This article was orginally published at svcreates.medium.com. Shared here with permission.
I am stepping down as CEO of SVCREATES on January 1, 2024. It has been a great run.
My journey as a cultural leader began at Children’s Discovery Museum. I had just finished a third round of chemo when I accepted the position. It sounds overwhelming, but after dealing with the complexities of local government in Mountain View, our regional challenges at Joint Venture Silicon Valley, and the politics of a major university at UC Santa Cruz, I thought to myself, “how hard could a children’s museum be?”
I soon learned that being a cultural leader is not for the faint of heart, and leading an arts or cultural organization in Silicon Valley is extremely hard. My respect and admiration for the leaders of our sector continues to grow as we navigate the pressures of the marketplace (ticket sales, memberships, food, beverage…) without the upside potential and the challenges of the public sector (access, education, social cohesion, place making, community building…) without the certainty of public funding. This tension, albeit difficult, fed the community strategist and civic entrepreneur in me with an enticing mix of complexity, community, inspiration, and small business management.
“I believe that Silicon Valley could be a beacon of hope and inspiration for the social and economic success of a multicultural community. The arts capture our hearts and souls, and help to build a network of people who care about our community and each other, not just the arts. No sector does that better.”
Granted, every cultural ecosystem in our nation has this tension. But I would argue that many of the challenges facing Silicon Valley’s cultural sector are unique to our region and exacerbated by our high cost of living, culture of churn, sheer breadth of diversity, suburban development pattern, and philanthropic hubris. During my 20+ years in the sector, I have been humbled, inspired, challenged, encouraged and scared, and have shed my MBA “know it all” tendencies.
What I do know is that our world needs the arts now more than ever. The arts deepen our attachment to place, give voice to our democracy, drive social change, fuel small business activity, heal us, nurture human development, build empathy, foster cross-cultural understanding, and bring joy, inspiration, and learning to our lives. Isn’t this a list of important things we need right now? Damn right.
I believe that Silicon Valley could be a beacon of hope and inspiration for the social and economic success of a multicultural community. The arts capture our hearts and souls, and help to build a network of people who care about our community and each other, not just the arts. No sector does that better. I look to the next generation of cultural leaders to build upon our successes, learn from our mistakes, leverage our strengths, and become the multicultural community that models “what can be” for our nation.
My closing thoughts are anchored in gratitude. Although many in Silicon Valley think they did it on their own, nobody does it on their own. Thank you to the incredible team of people that have helped this “accidental arts leader” along the way — staff, board members, donors, arts and civic leaders, partners, and mentors — I am indebted to all of you.
A special thank you to Board Chair Marshall Jones, incoming Board Chair Vicky Phan, and our incredible SVCREATES board and staff. I am comforted and overjoyed that Alexandra Urbanowski will be our next CEO. Alexandra brings experience and a well-honed suite of skills to the challenges we face, cares deeply about our cultural ecosystem, and is more than ready to lead.
Onward,
Connie Martinez
