VLA Visits Minneapolis

In an arts industry where it’s easy to lose the big picture in the triage of daily detail, nothing is more orienting than time connecting with peers in the field. I traveled to Minneapolis last week to meet with others who administer Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts around the country—from California to Massachusetts—and the ideas learned will have broad impact on all of our consulting programs.

The most obvious resource I found was a network of people. Beyond subscribing to their email lists, perhaps a truly useful network can’t begin until the business suits and branding dissolve into familiar faces. After introductions, we dove into a best practices roundtable that unearthed fresh ideas and current concerns. The group explored ways to make VLA sustainable by finding mission-related methods to generate earned income, fundraise creatively or share resources with other local service organizations. The group also discussed ways to exchange publications, education materials and database resources to increase program efficiency and distribute the most current info to artists.

The week closed with a Continuing Legal Education seminar presented by the Arts, Entertainment and Sports Law Institute of the Minnesota State Bar Association. The regimented day of sessions covered the latest trends in fair use, entertainment litigation, arts pro bono work, fine art intellectual property and digital recording contracts. The knowledge gained there will help to guide us as we consider how to better equip Pittsburgh’s VLA attorneys with tools to strengthen the arts community.

I would like to thank Springboard for the Arts for so generously hosting the meetings. I would also like to thank the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, whose professional development support made the trip possible. If you would like more details about session content, please contact me!