Arts Link Summer 2019

IN THIS ISSUE: pARTnership Movement | Arts Admin Internships | Public Art Network Year in Review ArtForce Iowa | National Arts Marketing Project Conference | Arts and Business Partnership Awards

Americans for the Arts

THE SOURCE FOR ARTS PROFESSIONALS IN THE KNOW

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SUMMER 2019

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AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS 2019 CALENDAR OCTOBER

Arts Link Mission Delivered quarterly to the professional membership of Americans for the Arts, Arts Link’s mission is to help you meet your professional goals and do your job better by bringing you the latest trends, resources, tools, and ideas in the field of local arts agencies and arts professionals. By sharing the aspirations, challenges, and solutions of your peers and leaders in the field, Arts Link aims to educate, inspire, and equip you with the means to create a world in which the arts can thrive.

National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM) AmericansForTheArts.org/NAHM

03 Arts and Business Partnership Awards The Central Park Boathouse New York City

Arts Link Editor Linda Lombardi

AmericansForTheArts.org/Events/Arts-And-Business-

Arts Link Editorial Committee Carolyn Bartley Allison Beck Logan Busacca Lauren Cohen Elisabeth Dorman Graham Dunstan Isaac Fitzsimons Nicole Goodman Peter Gordon Ruby Lopez Harper Danielle Iwata Cristyn Johnson Graciela Kahn Pam Korza Amalia Kruszel Clayton Lord Christine Meehan Emma Osore Christina Ritchie Susan Saloom Ami Scherson Jessica Stern Rei Ukon Inga Vitols Patricia Walsh Ann Marie Watson

Partnership-Awards

21 2019 National Arts Awards Cipriani 42nd Street New York City AmericansForTheArts.org/Events/National-Arts-Awards

NOVEMBER 15 –18 National Arts Marketing Project Conference InterContinental Miami Miami, FL NAMP.AmericansForTheArts.org/Get-Smarter/Conference

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Copyright 2019, Americans for the Arts.

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Tell Us What You Think At Arts Link, we value the input of our readers and are always interested in hearing your comments about what you’ve read or topics you would like us to feature. By telling us what you think, you help us deliver a publication that better meets your needs. Please email your ideas, recommendations, and remarks to ArtsLink@ artsusa.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Arts Link Design Studio e2

Member Briefings

Be Inspired. Be Informed.

Be Connected.

4 The monthly Member Briefings, a member exclusive benefit, give staff the opportunity to talk to you about what’s happening on advocacy, diversity, equity, inclusion, tools and resources, and more.

Our #AFTAmember network is one of our strongest resources, so after staff updates, we open the floor to your questions, comments, and lessons learned. To learn more about the briefings, visit us at ArtsU.AmericansForTheArts.org/Members.

Upcoming dates (All times are 3:00PM EDT): August 19, September 17, October 15, November 20, December 17.

ON THE COVER: Vessel Project at POP Art in Unexpected Places, Scottsdale, Arizona. Photo courtesy Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance.

SUMMER 2019

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contents

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

02 From the President

03 Working for You

The pARTnership Movement and Arts & Culture Leaders of Color Fellowship

04 Building a Bridge Between Business and the Arts

08 MemberCenter

How art can help students process trauma and feel empowered

www.AmericansForTheArts.org

You Belong Here

Arts Administration Internships,

LA County Department of Arts and Culture, Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission

When arts and business partner, everyone profits

10 Life Changing: Transforming Trauma to Resilience Through Art in Des Moines

Americans for the Arts News

Public Art Network Year in Review, NEA and NEH Funding Increase, Texas Arts Funding Victory

14 Leadership in Practice

Inspiring Leadership Through Example

Leadership Awards, National Arts Marketing Project Conference, Arts and Business Partnership Awards

16 The Toolbox

Information to Help You Succeed

Artists at the Community Development Table, National Field Scan, Teaching Artist Guide

SUMMER 2019 | ARTS LINK | 1

From the President

F

rom the creativity reflected in the growing partnerships between the arts and business to the passion of the arts and culture leaders of tomorrow, your partnership with us inspires all we do.

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Americans for the Arts

SINCE OUR RELEASE of the Arts + Social Impact

Also key to this positive change is the pipeline

President and CEO

Explorer, I have given much thought to strategic

of new leaders who will be taking on the charge.

Robert L. Lynch with the

partnerships and how all of us work together to

Americans for the Arts is proud to partner with the

inaugural class of the

build stronger communities through the arts.

Joyce Foundation and American Express to launch

Arts & Culture Leaders of

Time and time again, I have seen the impact of

the inaugural Arts & Culture Leaders of Color

what happens when leaders from multiple sectors

Fellowship. The selected cohort of 12 emerging

come together to use the arts to address com-

and mid-career fellows embarked on a year of

munity issues. This subject was core to our 2019

personal and professional learning and growth

Annual Convention, which brought together close

that kicked off at our Annual Convention.

