Bad, Better and Beyond Best Practice: Rethinking Arts Governance

AICSA will host a day of discussion on the art of arts governance with SA’s own governance rabble-rouser Kate Larsen on Thursday 20 October 2022.

Board members, arts leaders and workers, artists and anyone else with an interest in arts governance are welcome to attend any of the following sessions for $20 each (or $40 for the whole day), or become an AICSA member to come along for free. 

Bad News Boards, 10.00am - 11.00am 
(in-person and online)
At last year's Reset Conference in Adelaide, Kate asked us to imagine a radically different structure for our sector's arts Boards. In this introductory seminar, she will share her insights into Australia’s ‘broken’ arts and not-for-profit governance models and discuss the key findings of her national survey into how those Boards fail.

Boards Doing Better, 11.30am - 1.30pm
(in-person and online)
The harsh realities of organisational survival leave us all necessarily more focused on making the best of our current governance model than thinking about how it could change. Join Kate for this analysis of trends, tweaks and case studies to improve all of our work, confidence and duties of care in this important area.

Doing Better Than Boards, 2.00pm - 4.00pm
(in-person only)
In spite of their issues, arts organisations currently need arts Boards because our legislation, constitutions and funders say that’s what we need. But is that reason enough? Join this interactive workshop for provocations, case studies and peer discussions to reimagine a future with different sorts of arts Boards (or a future without them entirely).

Lunch and light refreshments will be provided.

About Kate Larsen
Kate Larsen (she/her) is a writer, arts and cultural consultant with more than twenty years’ experience in the not-for-profit, government and cultural sectors in Australia, Asia and the United Kingdom. She has established herself as a thought-leader in the areas of arts governance and cultural leadership, as well as workplace culture and well-being, online communication and communities, and increasing access for marginalised groups.

Kate's work has involved her in arts governance from all angles: as a consultant, Board member, Chair, CEO, arts worker and independent practitioner. Her research into Australian arts governance was part of the prestigious Bundanon Artist in Residence program in 2022. Now based in Tarntanya/Adelaide, her professional history also includes roles as Director of Writers Victoria, Co-convenor of Arts Industry Council Victoria and CEO of Arts Access Australia.

About AICSA
An independent voice for the arts. 

As the state’s independent, sector-wide representative arts body, the Arts Industry Council of SA (AICSA) is extremely valuable to the South Australian arts sector. AICSA was constituted as an incorporated institution in 1991. The Council receives no operational funding from the government, and derives its support from the industry through member subscriptions, fundraising, sponsorship and in-kind donations.

Our members include over one hundred of the state’s arts and cultural organisations and independent artists. It is to our credit, the South Australian arts sector, that our collective commitment to maintaining our member subscriptions, allows this tradition to continue here today.

This event is possible through support from Arts South Australia’s Arts Recovery Fund.