LibGuides: Business of the Performing Arts Resource Guide: Professional Associations & Organizations

Networking • Professional Associations • Organizations

Film

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Organizations that honors excellence in the art and science of creating motion pictures.
Motion Picture Association of America
Information on issues and activities, research and statistics, film ratings, and anti-piracy issues.
American Society of Cinematography
Society for cinematographers and film crews.
National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Organization that recognizes excellence in television arts and sciences with the Emmy Award.
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
Association for those interested in the technical aspects and advances of the moving images industry.
Society for Cinema and Media Studies
Scholarly organization promoting media studies.
Writers Guild of America Organization for writers involved in various industries, including television, movies, and news. The site provides extensive resources for writers, such as a directory of agents, TV market lists, information on contracts, creative rights, credits, writer's publicity, and more. The site also offers a writer's tool area with information on how to publish, research links, and a resource list for subject experts to consult with.

Theatre

Opera

In the present day most if not all significant opera companies maintain a web site, although these vary greatly in the usefulness of the information they provide. Large companies and houses will probably have entries in major reference works like New Grove/Oxford Music Online and Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.

Performing Arts Alliance: Coalition of Performing Arts Advocates

Artist Communities Alliance The Artist Communities Alliance is an international service organization for artists residency programs — a diverse field of more than 1,500 organizations worldwide that support artists of any discipline in the development of new creative work. Founded in 1991 by 18 leading artist colonies, the Alliance membership now includes more than 400 emerging and established residency programs, in 50 states and 20 countries. The Alliance supports and promotes successful practices in the field through professional development and networking opportunities; research and publications; consulting services; and regranting programs. Since 2004, the Alliance has provided more than $4 million in direct grant funding to artists and residency centers.
Alternate ROOTS Founded in 1976, Alternate ROOTS is a regional arts service organization with a mission to support the creation and presentation of original art, in all its forms, which is rooted in a particular community of place, tradition, or spirit. ROOTS provides its most direct services to its members in the Southern United States and connects artists who have a commitment to making work in, with, by, for, and about their communities, and those whose cultural work strives for social justice
American Composers Forum Founded in 1973 as the Minnesota Composers Forum, the American Composers Forum’s (ACF) goal is to make composers and the music they create a vibrant and integral part of our culture. ACF serves thousands of artists annually through its online networks, programs for emerging and mid-career composers and performers, residency programs, and its innova® recording label.
Association of Performing Arts Professionals Founded in 1957, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals is the largest service and advocacy organization for the presenting and touring field in the United States. Arts Presenters represents colleges and universities; performing arts centers; regional, state, and local arts agencies; festivals; historic theaters; community centers; artists; and artists managements. Arts Presenters is committed to increasing community participation, promoting global cultural exchange, and fostering an environment for the performing arts to thrive.
Chorus America Chorus America‘s mission is to build a dynamic and inclusive choral community so that more people are transformed by the beauty and power of choral singing. Chorus America strengthens choral organizations and provides their leaders with information, research, leadership development, professional training, and advocacy to help them deliver the best possible contributions to their communities and to the choral art.
Dance/USA Dance/USA, the national service organization for not-for-profit professional dance, seeks to advance the art form by addressing the needs, concerns, and interests of professional dance. To fulfill its mission, Dance/USA offers a variety of programs for the membership and arts community, including data research and regional professional development. It also works with organizations within and outside the arts field with whom common goals are shared.
Folk Alliance International Folk Alliance International’s mission is to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation, and promotion. The FAI folk umbrella represents the broadest international iteration of the genre, encompassing a diverse array of music including Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Francophone, Global Roots, Indigenous, Latin, Old-Time, Traditional, Singer-Songwriter, Spoken Word and every imaginable fusion.
The International Association of Blacks in Dance Our vision is for dance, by people of African ancestry or origin, to be revered, respected, and preserved in the consciousness and cultural institutions of all people. The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) preserves and promotes dance by people of African ancestry or origin, and assists and increases opportunities for artists in advocacy, audience development, education, funding, networking, performance, philosophical dialogue, and touring.
League of American Orchestras Founded in 1942, the League of American Orchestras leads, supports, and champions America’s orchestras and the vitality of the music they perform. Its diverse membership of more than 2,000 organizations and individuals across North America runs the gamut from world-renowned symphonies to community groups, from summer festivals to student and youth ensembles, from conservatories to libraries, from businesses serving orchestras to individuals who love symphonic music.
National Alliance for Musical Theatre Founded in 1985, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) is a national service organization dedicated exclusively to musical theatre and serving some of the leading musical theatre producers in the world. Located in 34 states and abroad, the 150 member organizations share NAMT’s mission to advance musical theatre by nurturing the creation, development, and production of new musicals and classics.
National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Founded in 1989, the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) is the nation’s only multidisciplinary Latino arts service organization for both artists and not-for profit arts and cultural organizations. NALAC provides critical advocacy, funding, networking opportunities, and professional development to build the capacity and sustainability of the Latino arts and cultural field. Its constituency is multi-ethnic and multigenerational.
National Performance Network National Performance Network (NPN) contributes to a more just and equitable world by building artists’ power; advancing racial and cultural justice in the arts; fostering relationship-building and reciprocity between individuals, institutions and communities; and working towards systems change in arts and philanthropy.
Network of Ensemble Theaters A national coalition of ensembles created by and for artists, the Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET) exists to propel ensemble theater practice to the forefront of American culture and society. NET is committed to the advancement of the ensemble form and strives to bring about change in the world through the transformative power of collaborative theater.
New Music USA New Music USA supports and promotes new music created in the United States. We use the power of virtual networks and people to foster connection, deepen knowledge, encourage appreciation, and provide financial support for a diverse constituency of practitioners and appreciators. We enable creative musicians to make the new work that is the beating heart of our musical culture. And through our strong and evolving new media dimensions, we seek to bring more attention to the field and engage a broad audience of potential listeners.
OPERA America Founded in 1970, OPERA America leads and serves the entire opera community, supporting the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera. OPERA America’s information, technical, and administrative services to opera companies help strengthen leadership among staff, trustees, and volunteers. It also offers education, audience development, and community services to enhance opera appreciation.
Theatre Communications Group The mission of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, is to strengthen, nurture, and promote the professional not-for-profit American theatre. TCG seeks to increase the organizational efficiency of its member theatres, cultivate and celebrate the artistic talent and achievements of the field, and promote a larger public understanding of and appreciation for the theatre field.

