IJAM Volume 9 Number 2 (PRINT)

EDITOR’S NOTE

This issue of IJAM offers an eclectic mix of six articles dealing with a wide variety of topics.

Our first author takes a critical look at the position statements of historical societies. An analysis of 253 such statements, compared with the mission of the societies in question, reveals that the majority of these societies have a “futurist” position statement that contradicts, to some extent, their mission. It is clear to the author that, at the risk of projecting a distorted image of the organization, a society’s position statement must be directly linked to its mission.

The next two articles deal with management issues. In the first, Helen Bussell and Deborah Forbes discuss the best practices for recruiting and retaining volunteers in a theatre company. Just as with paid personnel, it goes without saying that the quality of the relationship between management and volunteers is a crucial factor. The other article explores some of the problems facing certain symphony orchestras. Using a case study method, Ralph Bathurst and his co-authors outline the governance rules that allow complex organizations to make necessary changes to their operations.

The art world can be defined more or less broadly depending on how one defines the artistic product. For some, luxury products are an integral part of this category. Joëlle Lagier and Bruno Godey present a rating scale for aesthetic style that compares these two types of products and makes a case for bridging the gap between them.

Generally speaking, non-consumers of high art products are a major preoccupation for managers in the art world. Christine Petr’s study proposes a number of approaches – based on price, method of communication or reward programs – that could help theatre companies address some of the obstacles preventing would-be theatregoers from joining the camp of theatre consumers.

Finally, our Company Profile paints a portrait of the professional career of one of Canada’s foremost artists, Karen Kain, who has made a successful transition from the stage to the position of Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada.

Happy reading!

François Colbert
Editor