Programs that Encourage a Thoughtful Pause

by David Seals

I’m standing at the whiteboard, marker in hand. It’s filled with text to the edges. Colors. Arrows. Boxes. It is an a-ha! moment. It is the moment of freedom where nothing is sacred except mission—where the methods are merely expendable means to an end. “What is the best method,” I ask myself, “to cultivate an effective arts community?”

Programs that Cultivate Innovation
Perhaps the most sobering anecdote to cross my desk recently was the discovery that, in the time since we distributed last year’s PA Partners funding, three of our forty-six grantee organizations have ceased operations—each for its own complex reasons. Clearly, one of the greatest needs in the current climate is funding, and we will continue to pursue current and new ways to re-grant funds directly to artists and arts organizations. Having said that, I wonder if our grant funding would return a much greater mission ROI if coupled with a powerful counterpart: the a-ha! moment.

Nearly all of the Arts Council’s programs are designed for this moment. Our audience development grants ask you to step back and imagine what new people might fall in love with your theatre or museum. Our artist grants ask you to imagine what’s next in your career as a working artist. Our leadership grants ask you to find a context in which you can explore a new perspective on your administrative work. Our business volunteers are available to help you think bigger about where you are going—whether it’s the way you talk to your audiences or the goals for your organization.

Our Changes in the Current Year
Like many of you, Arts Council leadership has had to make some difficult choices about where to focus staff time and resources. For the year to come, our professional development initiatives will favor more need-specific consulting through Business Volunteers for the Arts (BVA) and Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA). For example, in-depth arts marketing guidance can be found by applying for a BVA consultant to review your current marketing efforts, help with audience research, etc. For intellectual property law issues, we encourage you to apply for a VLA attorney to advise you on legal issues in your work. Our workshops and events will be fewer, but also more collaborative, making the most of community partners such as the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management and the Emerging Leaders Network. The idea here is to give you direct exposure to best practices in arts management while utilizing our vast network of expert, arts-passionate professionals.

Also this year, you will see a streamlined schedule of grant deadlines that will allow our staff to give you the focused help you need to write applications that have a better chance of doing well before each grant panel. To that end, the Artist Opportunity Grants and the Alcoa Foundation Leadership Grants for Arts Managers will be accepted twice per year, instead of quarterly. (The complete list of 2010 deadlines is listed below.) Finally, beginning in the spring of 2010, you will see us begin to develop a stronger partnership with the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management, whose nonprofit management workshops will begin to include some arts components. Also this spring, we’ll be unveiling a new education program designed to help arts organizations collaborate and share resources. Stay tuned for details!

Use the Arts Council to Rejuvenate and Rethink This Year
It’s hard to pause. There’s a tendency to turn-to, working harder with fewer staff to accomplish the same mission in the same way. This year, the Arts Council invites you not to lose the forest for the trees. Take time to step up to the white board and rethink things. Open yourself up and imagine how you might accomplish your mission in new ways, and take advantage of our programs to make that happen. In the end, your thoughtful participation in the Arts Council’s programs will grow your effectiveness—which is, after all, the reason we exist.

Republished from the Fall 2009 Update newsletter.