The Audacity of Relevance: Critical Conversations on the Future of Arts and Culture

by Alex Sarian

Overview

The arts and culture sector is in crisis—a crisis of relevance. Whether it’s grappling with dwindling audience sizes, shifting trends in philanthropy, or addressing social challenges, experts have been documenting this slow decline for decades.

At the core of Alex Sarian’s international career is the conviction that cultural organizations must embrace a greater civic purpose and build a new business model—one based on the social impact of the arts.

Throughout The Audacity of Relevance, Sarian engages in conversations with leaders from across industries to paint a potential future for arts organizations—a future built on measuring our sector’s success by how positively we can influence the many local communities that surround us.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned executive or are just beginning in your career—the principles and anecdotes in this book will inspire you to see the world of arts and culture for what it truly is: filled with endless possibilities for reinvention.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781778523267
Publisher:	ECW Press
Publication date:	10/01/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	939 KB

About the Author

Alex Sarian is the president & CEO of Arts Commons, one of Canada’s foremost centres for the arts, where he leads the largest cultural infrastructure project in the country’s history. Alex was born in Toronto, raised in Buenos Aires, and spent eighteen years in New York City, most notably as a senior executive at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. With a background in education, he is deeply committed to making the transformative power of the arts accessible to all. For more information, visit www.alexsarian.com.

Editorial Reviews

The Audacity of Relevance isn’t just for arts leaders but for artists, philanthropists, and arts-loving audiences. It provides a modern look at our organizations and invites us to break the echo chambers we operate in. By forcing us to see the world differently, Alex Sarian asks us to rethink our purpose by leaning into our shared humanity.” — Sarah Arison, Trustee, MoMA

“The Audacity of Relevance offers a new and compelling paradigm for the arts — one rooted in service, participation, and humility — that has the potential to transform our community for the better. Through a brilliantly curated set of anecdotes and provocations, Alex Sarian dares us to reimagine an arts ecosystem that returns to its rightful place: at the very core of our shared human experience.” — Clive Chang, President & CEO, YoungArts

“Alex Sarian asks the questions we should all be asking, and the voices he’s gathered in conversation are the ones we need to listen to. The touchstone values he endorses — humility, generosity, and authentic engagement with communities — should be the rallying cry for the performing arts today.” — Christopher Deacon, President & CEO, Canada’s National Arts Centre

“Alex Sarian has written a practical and positive provocation that invites all of us to take a step back and have a people-centered approach to the future of the arts. By challenging us to balance our artistic and civic responsibilities to reassemble today’s arts sector, this book is a must-read in these particular times of change.” — Marie-Josée Desrochers, Présidente-directrice générale, Place des Arts de Montréal

“Alex Sarian has the audacity to shine a spotlight on what’s been missing from our ability to engage arts and culture to build truly powerful cities: the voice of the people. He makes a compelling case that fretting over outdated models will not reveal solutions for communal resilience. For Sarian, the solution is much more pragmatic and grounded. Success hinges on understanding how people wish to see themselves reflected in the arts.” — Mayor Jyoti Gondek, City of Calgary

“It has become clear that a big RESET button needs to be pressed on the core value proposition of the arts. Alex Sarian’s brilliant book offers the blueprint that is so desperately needed.” — Owais Lightwala, Assistant Professor, The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University

“Alex Sarian has curated a stellar line-up of thinkers to reflect on what went wrong and what needs to change. As arts communities around the world grapple with a poly crisis of issues that are fundamentally changing the way our sector operates, these conversations are essential to illuminating a way forward.” — Chris Lorway, President & CEO, The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

“Alex Sarian has given us a manifesto for the arts in times of crises. Chock full of compelling stories of organizations (including his own) — challenging us to ask ‘What are we good for?’ rather than ‘What are we good at?’ — Sarian forces us to focus on the experiences that bring people together.” — Timothy J. McClimon, Executive Director, Signature Theatre Company

“Alex Sarian highlights a critical challenge in the arts community that cannot be addressed by public relations efforts or one-off gestures. Arts organizations need to rethink what they are and whom they serve and align their values with those of the people they hope to engage. Only then will our audiences return. Alex’s book throws down an existential gauntlet in our sector: It’s a challenge we must rise to if the arts are to thrive in the twenty-first century.” — Rachel Moore, President & CEO, The Music Center, Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County

“The Audacity of Relevance makes a compelling case for arts organizations seeking sustainability and impact in the twenty-first century, emphasizing the need for adaptability and community engagement, for the relentless pursuit of relevance.” — Muyiwa Oki, President, Royal Institute of British Architects

From the Publisher

Author/narrator Alex Sarian is the CEO and president of Calgary's Arts Commons, which houses six resident companies and hosts 2,000 events per year. Well delivered and thoughtfully paced, this provocative audiobook is a manifesto on rethinking the role of the performing arts. He discusses means and methods for reforming the civic, educational, and social roles of arts venues. He converses with Indigenous leaders, arts execs, architects, and business thinkers on how to make the performing arts more people-centric and audience directed. Two novel ideas: Arts Commons built a ramp as an entrance for all, not just those in wheelchairs, and to honor First Nations people, renamed a theater lobby "a lodge." This audiobook is a meaningful look at the future of the performing arts. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2025 - AudioFile