Color Fellowship. Photo

by Sylvain Gaboury.

to 1,000 arts leaders to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, this past June.

This fall, we will continue to highlight partnerships in upcoming events such as National Arts in

The notion of various sectors working together to

Education Week, and a packed October featuring

advance communities through the arts is embed-

National Arts and Humanities Month, the Arts

ded in the updated pARTnership Movement web

and Business Partnership Awards (formerly the

portal, highlighted in this issue. The pARTnership

BCA 10), and the 2019 National Arts Awards. As

Movement shows how businesses who partner

always, I appreciate our partnership with you.

with the arts build an inclusive work-

Thanks for all you do.

force and encourage employees to gain better understanding of diverse cultures and ideas. In the business sector and beyond, leveraging the arts to advance diversity, equity, and incluQUICK LOOK

sion initiatives creates a platform for

Save the Date

tive change can best be accomplished

4

connectivity and cohesiveness. Posithrough working together.

National Arts in Education

Week is September 8–14, 2019.

2 | ARTS LINK | SUMMER 2019

The Source for Arts Professionals In the Know

AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS NEWS

WORKING FOR YOU PUBLIC ART SNAPSHOT

PUBLIC ART NETWORK YEAR IN REVIEW THIS JUNE, AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS honored the 2019 Public Art Network (PAN) Year in Review projects, which were unveiled at our Annual Convention in Minneapolis. PAN Year in Review is the only national program that specifically recognizes the most compelling public art. Fifty outstanding public art projects created in 2018 were chosen by two independent public art experts—artist Seitu Jones of Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Aaron Ott, Curator of Public Art at Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York.

FEDERAL/LEGISLATIVE SNAPSHOT

NEA and NEH Funding Increase IN MAY, THE U.S. HOUSE Appropriations Committee increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) by appropriating $167.5 million in funding for fiscal year 2020! This is an increase for both agencies of $12.5 million over the fiscal year 2019 funding level and matches the 2019 National Arts Action Summit ask. For the third year in a row, President Trump has proposed a termination of both the NEA and NEH in his budget proposal to the U.S. Congress.

However, Congress has repeatedly rejected

Jones and Ott reviewed the 361 applications—the largest submission pool in

that proposal on a bipartisan basis by increas-

over five years—and selected 50 projects from around the United States and

ing funding for the agencies. The U.S. Senate

one from Canada as the most exemplary, innovative, permanent or temporary

Appropriations Committee is due to consider

public art works debuted in 2018.

these funding bills this fall.

New this year, Americans for the Arts’ Research team will examine the data collected through the 2019 submissions, including the responses to a volun-

STATE/LOCAL LEGISLATIVE SNAPSHOT

teer survey from applicants on the breakdown of the budget expenditures, to better understand public art project spending. The final report will be launched this fall, but a preliminary review of the data shows that the total of the budgets is at just over $119 million, with budgets ranging from $100 at the minimum to over $23,000,000.

Visit AmericansForTheArts.org/YIR for more about PAN Year in Review and to view the 2019 projects.

Texas Arts Funding Victory DRIVEN BY THE ADVOCACY leadership of Texans for the Arts, Governor Greg Abbott signed the 2020–2021 budget of the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) into law on June 15, 2019,

Open House, a temporary public art installation by Havel Ruck Projects, located in Downtown Houston’s Sam Houston Park. Photo by Morris Malakoff.

adding $250,000 in new public funding for the Arts Healing Grants for Active Service Members and Veterans, administered under the state’s Arts Respond program. Ft. Hood, Texas, is currently one of eleven sites for Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network; while Killeen, Texas, houses two Creative Forces Community Connections Projects, providing increased arts opportunities and programs via VSA Texas’ Ink Stick Project and Texas Folklife’s Workshops. Also included in TCA’s budget is restored funding for the Cultural Districts Project Grants, as well as $5,000,000 in fiscal year 2020, providing a grant to the Flower Mound Cultural Arts Commission to construct a community cultural and performing arts center.

www.AmericansForTheArts.org

SUMMER 2019 | ARTS LINK | 3

BUILDING A BRIDGE BETWEEN BUSINESS AND THE ARTS

by Jessica Stern, Private Sector Initiatives Program Manager, Americans for the Arts

“

The pARTnership Movement has elevated our leadership’s ability to envision new, innovative ways to leverage the arts in any sector, and provides functional examples of how businesses, both large and small, are working with artists. It shows how to unlock the power of the arts through dynamic employee development, creative teambuilding, community led marketing initiatives, as well as opportunities for the arts to lead conversations from within.

