History

In the 1950s the number of college and university concert managers was growing, and these presenters were particularly interested in the educational role of the arts and the unique issues related to professional performing arts on campus. In 1957 a group of these presenters left ISPAA (then known as the National Association of Concert Managers) and formed the Association of College and University Concert Managers (ACUCM). In 1969 ACUCM was officially incorporated and granted nonprofit, tax-exempt status by the IRS.

During the late sixties and early seventies, the presenting field was expanding beyond the university, and many other presenters shared common purposes with university organizations. In 1973, the ACUCM changed its name to the Association of College, University and Community Arts Administrators (ACUCAA) in recognition of this expanding field. Over the next fifteen years, the membership continued to grow and diversify as the presenting field expanded. By the mid-eighties, colleges and universities no longer dominated the membership and the Association was addressing a wide range of presenting issues. In 1988, the Association changed its name to the Association of Performing Arts Presenters. The membership, which comes primarily from the United States and Canada, now includes presenting organizations; regional, state and local arts agencies; service organizations; producing companies; artist managements; booking agencies, and individual artists, among other performing arts professionals.

At the beginning, membership in the Association provided a way in which the field of presenting could define itself; for the first time, presenters with like jobs had a forum through which they could exchange information and ideas. In the late 1970s, the focus of Association activities was shifted slightly to provide a greater emphasis on the business side of presenting; workshops and publications on marketing and other business oriented concerns were offered for the first time. The Association also became involved in advocacy efforts during this period.

In the mid-1980's, in conjunction with the Values and Lifestyles Study (VALS), the organization also began to encourage the membership to take a more active role in community life, beyond simply bringing artists to the stage. Toward the end of the 1980's, another change occurred: although still committed to helping members develop sound business practices, the Association devoted greater attention to artistic and philosophical concerns shared by presenters, artists and managements.

From the outset, voting membership in the Association belonged to the institution, not to the individual representative. Institutional membership suggests a stronger and broader base for the arts than does individual membership -and members speak and act on behalf of the institutions they represent. Membership in the Association was 29 in 1957; by 1966 it had increased to 275, where it remained for several years. Today, Arts Presenters has over 1900 members. In June of 2005, membership was comprised of 60% of presenters and 30% of agents, managers and agents. Membership has grown as the field has developed and there has been an ongoing demand for support and services.

Staffing of the office was initially absorbed by the University of Wisconsin. Fan Taylor, who was the presenter at the Wisconsin Union Theater, served as executive secretary without compensation for much of her tenure, which extended from 1957 until 1971. She was succeeded by Bill Dawson, who took the executive director's post half-time in 1971; shortly thereafter, his job was expanded to full-time and he served until 1986. In 1986, Susie Farr became the third executive director until her resignation in 1999. At that time Jon Durnford became interim executive director during a national search for a President and CEO. In July of 2000, the Board of Directors hired Sandra Gibson as President and CEO and the fourth executive director in the organization's history. As with the growth of the organization, staffing has expanded to its current size of 17.

Arts Presenters is financially solvent and has maintained a small cash reserve. During 1987-88 the Association underwent its first formal long-range planning process. As a result of this work, the Association moved its headquarters from Madison, Wisconsin to Washington, D.C. and undertook a number of new initiatives, including the creation of a Professional Development position on staff, development of a new quarterly magazine and assumption of a more visible role in advocating for presenters' issues at the national level. Arts Presenters became a member of the American Arts Alliance in 1988. Since that time, its role as an advocate for presenters' issues has increased substantially.

During the 1988 planning process, the mission was further expanded to include not only provision of services to the presenting field, but also to provide a public face to the celebration of the rich and diverse universe of activities represented by that field. This entails a new definition of the field that includes presenting organizations, artists' managers and artists, and requires an added emphasis on increasing awareness of the value and importance of the field, while continuing to provide information and training for presenters and other performing arts professionals.

In 1989-90, the Association administered the National Task Force on Presenting and Touring the Performing Arts, and oversaw publication of An American Dialogue, the report from that 18-month study. In 1989, Arts Presenters was selected by the Lila Wallace-Readers' Digest Fund to administer a major re-granting program focused on audience development. A planning process undertaken in 1992 and completed in May of 1993 reinforced the importance of some of the existing priorities for Arts Presenters, such as advocacy, research, and initiatives in cultural diversity; it has also suggested the need for some others, particularly in the areas of organizational governance and visibility for the field of presenting. Through all of its activities Arts Presenters made a commitment to become more inclusive and become a more active participant in the global arts community. Beginning in 1993 and through the present time Arts Presenters has increased its cash reserves and established cash reserves and investment policies to achieve greater financial stability. 1998 marked the year in which the Wallace and Readers Digest Foundation turned over all administrative duties for the Arts Partners program to Arts Presenters.

Early in 2001 Arts Presenters launched a year-long national field assessment of the key issues and opportunities facing the performing arts presenting field. This exploration of the challenges that lie ahead for the performing arts and presenting in the areas of leadership, diversity, globalization, technology, sustainability and audience development received generous support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Findings from the research study were used to create a briefing paper for a series of twelve national and regional issues forums with professionals in the field, funders and other supporters. The forums and research were critical to Arts Presenters' strategic planning and commitment to address issues and opportunities in performing arts presenting. The input gathered from the Issue Forums was key in the development of Arts Presenters' position paper Towards Cultural Interdependence.

In October of 2002, the Board of Directors of Arts Presenters approved a new strategic plan for the next years that focuses on advancing the field of presenting, ensuring sustainability of performing arts and promoting global cultural exchange.

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