Our Voice
We think a lot. This is our space to share what's on the top of our mind. We hope we don't bore you.
We're asking each of you to submit questions that you would ask President John Yellow Bird Steele of the Oglala Sioux Tribe if you were sitting in the moderator chair. Please fill out the quick form on this blog post and we'll do our best to integrate your questions into the upcoming Morning Fill Up.
She placed two ideas in juxtaposition. One being the “culture of helpfulness,” a work philosophy that says you “don’t have to know everything, you just have to work among people who are good at getting and giving help.” The other, being the “super chicken” mentality, where competition and individual accomplishment are primary motivators.
The artwork for this show was a definite challenge for me early on. As I read the play over and over again, I kept thinking about the moment before ink is placed on paper.
The second before thoughts give way to words... when the words can't stay in your head any longer and they must come out.
The time when an idea sparks an action.
If the arts are going to take their rightful place as an important weave in the cultural fabric of our towns, cities, and nations, we--as a people--must fuel our minds and our souls with the understanding (or perhaps a better word is "acceptance") that art plays a critical part in how we live our lives, make decisions, and paint a brighter future for all.
Over the course of the last nine-plus years, Numads have had the great fortune to work with some of the best foundation personnel out there, at least in our humble opinions. We’ve gotten to know program officers, foundation presidents, communications personnel, and others at foundations large and small, working nationally and in local communities. And we’ve been inspired by every one of them and their efforts to make their communities--at home or across the nation--better places to live, work and play.
I've been thinking a lot about legacy these days.
It first came up last weekend as I was making the two and a half hour drive north from Boston to Meredith, New Hampshire, to celebrate my Grandma Jean Stephens' 89th birthday. I was alone on that Sunday morning, the weather was beautiful, the trees in perfect gold and red harmony.
And Hamilton, the new critically-acclaimed-you-can't-get-a-ticket-no-matter-who-you-know musical was blaring on the sound system in my little Mini Cooper as I buzzed along the interstate, and coincidentally, passed the final resting place of my Grandpa Ted.
Everyday at Numad we're doing something different. And while this may not be reflective of a typical Numad day, this is a pretty fun “day in the life of" story. Aside from the anticipation of working from the Quad Cities the next day to visit a dear friend (which required an unspeakably early alarm), last Thursday was pretty exciting at this Numad office in Rockford.
It has been a busy fall season for The Numad Group thus far with our work partnering with Off-Broadway nonprofit theaters in New York City. Currently, we are working on five productions in New York City, with some additional shows approaching quickly. The theater nerd or fan or whatever you want to call me relishes the opportunity to collaborate with some really wonderful artists and communication professionals in the Off-Broadway community.
I think about this quite often.
The reality is that in any given day, I'm working on such a diversity of projects with such a great group of clients that my creative self has to flip a switch at a moment's notice. One moment I'm writing an annual appeal letter for a nonprofit that serves an immediate need in a community, and then the next I'm designing artwork for a show that explores the inner turmoil in a family, and then the next I'm working on a media pitch about about a family foundation.
We are very excited about a new project with the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) at the Smithsonian Institution. Matt and I recently had the privilege of spending a few days with the amazing staff of the museum on the National Mall in Washington, DC and in the Cultural Resource Center in Suitland, Maryland. It is inspiring to spend time with people so passionate and collectively focused on a mission.
Big congratulations to our friend and architect extraordinaire Patri Acevedo-Riker of AcV2 Architecture in Rapid City, South Dakota. She was the [insert every possible wonderful adjective imaginable here] architect behind The Garage coworking space we developed as part of Numad Investments.
It was wonderful to open up my laptop on this beautiful Saturday morning in Beacon Hill, and as I was checking my various go-to online newspapers (The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Quad City Times, and The Rapid City Journal), to stumble upon this guest editorial by Brad Saathoff, CEO of Black Hills Works, one of the nonprofits we have the honor of partnering with.
One evening, we were dreaming up big ideas for the future... ideas that energized us, excited us, that were challenging to us, and that we hoped one day would be possible. We talked about a community space... a place where people could go to work. To innovate. To be present. To retreat. And to connect. With others, but just as importantly, with themselves.
Rapid City Police Department Lt. John Olson has seen what idle hands can do. That is why the 20-year veteran can attest to the importance of The Club for Boys and applauds the announcement of a grant that will bolster the organization’s Older Boy Program—keeping kids off the street while promoting positive life choices.
Over the last week I was lucky to speak with several of the grant recipients from The Frontier Fund. The projects range from bicyclist safety and young adult alcohol education to engaging youth in mural projects and book clubs.
One story my mind keeps turning to...
On Saturday, Dima and I revved up the Mini Cooper and ventured out of Boston to North Reading, Massachusetts, to attend an afternoon celebration of "everyone who is near and dear to us." There was tons of food, a pool for kids to swim in... even big tents strung with little twinkling lights.
And then there was the small box collecting money, tucked away in the corner.
This Numad is on the road today--I'm off to New York City bundled up in a sweatshirt on this hot post-Labor Day Weekend day (see previous post) for opening night of The Legend of Georgia McBride at MCC Theater. Should be a fun evening celebrating the start of MCC's 2015/16 season with friends and colleagues.
