Solutions, not problems
Following my recent posts about the need to do things differently to get different results and the need for transformation in the arts and cultural sector, conversations I've been having and posts in my feed this week point to examples of thoughtful transformation.
Three models have particularly struck me as exemplars of what it means to genuinely reimagine how we work:
• FACT Liverpool's journey beyond hierarchy • The National Gallery's pioneering citizens assembly • Arts House Melbourne's Equity-Builder framework
Hallmarks for making change
While operating in different contexts, they share commonalities that point to real change happening
Purpose Over Process Each initiative started not with restructuring for its own sake, but with a fundamental interrogation of purpose. FACT mapped roles against their core mission. The National Gallery asked what it means to truly serve the public they exist for. Arts House centred their Focus Communities in defining what equity looks like in practice for artistic programming.
Lived Experience as Expertise All three models reject the traditional gatekeeping of "expert knowledge." FACT's role mapping emerged from staff experience. The National Gallery's citizens assembly deliberately seeks voices that have never engaged with the institution. Arts House explicitly centres lived experience at all levels of their process.
Process as Product Rather than rushing toward outcomes, these organisations have embraced the messy, iterative work of change itself. FACT's gradual evolution over several years, the Gallery's five-year partnership structure, and Arts House's "building equity over time" philosophy all recognise that sustainable change requires patience.
Transparency and Accountability Each model makes their working visible. FACT's dynamic role maps, the Gallery's public commitment to citizen involvement, and Arts House's annual reporting create mechanisms for ongoing accountability—to themselves and their communities.
What will it take?
What strikes me most is how these examples answer a critical question: what does it take to do things differently?
Admitting current approaches aren't working. FACT acknowledged that creative energy was being absorbed by rigid hierarchy. The Gallery recognised that traditional consultation wasn't enough to remain relevant. Arts House confronted the reality that their sector wasn't reflecting contemporary Australia.
Investing in relationships before structures. Each organisation spent significant time building trust, defining values together, and creating psychological safety before implementing new ways of working. Change without relationship is just rearranging deck chairs.
Accepting messiness. None of these models promise neat solutions. They're comfortable with questions remaining open, with ongoing evolution, with the reality that transformation is never complete.
Redistributing power, not just responsibility. The crucial distinction across all three examples is that they're not simply asking people to take on more work. They're fundamentally shifting who gets to make decisions and how those decisions get made.
Don't Hesitate (with apologies to Mary Oliver)
These responses are driven from a broader recognition that the challenges we face: declining engagement, systemic inequity, organisational resilience, can't be solved with the same thinking that created them.
Each began with someone willing to ask difficult questions about how things were currently working.
They didn't wait for perfect conditions or complete buy-in.
They started where they were, with what they had, guided by a clear sense of what they were moving toward.
So, if continuing to do the same things isn't just ineffective - it's unsustainable - we can at take heart (and celebrate) those taking the steps toward doing things differently.
Learn More: • National Gallery Citizens Assembly • Arts House Equity-Builder Framework
#Transformation #CulturalSector #Change #Leadership #Equity #ArtsManagement #Poetry
And some Mary Oliver, because poetry makes everything better....
If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plentyof lives and whole towns destroyed or aboutto be. We are not wise, and not very oftenkind. And much can never be redeemed.Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps thisis its way of fighting back, that sometimessomething happens better than all the richesor power in the world. It could be anything,but very likely you notice it in the instantwhen love begins. Anyway, that’s often thecase. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraidof its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.