countries and will foster relation- During that time, he has been a tire- clude some kind of match, and I was ignored. ships between Americans and Arabs that will As a result, while several of the groups have help to unite and bring understanding and less proponent of economic growth for prepared well for the end of this special peace. the county and constantly worked for grant, an equal number of them have not and This is an ambitious goal; some would call more and better jobs for his people. Ev- are now being forced to down-size and aban- it naı¨ve. eryone knows Judge Biggs and he

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