”

—Kate Marquez, Executive Director, Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance

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Jiffy Lube of Indiana’s mural, The Bird, The Hook and The Worm

by Carl Leck. Photo by Jiffy Lube of Indiana.

orn out of a desire to bring the arts and business communities together, Americans for the Arts’ pARTnership Movement program and online platform builds the capacity of the arts field to cultivate mutually beneficial partnerships with businesses, and makes the case to businesses why partnering with the arts creates a competitive edge.

CREATING RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIPS

As the philanthropic landscape rapidly shifts—often away from traditional support of the arts—the pARTnership Movement explores the unifying nature of arts and business partnerships through real stories, tools, and engagement opportunities that flip the conversation between arts organizations and current or potential partners from ‘how can you help me?’ to ‘how can we help each other?’

www.AmericansForTheArts.org

Using the 8 Best Reasons for Businesses and the Arts to Partner as our framework, we divided our offerings into three categories, mirroring how business generally approaches community partnerships: Employees, Company, Community.

A core reason—that the arts Cultivate Diversity & Empathy—permeates throughout and is central to any approach.

Beginning at the high level of why arts and business make a great pairing, and using briefing papers, partnership success stories, thought leadership, research, toolkits, and how-to workbooks on employee engagement strategies, we drill down into how each of these reasons comes to life in a business context; providing the right resource for sparking, cultivating, evolving, and scaling arts and business partnerships.

SUMMER 2019 | ARTS LINK | 5

BUILDING A BRIDGE

QUICK LOOK

Creatives@ Work Who are the Creatives@Work in your area? Now you can create your own pARTnership Movement ads and shareable images using a fun and engaging tool. All you need is a high-quality headshot (neutral backgrounds preferred) and a little creativity to pick your artistic inspiration.

Our site will generate an image for you. Use this to celebrate a business professional, engage new recruits, or to highlight the creative in everyone.

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Candy Crawl at Oro Valley Marketplace, Oro Valley, Arizona.

Photo by Matt Rolland.

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On the new website, pARTnershipMovement.org, which re-launched on July 1, arts organizations and businesses can search for specific examples to support their case or project as it relates to one or more of the 8 Reasons or submit their own story to celebrate local partners.

PARTNERSHIP IN PRACTICE

It’s these real stories of putting the values into practice that animate the work. Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance’s Executive Director, Kate Marquez, uses the pARTnership Movement resources— particularly the success stories—to build business collaborations.

“The most impactful tools on the website are the success stories, which bring conversations and ideas to life,”

says Marquez. “They provide exemplary samples of arts-based programs in communities and sectors of all sizes and types. They are not only inspirational, but meaningful learning opportunities, provided in digestible ways to which businesses can relate. The success stories provide businesses with creative problem solving for each of their top challenges and priorities as defined by their individual organizations.

They also provide a benchmark of innovation in the arts which can be replicated and modified for each individual business culture.”

Recognizing that her board of directors is her closest circle of advocates with far reaching connections in the community, Marquez trains her board—a diverse cross section of business leaders, entrepreneurs, and creatives, many of whom have never served on an arts board—on the fundamentals of the pARTnership Movement as a foundation for community outreach.

“The pARTnership Movement provides our leadership with a broad understanding of how the arts impact a range of our community’s capacity with inspiring success stories, statistics, and meaningful content, which helps broaden their ability to communicate and cultivate new and innovative ways to not just support the arts, but to use them as an active partner for change in our community.”

It’s not just arts organizations leading the charge. Steve Sanner, president of Jiffy Lube of Indiana, has become a vocal advocate for the pARTnership Movement. For decades,

The Source for Arts Professionals In the Know

“

Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) frequently uses the pARTnership Movement in conversations and presentations to business and professional groups. We include a slide and/or print out of the 8 Reasons, which helps educate and adds credibility from a respected national source.

We are excited to utilize the new pARTnership Movement website tools and individual fact sheets!

”

—Christin Crampton Day, Executive Director, CBCA

the company marketed primarily to men, often through sports sponsorships. After his business was repeatedly tagged with graffiti, Sanner had a mural painted on the wall; launching the company’s shift to partnering with the arts.

One of this year’s Arts and Business Partnership Awards recipients, Sanner has been amazed at how much the 8 Reasons accurately describe what he experienced at Jiffy Lube of Indiana.

“It’s opened our eyes to a whole new world,” Sanner said. “I have seen how much our local communities have embraced the mural project. More impressively, I have seen what it has meant to our own people. We’ve been in business since 1985, yet I had no idea

www.AmericansForTheArts.org

how many of our employees were into art and how much they would appreciate what we are doing.”

It doesn’t end there for Sanner.

“We are hoping to see more local retail businesses follow our lead in Indianapolis, and we definitely have the attention of Jiffy Lube owners around the country. They laughed at us when we started this, but they now see the results, both externally and internally, and are asking questions about how they can start doing the same thing.”

