With government support for the arts under pressure, many arts boards are being asked to make significant cash contributions to the funding of their organisations, as well as providing their traditional governance role.

At the same time, there is a growing debate in the arts, about having board members who are well-connected and can give, versus experienced arts professionals who can contribute more directly to ensuring the artistic program will deliver an organisation’s strategy.

There have been calls from artistic directors to purge their ‘pale, stale and male’ board members. “Wealthy white men overwhelmingly dominate, followed at some distance by wealthy white women” (Ralph Myers, former Belvoir artistic director).

Join us for this month’s SAMAG seminar, for what will surely be a lively discussion. This month’s seminar will be hosted by former ABC journalist Anne Maria Nicholson, together with a highly experienced panel of arts board members, CEOs and not-for-profit experts.