“Risk looks like taking the first step. Commitment looks like taking the next ten.”

Innovation is all about taking risks. At least that's what Kondwani Mwase, Executive Director of Brand and Audience Engagement at the National Arts Centre, stands by.  

At the 2026 Tessitura Learning & Community Conference in Washington, D.C., Kondwani argued that the biggest threat to long-term audience development isn't change, but complacency. Making a commitment to genuine, intentional audience development comes with a risk. However, the risk doesn’t lie in trying a different approach or launching a new program. The real risk, he said, lies in standing still.

“Doing nothing can cost us the business,” Kondwani advised. “Maybe not immediately, but eventually and definitively.” 

Arts administrators are uniquely positioned to commit fully to their community. Kondwani believes this commitment entails three beliefs: Do well by doing good. Lose the customer, lose the game. And finally, to be in the arts and culture business is to be in the business of relationships.  

“Doing nothing can cost us the business. Maybe not immediately, but eventually and definitively.”

“When we build meaningful connections with underserved communities,” Kondwani explained, “we’re not simply advancing a moral imperative. We’re advancing a business imperative. We’re cultivating future audiences.”

At the National Arts Centre, Kondwani and his colleagues lead by example. By launching Black Out Nights, reworking guest greetings and partnering with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, the team has reimagined how it connects with the wider community. Each initiative involves co-creation and thoughtful iteration to make belonging an experience.

For Kondwani, those efforts underscored a broader truth: programs alone don’t transform organizations. Mindsets do. “What assumptions are you still holding on to because they feel comfortable? What audiences are you struggling to understand?” he asked. “What would happen if you were truly committed?”

Facing these questions may be uncomfortable. Kondwani urges arts administrators to lean into it. “It may feel risky, but that’s a good thing,” Kondwani reassured. “If there’s risk involved, it may be the good kind. You may be stepping towards innovation.” 

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Kondwani Mwase presented this talk live as part of Tessitura’s Innovator Series at the Tessitura Learning & Community Conference in Washington, D.C., in August 2026.