The need for cash in arts organizations is real. However, our approach with the pARTnership Movement and what it offers is broader. pARTnerships can exist in as many ways as there are creative ideas. Use the inspiration you’ll find on the pARTnership Movement website and the tools as a guide to unleash your creativity in conversation with new and current business partners as you endeavor to build a more vital and vibrant place to live and work.

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Visit pARTnershipMovement.org today.

QUICK LOOK

Host a Workshop Bring The pARTnership Movement to your community! Americans for the Arts staff offers customizable in-person workshops that address the basics of building business and arts partnerships, exploring and activating the 8 Reasons, addressing common business challenges through the arts, and how to frame the arts as part of a solution to community-wide challenges together with business. Contact our team at privatesector@artsusa.org to learn more.

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SUMMER 2019 | ARTS LINK | 7

YOU BELONG HERE

MEMBERCENTER “soft” skills that are strongly sought Rising high school seniors complete the Bloomberg Arts Internship and share their experiences through presentations. Photo by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

after by employers across disciplines.

Future Workforce Skill-Building

Creativity is reported to be one of the top personality traits most crucial to career success alongside problem-solving and critical-thinking—attributes practiced heavily in arts administration internships.3 Through challenging projects in departments like development, programming, or marketing, rising leaders develop and practice skills integral to career advancement while working in a high growth sector. RAC and Jacob’s Pillow are just two of the many programs available for students that allow creativity and business acumen to be the MEMBERCENTER

WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?

thinking, coveted future workforce skills, and greater equity and access.

driving forces behind their work.

Equity and Access

Community Leadership

Internships are not only limited to

An Americans for the Arts study of the

undergraduate students. The Bloomberg

future of the field found that “arts and

Arts & Culture Internship Program

culture are essential to healthy, vibrant,

provides New York City high school

equitable community development.”2

seniors a chance to intern at arts

Erika Fiola, coordinator of the new

organizations. Andrew van Dusen, teen

Gyo Obata Fellowship Program at the

programs manager at Studio Institute,

Regional Arts Commission (RAC) in St.

emphasizes raising awareness about

Louis, Missouri, describes how an emerg-

opportunities in the arts, as many

ing local interest in the arts led to the

students “simply don’t know” about the

program’s development. “More and more

different professions in the field. Iwata

THOUGH INTERNSHIPS are an ideal

people are realizing the transformative

was unaware of arts administration as

gateway to become familiar with the

impact the arts can have on communi-

a field prior to college, but now has a

arts management field, there are

ties,” she states, and hopes the program

position at Americans for the Arts thanks

many not-so-obvious reasons why arts

can open more doors to arts careers.

to her Jacob’s Pillow internship.

Entrepreneurial Thinking

Through internship programs, arts and

Danielle Iwata, a 2015 development

cultural organizations have a unique

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

intern of the Jacob’s Pillow Summer

opportunity to leverage the expanding

found employment in the arts rose

Festival Intern Program in Becket, Mas-

benefits of arts administration work, build

2.5 percent, with the number of jobs

sachusetts, says her time there covered

young leaders’ creativity and business

reaching 5 million.1 In this growing field,

a wide breadth of skills. She believes arts

savvy, and secure the future of the field

there has been a significant appearance

administration internships require “more

by creating an access point to the grow-

of, and interest in, arts administration

entrepreneurial thinking” due to their

ing industry. Find out more about these

internships across the country.

place at a crossroad between arts and

and other arts administration programs

Internships in our field can foster

business. Arts administration internships

at AmericansForTheArts.org/About-

community leadership, entrepreneurial

push participants to leverage “hard” and

Americans-For-The-Arts/Internships.

Arts Administration Internships: Now Trending

administration internships are becoming more relevant.

“Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account, U.S. and States 2016”, US Bureau of Economic Analysis, March 19, 2019, bea.gov/news/2019/arts-and-cultural-production-satellite-account-us-and-states-2016 (accessed June 10, 2019).

1

AmericansForTheArts.org/by-program/reports-and-data/research-studies-publications/new-community-visions-initiative

2

3

“Arts + Workforce Development”, Americans for the Arts, AmericansForTheArts.org/socialimpact (accessed June 10, 2019).

8 | ARTS LINK | SUMMER 2019

The Source for Arts Professionals In the Know

MEMBERCENTER

Spotlight MEMBERCENTER

Member Article LA County Department of Arts and Culture Releases Open Source Design Resource to Spur New Affordable Housing

by Iris Anna Regn, Civic Art Project Manager, Los Angeles County Arts Commission

Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission Arts Advocacy Win ON JUNE 11, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and council members voted in favor of a budget to increase the 2019–2020 funding for the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission (an Americans for the Arts Organizational Member) to a total of $2.2 million. This total is an increase of an additional $1.476 million from the previous fiscal year.

The multi-year advocacy effort was led by Dennis Mangers, a long-time Sacramento arts

PART OF THE SOLUTION: YES TO ADU stems from the LA County Department

supporter and advisor to Mayor Steinberg. Arts

of Art and Culture (formerly the Arts Commission) Civic Art Program’s

advocates and leaders attended a city council

unprecedented partnership with the Homeless Initiative on the Second

meeting on May 21, where nearly 20 speakers

Dwelling Units Pilot Program. The Pilot Program supports the development

made the case for the $2.2 million for the

of granny flats, also called Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), as one of the

Metropolitan Arts Commission to provide

strategies to help alleviate LA County’s housing pressure.

adequate funding for the city’s cultural plan,

The multi-year project, in collaboration with the LA County Department of Regional Planning, the Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles, and the LA County Department of Public Works, catalyzed

The Creative Edge. The plan works toward a long-term vision to make Sacramento an equitable, vibrant, world-class arts destination.

architects, designers, planners, and creative strategists to reimagine the potential of ADUs by means of an architectural design competition. The competition assembled a tangible index of possibilities that can help policy makers, architects, and homeowners implement ADU’s in their neighborhoods.

Select competition proposals were exhibited in a year of community events and workshops with partnering organizations including East Los Angeles College; the Institute for Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the LA Forum for Architecture and Urban Design; and Open Engagement, Queens Museum, New York. Some of the design proposals can even serve as strategies instead of single projects: strategies to build homes, strengthen communities, and sustain neighborhoods for generations to come.

The corresponding publication is designed to raise awareness about ADUs, stimulate constructive dialogue, and serve as a resource for planners, policymakers, homeowners, advocates, and communities. It can be found in all 85 LA County libraries and accessed online at LACountyArts.org/ADU. “The unique talents of artists and cultural organizations can develop, guide, and amplify innovative solutions to social and civic issues,” says Kristin Sakoda, executive director of the LA County Department of Arts and Culture. “We are proud to be part of the solution.”

Mayor Steinberg addresses the residents in attendance at the Creative Edge Last Call Town Hall. Photo by City of Sacramento.

www.AmericansForTheArts.org

SUMMER 2019 | ARTS LINK | 9

LIFE CHANGING: TRANSFORMING TRAUMA TO RESILIENCE THROUGH ART IN DES MOINES

by Clayton Lord, Vice President of Local Arts Advancement, Americans for the Arts

T

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Self portraits created by youth in detention.

Photo by Clayton Lord.

www.AmericansForTheArts.org

he co-founder of ArtForce Iowa grew up in a family well-versed in armed robbery and murder. He was batted about by the juvenile justice system, and in the early 2000s, was convicted of attempted murder and sent to prison.

While in prison, he hand-wrote three novels and discovered his artistic talent.

After being paroled, he became friends with Yvette Hermann, a creative writing professor, and came to believe that if he had had a mentor like Yvette, his life would have turned out very differently.

This “what could have been” inspired the two of them to co-found ArtForce Iowa in 2012. The organization engages 13–18-year-olds involved in juvenile or family court, kids who are being disruptive in school, and first-generation immigrants who have been victims of crime. They work to transform youth through art by helping their students process trauma and feel empowered.

“Trauma is so prevalent among these kids,” says ArtForce Iowa Executive Director Christine Her. “Dealing with that trauma and finding resiliency only works when there’s a community of support around the young person.

So, we’ve created a community, based in art, to help.”

Through an arts-based process, students express themselves in a safe way; recognize what’s going on internally; and learn to express themselves freely, regulate, and let things go, all in a two-story poured concrete hunk of a building across the street from North High School, right in the middle of Sixth Avenue, in an area called Birdland.

ArtForce predominantly serves the larger surrounding area; which is the most racially diverse area in the city, with major populations of refugees and immigrants living alongside long-term African American families and white transplants who recently moved to town.

SUMMER 2019 | ARTS LINK | 11

LIFE CHANGING

Painting by Ava, created at ArtForce Iowa.

QUICK LOOK

Consistency “Ava creates beautiful paintings.

She’s gone through a lot of hardship. She is what we call a dual case—court-involved through juvenile court and also a child in need of assistance. Her home wasn’t safe and she had anger issues. She would lash out at teachers and get down on herself.

But she’s always been this amazing artist—a writer, singer, visual artist. Before ArtForce, there was no consistency for Ava. And if her time with us gets disrupted, a lot of things will start to spiral down for her. When she has the art, and the consistency, she can keep going.

The moment she would come back to ArtForce, she would start to flourish. It’s all about consistency.

Consistency with art can really help a young person get through a lot of instability.” — Christine Her, ArtForce Iowa Executive Director 4

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Right: Bravo Greater Des Moines Executive Director Sally Dix (L) discusses some of the student work with ArtForce Iowa Executive Director Christine Her. Photo by Clayton Lord.

