Milwaukee Arts Partners

“Even the best of projects require seed money,” says Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) President & Executive Director Mark Hanson.

He speaks from personal experience, having played a pivotal role in a distinctive effort involving MSO, Milwaukee Arts Partners (MAP), and a computerized ticketing system known as Tessitura Arts Enterprise Software.

This fruitful partnership – made possible thanks to a $150,000 Argosy Foundation challenge grant – has resulted in collaboration, efficiency, leverage and sharing. “Thanks to Argosy's partnership and expertise” Mark says, “the end result has been that much better.”    

Arts-centric

The world's top arts groups have discovered the power of Tessitura, an “arts-centric” software system that, among other things, compiles and manages customer information and customizes online ticket sales. Tessitura reduces costs and provides data that organizations can use to better target their consumers – leaving more time and energy to focus on the arts.

Mark Hanson says, “Tessitura is the best ticket and fundraising database for performing arts organizations. It's the system to use. It's critical to customer service and the tracking of donors and patrons. It helps groups run more efficiently.”

Thanks to a $290,000 Argosy grant in 2004, MSO was able to implement Tessitura, thereby introducing the software system to the Milwaukee marketplace. “Soon after, sister arts organizations in the community got wind of what we were doing. They approached MSO and asked to piggy-back on our license,” Mark says.

To respond to this request, Mark joined forces with Argosy to form MAP for the sole purpose of making Tessitura available to other organizations. Mark explains, “Through MAP, we negotiated the rights for Tessitura sub-licenses for arts groups in the state of Wisconsin. The more organizations we have involved, the cheaper it gets.”

First Stage Children's Theatre, The Florentine Opera Company, and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater all signed up for MAP. “A beautiful thing happened. I was able to step back, and the new partnership took ownership of the collaboration,” says Mark.  

Along with MSO, all the groups now utilize Tessitura. In addition, they are collaborating in unexpected ways. “MAP has forced the four arts organizations and our staffs to spend a lot of time together, with direct and indirect benefits arising from it,” says Mark. “We can work together to create artistic events and share best practices.”

Costly but rewarding

Tessitura requires a significant financial investment. The cost for implementation, including licensing fees, hardware and software, reached nearly $1 million for MAP.

Argosy's $150,000 challenge grant to MAP in 2005 ultimately kick-started the collaboration to make Tessitura a reality for the arts groups.    

Mark Hanson explains, “Argosy's seed money made the partnership possible, and it inspired six to seven other foundations and corporations to contribute resources to MAP. As a result, 98% of the million-dollar budget for MAP has been secured, going far above and beyond the challenge grant.” 

According to Mark, contributors to MAP have been enthusiastic about supporting advanced technology for business operations and efficiency; they are also eager to get involved in what he calls the largest collaboration between cornerstone arts organizations in Milwaukee.

Because MAP's license with Tessitura allows for further expansion, Mark hopes to involve other large arts groups in Wisconsin. “There is a very real possibility of MAP becoming the only statewide Tessitura partnership,” Mark says.

Mark stresses that MAP's success has surpassed all expectation thanks to the Argosy Foundation. “The expertise, vocal and moral support that Argosy lends to a project is oftentimes more important than the financial support,” he says.

“It's so important to have a partner like Argosy taking a vested interest in our performances –  not only on stage, but in the office and the board room and the community.”