How we create: Presenter vs. Producer
In the arts world, you’ll often hear two terms tossed around: presenting and producing. While they sound similar, they describe different ways of bringing art to life. Journey Arts has walked a fun and fine line over our 23-year-history, but over the past few years, you might have noticed how we’ve shifted, moving deeper into the producing side. But practically, what does that mean for the day-to-day, here at Journey Arts? Take a read below and find out.
Presenting vs. Producing
Presenting organizations curate and share work created elsewhere. They bring artists and their finished pieces to local audiences.
When the gorgeous Ailey American Dance Theater comes to town, they are being presented by one of our local theaters. When Journey Arts kicked off the 2016-17 season inviting Brooklyn-based Alsarah & The Nubatones to make their Philadelphia debut, we presented the group and repertoire from their internationally acclaimed album “Silt.”
Alsarah & The Nubatones, November 2016. Photos: Aidan Un.
Producing organizations generate work from the ground up, commissioning, developing, rehearsing, and shaping new creations.
When The Wilma tackles a new show like FAT HAM, they are acting as producers. But like so much in the arts, the distinguishing line can be a little blurry, and many organizations do a little bit of both.
Journey Arts leans towards the producer role now: We invest in the creative process, giving artists the resources and time they need to explore, take risks, and create something new.
But like so much in the arts, the distinguishing line can be a little blurry, and many organizations do a little bit of both.
“By deepening our role as a producer and incubator, we’re helping artists take creative risks, respond to the world in real time, and tell stories that couldn’t exist without this kind of support.”
The Process
But we go beyond a typical producer moniker: We are nurturers. In a presenting model, artists arrive with a finished work, ready to perform. In our producer-nurturer model, artists arrive with seeds — sometimes ideas, sometimes an early draft — and we collaborate to help the idea and vision grow. That might involve dramaturgical support, technical design, or even shaping the story alongside them. Our process includes:
Partnering with artists through the entire journey, from concept to premiere.
Finding sources of funding so that the work can develop.
Structuring out planning processes and finding rehearsal space so ideas can develop.
Connecting artists to collaborators that help them fully build the world of their vision.
Building out an entire production team so that the final work can come fully to life.
What does it mean for an audience?
Producing and incubating work means our audiences often get to see something before the rest of the world does. You might witness a performance in its earliest form and later see it flourish on regional (or national!) stages.
When we worked with Denice Frohman on ESTO NO TIENE NOMBRE, the performance didn’t stop after she stepped on stage in June 2023. Denice has taken ESTO around the country, and even debuted an expanded version in NYC in Spring 2025.
Esto No Tiene Nombre, 2023. Featured: Denice Froman. Photos: David Evan McDowell.
You might see an artist take a risk in a new way through production support from Journey Arts, and then step into that new role with more confidence as they continue to perform. It’s an absolute joy to watch artists step into work with us, and then watch them succeed and soar as they go on to their next steps.
The arts ecosystem needs both presenters and producers— but by deepening our role as a producer and incubator, we’re helping artists take creative risks, respond to the world in real time, and tell stories that couldn’t exist without this kind of support.
At Journey Arts, we believe that nurturing artists from idea to performance is one of the most powerful ways to live our mission: To spark empathy, challenge bias, and create spaces for dialogue. And as a producer-nurturer, we get to make that happen, one seed of an idea at a time.
If you’ve joined us for a performance recently, you’ve already seen the results of this shift. And if you haven’t, the next premiere might just be your chance to say, “I saw it here first.”