How many no’s are there in a yes?

Festival director Jonathan Holloway gives advice on how to conquer the no, and turn it into a yes when asking for money.
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Detail of Gareth Sansom’s painting in Magic Object: Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art

In the arts we are very familiar with the word no, usually following a funding request. But Jonathan Holloway believes that in those many no’s there lies the golden yes, we just have to listen better.

He says taking that no and working out where the conversation needs to go next is the most important skill to have when fundraising.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina