Five Takeaways from the Meet the Candidates Forum
If you couldn’t be among the less than hundred or so members who attended the League’s only official Meet the Candidates event in person and online on November 18th, but want to know what was discussed, we’ve got you covered. Here are five of our takeaways from the forum, with the full audio clips so you can listen for yourself.
Experience matters. But you need the right experience (and vision)
Jon: I have eight years of non-profit board experience. I’ve raised millions for non-profits, including the League. I have educational experience in and out of the classroom. But we need the right experience and vision to meet this moment. We need a board that shows transparency in governance and accountability to membership.
Community means leaders who engage with members, not just committees
Sandra: As president, I want to listen to everyone. So many great artistic movements came out of the League. We need to come together as a community.
We’re the only team with a real plan for making the League feel like a school again
Member question: We don’t feel like a school anymore. How will the board focus on returning us to an actual educational institution?
The other slate: responses from minutes 1:09-4:01.
Sandra and Jon: [Jon starting at 4:02, Sandra at 5:47] This isn’t about hiring new people or discussing the issue at the board level. Make classrooms inviting to new students by strengthening new student pipelines and identifying new curriculum options that will entice both new and returning artists. We need to create an instructors council to give instructors a voice in the academic life of our school.
One member questioner came with receipts
One member questioner raised interesting points about the postponement of the evening Meet the Candidates event and the role of board leadership in member elections. The other slate responds from minutes 4:25-5:00.
We have a bold vision for what the League could look like
Member question: What’s your vision for the League 10 years from now? Be bold, take chances.
Sandra and Jon: [Sandra at 1:53, Jon at 2:44] Let’s make the League known world-wide. We could focus fundraising on a tuition-free model, like other schools are doing now. Make Midtown an arts hub, with studio and League artists-in-residence spaces, leveraging the post-COVID transformation of traditional office space. Build relationships with other art schools around the world by partnering with schools with ties to our institution.
The other slate: Starting at minute 6:15
If you would like to listen to the entire Meet the Candidates event, we’ve included the the full audio below. Note that, due to a technical glitch in the recording, there is a brief gap between the two clips.