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“They’ve got all the challenges of a small nonprofit plus some,” says Sally Dix, executive director of Bravo Greater Des Moines, the local arts agency. She references flooding and equipment loss, school system bureaucracy, and a mysterious incident where their water got disconnected for a week. “It can feel to an outsider like they are always taking three steps backward before they can take one step forward.”

Despite those challenges, the ArtForce team perseveres and thrives.

Her and her team execute their mission with what can only be described as steady joy. In that, ArtForce joins the

other businesses and nonprofits, many of which are owned and run by people of color, that populate the Sixth Avenue corridor.

The area has a long history of being predominantly black and suffers from disinvestment the way that many such neighborhoods have historically done. As Her puts it, “No one wants to drop their money here.

They see it as a place that isn’t thriving. But it’s precisely because of the barriers that I know we’re in the right place. We’re bridging the gap. We’re bringing the hope.”

As an example, she tells the story of December, a young refugee from Thailand who, when she first arrived at ArtForce, was a shy eighth grader who wouldn’t talk to anyone, regularly arrived late, and gave up on projects rather than try.

Her and the ArtForce team paired December with some of the local artists that form the “Artist-Mentor Team,” and over time, December blossomed.

“Now she creates these amazing projects,” says Her. “But it’s more than that.

We call her the “art director,” because she’s not that shy, timid girl anymore—now she pulls people into her projects, creating meaningful work that has to do with who she is and where she comes from.”

Each year, ArtForce’s students create an exhibition called KnowJustice. In 2018, the theme was “manifesto,” and

The Source for Arts Professionals In the Know

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the goal was to encourage the young people to think about what they believed complex created by in and what they wanted to see change. youth artist, December, depicting her complex In December’s case, she lives in a nearby as it was and as she apartment complex owned by a slumlord hoped it could be. Artist and populated almost exclusively by refuStatement: “Where I live gees and immigrants. It is a hellish place looks trashy and I want to make it better.” Photo that smells constantly of fish and trash.

by Clayton Lord.

The buildings have broken windows, the heat doesn’t always work, and the parking lot is pockmarked and lineless. When it rains too much, the whole first floor floods.

QUICK LOOK December made her manifesto in the form of side-by-side architectural models of her complex as it was and as she hoped 4 Youth who participate in the it could be. Through her arts improve social and emotional art, she replaced the learning skills like conflict resolution, future orientation, critical downed trees, trash, response, and career readiness and debris, the unlined by 25 percent or more. parking lot and neglected Kids who take part in arts probuildings, with a vibrant, gramming during or after school are five times less likely to drop well-cared for, inviting out of high school and two times community space. As part as likely to graduate college. of ArtForce’s commitment Find more data points like this in to mentorship, December the Arts & Social Impact Explorer learned about landlord at AmericansForTheArts.org/ SocialImpact. responsibilities and tenants’ rights and worked with a local architect to make sure the models were built to scale— a particularly happy experience for her, as she dreams of becoming an architect herself.

Below: Present & Future,

3-D models of apartment

What Art Can Do

www.AmericansForTheArts.org

“I want to show people what I want the complex to look like so that other refugees who come to Des Moines like I did can have a better home,” December told Her. Walking through ArtForce’s space, the walls pulse with the artwork of the kids. Her guides me to a table and pulls out a fan of narrow slips of paper, all the colors of the rainbow. She shows me how to fold the simple paper, with all its possibility, into a perfectly shaped star.

“There are lots of organizations doing incredible work here in Des Moines,” says Dix, who joined us in making stars.

“But what I see from the kids at ArtForce is unique.”

Dix pauses, then says with certainty, “What they’re doing here—it’s literally life-changing.”

QUICK LOOK

Funding Transformation Is ArtForce Iowa an arts organization or a social services organization that uses the arts?

This was an important question for Sally Dix and the grants panels at Bravo Greater Des Moines. After initially being unable to fund the organization, Dix and her team created a new pilot program with broader parameters that allowed them to support ArtForce and 25 other organizations doing similar “arts and” work.

They’re now analyzing what they learned and will be launching a next step in 2020.

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“We are evolving as an organization,” says Dix, “to make sure that more people from more cultural backgrounds doing different types of work are seen as an important part of the cultural tapestry.”

SUMMER 2019 | ARTS LINK | 13

INSPIRING LEADERSHIP THROUGH EXAMPLE

LEADERSHIP IN PRACTICE says Reese. “That’s good and helpful sometimes, but my advice is to focus on how you make people feel welcome and that they have a voice.” She stresses that the heart of DEI work is not just structural change but ultimately helping others understand there is “value in what they might say or contribute.”

When it comes to her leadership style, Reese says, “My highest and best contribution to the field right now is to be an enabler— to enable young leaders to take a chance knowing that I have their back. I’m not going to let you fall on your face, but I am going to let you try it and when you have exhausted all Americans for the Arts Board Chair Julie Muraco, Margie Reese, and Americans for the Arts President & CEO Robert L. Lynch. Photo by Sylvain Gaboury.

