What does Leadership in the Arts Mean to you?

In collaboration with UNLV’s LEAD Team, I asked guest speakers for our Beyond Spring Arts Week festival to share insight into what leadership in arts meant to them. It was wonderful to read through such passionate responses, and I hope this helps you get a deeper look into the ways art carries us through leadership and vice versa.

“At the heart of art is connection- connection to our shared humanity, to our innermost selves, and to the world at large- and to be a leader in the arts is to connect people wherever and however possible. It's a constant dedication to connecting to yourself on a deeper level, ensuring that the well your magic comes from is cared for and seen, while also seeing and connecting with others. Creative leadership is looking back at every turn in the jungle, reaching out for those who are lost where you once were or who need direction, as you all try to not only survive but thrive in this gorgeous wilderness. Leadership also means looking ahead, peering within, and genuinely seeing others around you, thinking about more than just your own merits or skill, but about how people can come together and create something better and more meaningful than themselves. It's a willingness to see how different skills, personalities, and magic intertwine and support each other- even and especially when other people's magic looks entirely different from your own. Lastly, creative leadership is humility. It’s a willingness to be wrong, to be seen trying, and to not put yourself on a pedestal- either by arrogance or crippling insecurity. Through connection, action, clear vision, collaboration, and humility- someone can truly be a leader in an artistic space.” — Sydney Stoddard

“Leadership in the arts means bringing people together. NEXTET likes to highlight cross-genre music that incorporates different styles and involves musicians from many backgrounds. The products of these collaborations are always greater than the sum of their parts, creating something new. Similarly, leadership is all about different people coming together to push art forward and make something amazing.” — NEXTET

“Sometimes when we think of leadership, we disassociate how artists can be part of that category. How far can drawing and writing for ourselves take us? But we live in a world where one quote can go viral or a piece of art can be shared a million times over. Art in leadership brings a universal sense of communication that speaks to every person in a way that doesn’t have an election process or inheriting power. Art allows a person to take the lead on their own with work that can impact the present and last well into the future. And every art or written work that led us here to the revolutionary thoughts of today, were made by folks who hoped for the trajectory of their thoughts to be accessed by all of us. Leading is an art and art will always lead.” — Jean Munson