Brave Birds in the Fog 

Ann Meier Baker just reached her 10th anniversary as director of music and opera at the NEA. We asked her to share some advice that has guided her during her career as a professional singer, administrator of nonprofit arts organizations and, now, as a grant maker.

 "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, for all the people you can, as long as you can." —John Wesley, 18th-century Methodist leader

I was raised by parents who believed that public service is a noble calling and, for as long as I can remember, this charge from John Wesley has been my true north. Shirley Chisolm—the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress—shared this sentiment in her own way when she said, “Service is the rent that you pay for room on this earth.”

"Pigeonholes are only comfortable for pigeons." —Jessye Norman, operatic soprano

It’s terribly tempting to lump people, ideas, and, for that matter, music all together. But we do that at our own expense and worse, we do it at the expense of others. Throughout my career, I’ve encountered any number of people who, for example, are absolutely certain that smooth jazz isn’t jazz at all. Or that a choir comprised of all-volunteer singers can’t possibly deliver as much value as a choir in which all the singers are paid. 

When I was the CEO of Chorus America, our office was in a building that also housed OPERA America, the National Pasta Association, the Association of Dressings and Sauces, and the National Candle Association. Once when I ran into my OPERA America counterpart in the lobby, we mused together about how the salsa makers must feel superior to those who make ketchup; and we also bet that those who made hand-dipped candles probably look down their noses at the manufacturers of massed-produced candles.

Beyonce summed it up recently when she accepted her first-ever Grammy for Best Country Album and said, “I think sometimes that genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists.”

"Big bucks are large deer." —Advice given to me from a wise fundraiser and cherished friend

If you really stop and think about, the language frequently used to talk about raising money from donors to arts organizations can be disrespectful, and even brutal. How many times have you heard someone talk about needing to “hit someone up for some big bucks?” Maybe people resort to using language such as this because raising money can be a really difficult, albeit an important, part of being an arts leader. The first person that I ever asked for financial support was Jay Rockefeller, the former senator from West Virginia. 

At the time, I was the president of the board of the Washington Bach Consort and Senator Rockefeller—a knowledgeable and ardent lover of the music of Bach—appeared in the ensemble’s audience one day. During intermission, he approached me and said that he wanted to help the organization. A few weeks later, I found myself in the senator’s congressional office to ask him to make a contribution. Even though I gathered advice from a professional fundraiser in advance of the meeting and I practiced the “ask” multiple times in the mirror, the words just wouldn’t come out of my mouth that day. As I stammered, the very tall Senator Rockefeller leaned down and quietly said, “Ann, you’re going to have to ask me.” So I blurted out the dollar amount that we had in mind, to which he immediately said, “Consider it done!” He went on to become a wonderful friend to the organization and he also taught me so much about philanthropy, for which I am still grateful.

"Find a way!" —Diana Nyad, long-distance swimmer

This mantra got Diana Nyad got her through her final grueling swim from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida, in shark-infested waters without a swim cage when she was 64 years old. I think she’s trying to tell us that sticking with your initial plans—no matter what—isn’t necessarily the right way to proceed. We need to be creative and flexible to find a range of ways to accomplish goals. If your organization’s current strategic plan isn’t helping it reach its goals, it’s time to make a new plan.

"I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones." —John Cage, composer

Please spare me from all self-proclaimed devil’s advocates who are out to squash new ideas! Poking holes is too easy, and it is rarely kind, constructive, or helpful. I shiver whenever I hear someone say, “I hate to be a devil’s advocate, but…” Ok, I’ll climb off my soapbox now.

"All information is good information." —Sherry Schiller, organizational strategist

I’ve had the benefit of guidance from Sherry Shiller for decades, now. This quote reminds me that, when for example I step on the bathroom scale and don’t like the number that appears before me, it is still good information to have. Along the same lines, one of my early mentors taught me that when you don’t know quite what to do, do a study. There is nothing like commissioning high-quality research from a reputable organization to help establish an organization as a go-to expert, and to put an organization on an informed path for the future. 

Back at Chorus America, our personal instincts were that more people sang in choruses than participated in any other performing art and, one day, we scribbled some estimates on the back of an envelope and used that total in any number of grant applications, where we wrote, “Experts agree that there are more than a million choral singers in the United States.” (The so-called experts, of course, were our development director and me.) When we raised enough money to commission a real study, it proved that there really is a plethora of choral singers in this country. But our numbers were way off! This study from 2009 found that an estimated 42.6 million Americans regularly sing in choruses and that choral singing is strongly correlated with qualities that are associated with success throughout life for both adults and children.

 "I’m not offended by all of the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb…and I also know that I’m not blonde".  —Dolly Parton, singer, songwriter, actress, and philanthropist

I just love Dolly Parton. Here she is reminding us that, while we can’t control what people say or think, we can control how we think about what they say or think. And a little humor along the way can make all the difference.

 "Pain is pain." —A trusted pediatrician

Once when our baby daughter had a bad case of diaper rash, I smeared that chalky white ointment on her tiny red bottom but she still wailed and wailed. I called her pediatrician for advice and she said, “Ann, pain is pain. Give her some Tylenol!” The point is that everything doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes, you just need to do your best to address the situation that is right in front of you.

 "One very fundamental thing has not changed, and I realized that it will never change... is that I really need to go home and practice." —Pat Metheny, 2018 NEA Jazz Master

The artists I admire most are not the ones for whom art comes easily. They’re the ones who need to practice and then practice some more, and who rework things over and over again until they have produced something about which they are pleased. For example, I was struck when, at the 2015 NEA Jazz Masters celebration, 79-year-old honoree Carla Bley thanked the NEA for the special recognition, and then ended her remarks with this: “I’m gettin’ good, I think. Slowly. Very slowly. And I’ve still got a long way to go.” I, for one, am sure that hard work and time spent practicing are the stuff of superpowers.

 "Brave birds still fly through fog." —A 7th grade student’s response to an assignment from her English teacher to write a six-word memoir

Teaching artist guru Eric Booth teaches his protégés about the liminal zone, which is when we find ourselves at the uncomfortable threshold between previous ways and new approaches. When times are hard, we all can use a reminder that it won’t always be so foggy.

 "A party without cake is just a meeting." —Julia Child, American chef, author, and television personality

I confess that I’m still a work-in-progress when it comes to this, but people need their leaders to stop and celebrate with them from time to time. For many years as a nonprofit arts organization leader, I kept a bottle of champagne in organizations’ work room refrigerators so it would be on hand for the moments when colleagues had an unexpected—or hard won—victory. Everyone needs some public acknowledgement and celebration from time to time.

"The time is always right to do what is right." —Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

And for me, at least, it often requires mustering up all my courage.