QUICK LOOK

possibilities you’ll either be grandly successful or you will have learned in the process that a different way might have been better.”

LEADERSHIP IN PRACTICE

SPEAKING OF LEADERSHIP Energizing the Field

Reese learned early on in

Culture in Texas, Margie Reese was an ideal choice for the 2019 Americans for the Arts’ Selina Roberts Ottum Award recognizing an arts leader who has made a meaningful contribution to their

crisis that leadership isn’t just “jumping up with your palms on the table,” but instead “understanding the power you have to bring other voices into the conversation. be the messenger. You can facilitate the conversation by bringing together other assets and power.”

local community and who exemplifies extraordinary leadership

“We have to be comfortable

qualities. According to her board president Paul Clark, Reese

giving our dreams away, let-

“brought energy to Wichita Falls. I think her mission all along

ting someone else take charge

was to bring our community together through the arts, and that

of our dreams. Dream making

is exactly what is happening. The arts are powerful, and we are

is a very personal thing, but

proud to see the impact that they are making in our city.”

the realization of that dream

Reese’s 30+ years in arts leadership also includes work in Dallas, Los Angeles, at Goucher College, and serving 23 years as a board member of Americans for the Arts, where she has spearheaded several of our initiatives on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), including the new Arts & Culture Leaders of Color Fellowship program.

requires a team. It requires help. Arts administrators love our work to death. We kill a good idea because we won’t let somebody else in on the secret. Leadership is about sharing the podium, sharing

When it comes to DEI work, Reese points to the need for orga-

the dream. Giving somebody

nizations to take a human point of view rather than creating a

else a piece of it knowing they

step-by-step tactical process. “People focus on the concept of

can probably implement that

DEI as though it is a project you have to plan for, get buy in for,”

piece of it better than you.”

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Each year, Americans for the Arts celebrates field leaders who have demonstrated excellence and leadership. This year’s honorees are: George Tzougros, Executive Director, Wisconsin Arts Board, Madison, Wisconsin (Michael Newtown Award); Matt Wilson, former Executive Director, MASSCreative, Boston, Massachusetts (Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award); Roberto Bedoya, Manager of Cultural Affairs, City of Oakland, Oakland, California (Public Art Network Award); Julie Garreau, Executive Director, Cheyenne River Youth Project, Eagle Butte, South Dakota (Arts Education Award); and Stephanie JohnsonCunningham, Founder and Creative Director, Museum Hue, Brooklyn, New York (American Express Emerging Leaders Award).

4

Los Angeles during a budget

You don’t always have to

AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of the Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts and

2019 Honorees

The Source for Arts Professionals In the Know

LEADERSHIP IN PRACTICE Attendees at NAMPC 2018 enjoy a networking break during the conference. Photo by Robert Wade.

Change Agents The 2019 Arts and Business Partnership Awards Go To: AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS is excited to announce the recipients of the 2019 Arts and Business Partnership Awards, which will be presented at a black-tie gala, Thursday, October 3, 2019, at the Central Park Boathouse. Visit AmericansForTheArts.org/ Partnership-Awards for more details.

LEADERSHIP IN PRACTICE

Committing to the Arts National Arts Marketing Project Conference Goes to Miami DID YOU KNOW THAT ALMOST 600 arts marketing professionals gather annually to explore the latest trends and connect with one another to discuss the newest technologies, strategies, and tactics to activate and engage arts and

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David Machado Restaurants (Portland, OR)

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Doyle Coffin Architecture (Ridgefield, CT)

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Erie Insurance (Erie, PA)

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Grounds for Thought (Bowling Green, OH)

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Jiffy Lube of Indiana (Indianapolis, IN)

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Nokia Bell Labs (New Providence, NJ)

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Northwestern Mutual (Milwaukee, WI)

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Omaha Steaks (Omaha, NE)

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The Marcus Corporation (Milwaukee, WI)

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Warby Parker (New York, NY)

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The David Rockefeller pARTnership Award:

culture audiences? No? Well, they do. And you can, too!

This year, we’re going to Miami! Home of one of the most vibrant and culturally rich communities, the National Arts Marketing Project Conference (NAMPC) will showcase Miami’s unique cultural offerings and highlight new trends in digital marketing with an outstanding opening keynote speaker, Carlos Gil. Gil hails from Los Angeles and will share his journey, views on social media, and trends to watch in 2020. Rounding out the keynote lineup this year will be Jeffrey Bowman, Founder of Reframe, and Laurie Woolery, Director of Public Works at The Public Theater.

Gensler + Access Gallery (Denver, CO) n

The Leadership Award: Michael Martella,

President of Boar’s Head and Chairman of Van Wezel Foundation YoungArts winner Julius Rodgrizuez.

