Observation #2: You have actual artists mixed into your theoretical conversations about art — and they are NOT fooling around

There was a lot of polite talk among the assembled arts funding professionals about how to build equity into giving. But the artists you invited to join you at this conference, they cut to the chase.

The Denver-based, spoken-word artist Molina Speaks, laid out so clearly just what the responsibility is for funders as he delivered a bit of his “live scribe poetry” to the crowd assembled in the Sheraton Hotel meeting room.

In no uncertain terms, he called upon funders to stop talking and give away all that money they’re sitting on. Just shut up. Give it away.

“Why are we — philanthropy — holding onto $800 billion during a 15-year timeline for survival?,” he asked in his poem.

“Give it all away, in 10 years, while we can still talk abut our fears,” he demanded.

That’s not going to happen, at least not in the current climate where foundations parse and parse and parse, with their focus not necessarily on giving, but on maintaining the survival of their foundations and agencies for decades to come. As if the priority was on the foundation, and not its mission. And that is particularly true for the people at the GIA conference — their jobs depend on the institution surviving. They’re not going to self-destruct. But is that the right thing to do?

As meeting participant Angie Kim put it during one of the sessions: “We are still doing grantmaking based on organizational health. What are we doing this work for?”

But Molina Speaks broke it down into a few simple — and challenging — words: “Philanthropy is love,” he said in his poem.

Sounds terrific, but he is actually asking you to think about a few things.

What is love? What is selfless? Give it away.