We are so excited to announce our new Strategic Plan! This is a poignant moment for the sector, and as we head toward our 50th Anniversary, it’s an important moment for us as well.
This Strategic Plan articulates our purpose, values, and direction, and reflects our belief in transparency and shared authorship. This plan was co-authored with the community, 291 people to be exact.
Over the course of six months with Andy Fife of Fife Consulting, we hosted workshops, interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Of those who participated, 59.39% identified as artists or creative practitioners (majority of respondents), 51.76% also said they attend as audience members and 28.82% as past subscribers and 25.29% as current subscribers. Because respondents bring multiple forms of involvement, their input represents not just one viewpoint but a blend of artistic, audience, contributor, and institutional experiences.
This plan establishes a framework for making choices in conditions of uncertainty. It names what OtB exists to do, what principles guide decisions, and where we intend to focus its energy and resources over time. We’re pleased to announce key initiatives below, and continue to build on the plan over the next three to five years.
A Note from Our Executive & Artistic Director
This strategic plan process has been an exercise in gratitude. I am thankful to the 291 people who contributed to this six-month process. The majority who gave input were artists (59%), plus the overlapping identifiers of audience members, staff, board, funders and community members. The multi-hyphonate of our people fits well in hand with the multidisciplinary art that On the Boards is known for.
This document does what is hard to do: lend language to the ineffable ambition of what On the Boards has, does and will try to do and be in the world. I stepped into leadership at OtB as the sector was emerging from the turbulent pandemic times: a time of great instability, transition, and now opportunity. That last bit, the opportunistic part, is really due to the imagination of artists, the people of Seattle who continue to champion work that perplexes them, and of course, the tremendous generosity of Shari Behnke whose confidence in OtB and me bolsters the ambitions of this strategic plan.
On the Boards punches above its weight in the arts, especially in contemporary performance. We are known around the world. This plan reaffirms OtB’s role as an artistic home for visiting and local artists. And we heard you.
It’s not lost on me that on the eve of the organization's 50th anniversary, we are co-authoring this strategic plan that builds on the spirit of OtB, while attending to the moment with community care, trust, and clarity. I am honored to have this community strategic plan as the compass to navigate the next phase of OtB.
Megan Kiskaddon
Executive & Artistic Director
The OtB Strategic Plan is supported by Shari D. Behnke and Tyler Engle.
The Curatorial Council is supported by the Ruth Arts Core Grant which responds to the question: What knowledges can we unearth to reorganize how we think, work, and be in this world?
Far UV C is supported by the 4Culture Cultural Equipment Grant. Pay-what-you can, discounted and free tickets provided by the 4Culture Public Free Access grant. Artist Residencies supported by the 4Culture Cultural Services grant.
Our Mission
To cultivate and share experimental works of contemporary performance, to champion artists both near and far, and to provide a home in Seattle for artistic risk and discovery.
Our Vision
A more inclusive, creative, and forward-thinking culture, enabled through the power of artistic experimentation and live encounters.
We value:
Artists and their work: Artists and their process, work, and presentation are central to OtB.
Artistic experimentation and risk: OtB embraces diversity, complexity, and experimentation as necessary conditions for discovery and cultural change.
Live and embodied experience: OtB values live, embodied performance as a powerful site of shared presence and transformation.
Belonging and access: Creating communities of belonging and connection around unique and boundary-pushing live art experiences is core to our mission.
Stewardship, care, and organizational sustainability: OtB stewards its people, resources, and relationships with care and integrity, leading through collaboration and mutual respect.
We welcome all races, religions, countries of origin, sexual orientations, and genders here.
What We Heard & What We’re Doing
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