Photo by Rana Faur.

NAMPC has always been at the forefront of arts and culture marketing and audience engagement discussion and this year will be no different. One preconference will explore journalism’s place in modern society and the other will take attendees through developing an accessibility plan. Off-site sessions will include visits to the Wynwood and Lincoln Districts. Join us in Miami, November 15–18, 2019, at the InterContinental.

Feeling FOMO? Don’t worry! Registration is now open! For more information visit NAMP.AmericansForTheArts.org. Can’t make it to NAMPC this year? Join the Arts Marketing Network listserv and join the NAMPC Facebook page or LinkedIn group to stay connected to your peers in the field and get the latest news and updates.

www.AmericansForTheArts.org

SUMMER 2019 | ARTS LINK | 15

INFORMATION TO HELP YOU SUCCEED

THE TOOLBOX THE TOOLBOX Artists at the Community Development Table Local Workshop, Augusta, Georgia

Did You Know?

Celebrate National Arts & Humanities Month OCTOBER IS NATIONAL Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM), a nationwide celebration of the role culture plays in our communities and our lives. Americans for the Arts is proud to collaborate with our members on this annual celebration elevating the arts and humanities in America. Whether you’ve participated before or want to get involved for the first time, now is the perfect time to start planning!

THE TOOLBOX

BUILDING BLOCKS Artists at the Community Development Table

Here are four easy ways to bring NAHM to your community this October. Get access to these (and more) ideas and resources at AmericansForTheArts.org/NAHM.

+ Join our 31-day Instagram challenge—and

encourage others to join, too! Find our daily themes online and post along with us all month long using #ShowYourArt2019. + Ask for a local government proclamation.

IN A TIME WHEN COMMUNITIES are facing ever-changing needs and an

Your mayor, city council, even your governor

increased demand for creative problem-solving, interest in arts-based

can officially declare National Arts & Humani-

solutions to community development issues is growing among both arts and

ties Month—and our sample proclamation

non-arts stakeholders. As recognition of this shift, and support for the value

will help get them started.

of creative work in addressing core community issues has grown, many of

+ Get the word out to the media—even if

our nation’s 4,500 Local Arts Agencies (LAAs) have evolved from arts-centric

you’ve never spoken to the press before!

to community-centric organizations. To support this opportunity, Americans

Download our press release template and

for the Arts has launched the Artists at the Community Development Table

customize it for your community.

program. Through this program, we aim to deepen the capacity at the local level to pursue arts-based solutions to community development.

+ Host a Creative Conversation in your community. Gather local leaders (make it

Created alongside leading artists and arts administrators in the arts-based

formal, or not!) to discuss how the past is

community development field, this program focuses on four core areas:

shaping the future of the arts.

Community + Culture + Equity, Artist Agency, Partnerships & Collaborations, and Assets & Support; delivers direct and indirect educational trainings and resources such as trainings for LAAs, an online course, and resource guides, that are needed to encourage deeper, varied, and sustained partnerships among artists, arts leaders, and other sectors with the common goal of addressing community issues.

Check out AmericansForTheArts.org/ACDT for more information.

16 | ARTS LINK | SUMMER 2019

The Source for Arts Professionals In the Know

THE TOOLBOX

Reporting from the Field National Scan on Supporting Art in the Public Realm IN THE SPIRIT OF ADVANCING FIELD DIALOGUE about the broadening range of art in the public realm—public art, socially engaged art, artist residencies— Programs Supporting Art in the Public Realm: A National Field Scan provides snapshots of 28 programs supporting and building capacity for artists to work in the public realm and highlights overarching themes. Detailed summaries from interviews with seven selected programs provide additional insights useful for funders and the public art field. Developed to inform the New England Foundation for the Arts’ Creative City program, the scan is published

by Americans for the Arts and The Barr Foundation. Download the National Field Scan at AmericansForTheArts.org/Node/102532.

THE TOOLBOX

E-Resources Teaching Artist Guide on Arts for Change TEACHING ARTISTS are engaging youth in art-making as a way to ask questions, imagine new possibilities, and promote action for positive change in communities.

This companion to Aesthetic Perspectives: Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change shares how teaching artists and institutions that support them are activating the 11 values in the Aesthetics framework. The Companion shares how teaching artists and supporting institutions embody and activate the values in the framework. It includes examples and a rubric for observation and assessment.

Developed by Animating Democracy/ Americans for the Arts in collaboration with WolfBrown, and written by Dennie Palmer Wolf and Jeannette Rodríguez Píneda. Download the guide at AnimatingDemocracy.org/ Companion-Guides.

www.AmericansForTheArts.org

SUMMER 2019 | ARTS LINK | 17

1000 Vermont Avenue NW 6th Floor Washington, DC 20005 T 202.371.2830 F 202.371.0424 ArtsLink@artsusa.org AmericansForTheArts.org