Why presenting if you don't connect?

Over the years, I've had so many contacts with people working in the performing arts world in particular and the rest of the creative world that when I reached out to  a presenter of the Centennial Theater in Bishop, recently, I felt that I should talk about what I call the business of connecting humans to various expression of meaning.

I'm always surprised to notice and observe that some professional of the arts world don't seem interested to establish connections outside of what they perceive as their world and interest.From the outside, one could even draw the conclusion that their preoccupation for art and the creative expression is at best remote. Why is it that some presenters seem to be more interested in protecting their position  and their institutional position on the creative chessboard more than evaluating the value of connecting deeply with new and fresh source of talents?

If I was asked to lead a creative institution of any size, my focus would be to bring fresh and vibrant artistic and creative expression to my community.  To me, whether you are leading the Lincoln Center or a a local presenting center, you must show curiosity and passion for creative surprises or move on to another job. The point of any presenting house is not self preservation but the creation of a sacred, daring space where the creative and artistic cultures and expressions of the world (or a neighborhood) are presented to a community so that a new conversation can start or continue. In a way, part of the problem I am pointing at is that these "presenting centers" are called presenting house, perhaps there title should be changed to "conversation houses", "creative dialogue houses"...

After all, presenters are not so much in the business of presenting art as they are  in the one of fostering creative conversations leading to social, aesthetic, playful insights on us and our worlds. They are in the business of connecting humans to meaning. So if connecting with humans is a problem in the first place because you are too busy maintaining the bricks in place and you establish your presenting house as an institution (fortress) to the very artists who are the source of your life force, I call you on it today and encourage you to shift your focus to a vibrant, thought provoking, inspiring hub. Presenter of the world, you can be active and open members of your respective communities and meaningful players of our creative world... Kickstarter is doing it right now, one creative project at a time.