Music

Americans for the Arts (ARTSU)
With webinars, convention sessions, and digital classrooms, ArtsU serves as an online education forum working to expand professional development resources and education for members. The program includes webinars, convention sessions, and digital classrooms. Since its launch in 2015, ArtsU continues to increase programming and hopes to create a new speaker’s bureau, online learning formats, regional workshops, and multimedia research. Some recent webinars include “Ask an Expert: Managing Requests for Monuments and Memorials,” “Advancing the Diversity of Your Board,” and “Setting Ambitious and Creative Goals.”
The Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center Internship Program is geared toward college juniors and seniors as well as recent graduates. Interns participate in weekly classes on topics like strategic planning, gap analyses, and community engagement, as well as in professional development workshops. The Kennedy Center also offers a fellowship in arts management, in partnership with the Arts Management Program at American University. Fellows work 20 hours a week at the Kennedy Center and are awarded with a $15,000 stipend and six credits of tuition remission per academic year. Fellows also receive intensive training, exposure to executive leadership, and involvement in special projects at the Center.
League of Resident Theatres (LORT)
LORT is the largest professional theatre association of its kind in the United States, with 75 member theatres located in every major market in the U.S., including 29 states and the District of Columbia. LORT’s semi-annual meetings provide opportunities for members to study, discuss, and exchange information on non-labor management issues such as development, marketing, public relations, education, and technology.
National Arts Strategies (NAS)
NAS develops education services for artists, cultural entrepreneurs, staff members, board members, and executives in the arts. Through MOOCs (Massively Open Online Courses), its programs unite arts administrators from different roles, facilitate unique conversation, and challenge its members to create chance in their organization. Recent online seminars include “Meaningful Communication,” “Purpose Marketing,” and “Dominant Logic.” As of December 2018, NAS hosts an annual summit to connect arts and culture leaders and program alumni and explore how biases and leadership approaches affect their work.
Theatre Communications Group
TCG holds several annual Theatre Professionals Teleconferences that serve a variety of job categories on a rotating basis. The next two conferences for member theatres will be for education directors and marketing directors. TCG has also created the Rising Leaders of Color cohort of exceptionally talented early-career leaders of color who are advancing their careers in U.S. nonprofit theatre and who demonstrate the potential to positively impact the field. The program includes professional development workshops and networking opportunities, job search training, and one-on-one career counseling with TCG staff.