It’s been a tough few weeks for those on the board of an arts organisation in Australia. “Incompetent,” “deceitful” and “tyrannical” were just a few of the damning terms used to describe one Sydney arts organisation recently, with the “creeping commercialism” of “woefully unqualified businessmen” used in a recent speech by outgoing Artistic Director of Sydney’s Belvoir Theatre, Ralph Myers, to define the failings of arts boards around the country.

If either are to be believed a dystopian picture emerges of artistically philistine bureaucrats, using their corporate muscle to crush the creative flair of the artists they oversee. On face value it seems like major cause for concern, and in these times of financial austerity, under a government who values the almighty dollar above the cultivation of a thriving arts sector, the depiction of the down-trodden artist having to reinvent themselves as an activist to protect their integrity also has a certain romantic appeal.

But when did it become Us vs Them, Hero vs Villain? And if the boards of arts organisations really are so toxic to a vibrant cultural environment, why do they exist at all?

To explore this question it is important to understand the function of a board within an arts organisation. In the broadest...