THE ART OF EVOLUTION
Leader of iconic institution blazes successful new trail to growth, continued success
Since taking the helm as president and CEO at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in 2015, Janice Price has been blazing a trail for the iconic institution.
A leading female leader in the global arts community, Price has applied her considerable skills to launching a major brand and marketing campaign and spearheading a two-year strategic plan that includes completely upgraded facilities, new revenue stream models, and a leadership training program that will prepare the next generation of arts administrators to run the largest arts organizations in Canada.
Price has long ranked among Canada’s most experienced and leading female arts executives, holding more senior roles than any other woman in the field. For her, supporting and promoting the arts have been a passion since she began her career as a communications and marketing professional. She lives and breathes the arts.
“I don’t have a job, I have a lifestyle that I like and am good at,” says the 2018 winner in the BMO Arts and Communications category.
While her love of the arts from childhood has been a major driver in her career choices, she is also quick to point out that the arts is as much a business as it is pleasure. And that is where she truly shines.
“One thing I always like to remind people is what a big business the arts is. When you factor in film and digital, our sector is bigger than the forestry, fishing and the auto industries combined. It is a big economic driver in this country. I am constantly fighting this battle that the arts is not simply a nice-to-have, but a must-have.”
Price’s skills in the business side of the arts is what has helped her reach the upper echelons in both the U.S. and Canada. According to her peers, she has done it all with grace and humour, as well as an unbridled and infectious enthusiasm that permeates the organizations she works with.
Rosemary Thompson, vice-president, marketing, communications and board relations at the centre, says, “Janice is a fearless champion of the arts, and a proven leader who has helped strengthen and lead some of the most important arts organizations in the US and Canada during her impressive career. She is a phenomenal creative thinker, team builder, fundraiser, and takes an honest approach to all of her teams and partnerships, focusing on how different people and groups can achieve success together.”
Price’s résumé is indeed impressive. She has served as the CEO of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, as well as vicepresident of marketing and communications and then interim executive director of New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. In Canada she has held senior positions at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Roy Thompson and Massey Halls, Luminato and the Stratford Festival.
Beyond her skills as an administrator, fundraiser and motivator, Price’s trump card has always been her marketing and communications expertise — and her work at Banff Centre is a perfect case in point.
“We were a $70 million business on a 42-acre campus with three streams of business that were siloed and not operating in a collaborative way,” Price says. “Not only did we have the primary role of arts education, we also ran Indigenous and management leadership development programs, as well as conference hosting services.”
While the arts and creativity aspects remain at the heart of Banff Centre’s image, “We needed to focus on all three streams and fit them into the model without compromising the original purpose of the centre as a school for the arts. We had to firmly own our entire identity.”
The first step was developing an all-encompassing branding and strategic planning program. “It’s funny how something on the surface seems small but it can quickly unify the vision for all the people here,” she says. “They had never had branded t-shirts or baseball caps that they would be proud to wear.”
She says Banff Centre has an extraordinary 85-year history and needed to amplify its presence on the national and global scene. “It has been and still is globally recognized. Yet what we do is better known in Europe’s artistic community than in Canada. We really want to reinforce Banff Centre as a global player that has an important role in cultural conversations.
“We can also play a deeper and bigger academic role in how arts and culture can have a role in innovation and creativity in society.”
Price is now working on refreshing, renovating and upgrading many of the major buildings on campus. “The creations and presentations generated here go hand in hand with the nuts and bolts of the building itself,” she says. “We are doing a spectacular restoration where the artists stay, as well as renovating our buildings to modern standards for training and teaching, including digital media, and creating a new theatre that will start construction next year.”
Price has also fully embraced the organization’s long-standing commitment to Indigenous communities. “One of our six pillars is to be a leader in Indigenous art and leadership programming to ensure their art remains relevant.” As part of that initiative the school appointed its first year-round director of Indigenous art.
Another major coup was the development of a cultural leadership training program for Canada — an initiative she had suggested when she was a candidate for the role. “Cultural centres in Canada are increasingly having to look internationally for their leadership. It’s great and healthy to have new voices at the table. We need to be training next-generation leaders that can lead great Canadian arts organizations.”
Price says she is honoured to be recognized among a group of leading female business leaders in Canada. “It tells me that the arts belongs at that table. People are increasingly talking about the significance of art and culture in creating livable communities, healthy ecosystems and safe environments.”
These are the kinds of discussions that are central to many big organizations today, she adds. “I feel that my job is to make sure we are at the table when those conversations are happening. Arts is not an area that stands alone that is only seen occasionally. We should be there to talk about housing, the environment and economic inequality, because what we do for communities deserves equal recognition in business conversations.”
As a leader of a multi-million-dollar organization, Price believes her most important role is to deliver on the promises they make to the community. “My responsibility is to create teams and a support systems that are relevant to today’s conversations. That’s part of what makes it fabulous to work in the industry.”
She jokingly refers to the fact that after 40 years in the business, her card should read ‘arts enabler’. But her enabling skills extend beyond her day-to-day operational concerns.
Price has also had a long history of mentoring younger-generation professionals. One of the many people she influenced in their career is Mervon Mehta, executive director, performing arts, at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Price spotted him as a young artist in Stratford. “She gave me the confidence as a young person to engage with a wider world of arts,” he says.
As Canada’s leading female arts executive, she has dedicated her life to the arts, he adds. “And we are all greater for that.”
Price is also proud to serve as a role model for young women. “Young women come to see what women leaders have done. I especially applaud WXN for creating a formalized mentorship program. But I also realize that when given an award like this, it’s important to have a platform where you can say success is about hard work. All of these women are in difficult jobs and very committed, and passionate about their work and their teams. A big part is passing on our experience to the next group of leaders.”
While Price often says her work is other people’s leisure, others should not be deceived into thinking it’s an easy path. “People need to understand that success takes motivation, commitment and a lot of hard work.”
Above all that, leaders need to be passionate, bold and risk takers. “When I talk to young women I tell them they have to keep an open mind and understand that they have to leave home sometimes. I left Canada to pursue a successful career in the U.S., and then returned to Canada and am absolutely thrilled I did. I feel lucky and blessed to do the work I do.”