Risk taking needs to happen in the board room

In the old model artistic directors came up with risky ideas and boards applied brakes. But smart governance likes a little danger.
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Risk-taking is an intrinsic part of artistic practice. From a visual artist grappling with a new idea to a circus artist performing an aerial act high above the stage, risk is something all artists must embrace.

Arts organisations must also embrace risk, but this must be matched with the need for surety and stability – a balancing act that Boards, Executives and Committees of Management encounter every day.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts