TABLE OF CONTENTS I.
II.
Letter of Interest
Organizational Information a. Introduction to ARTs East New York b. Mission, Objectives & History c. Community Information/Statistics d. Board, Management & Staff
III.
Proposals a. Mission & Objectives b. Statement of Purpose/Need
Group Name ARTs East New York Contacts Catherine A. Green 917.756.0133 cgreen@artseastny.com Licia Buckner 718.930.1243 info@artseastny.com Mailing Address 568 Jerome St. Brooklyn, NY 11207 Website www.artseastny.com Grant Status First time grant request Founded August 2009 Neighborhood East New York (Brooklyn,NY) District Information Community Board 5 Community Council 42 State Senate District 33 State Assembly District 40
c. Program Outline d. Program Description e. Methods & Evaluation
IV.
Budget a. 2010-2014 Budget b. Contributions, Fundraising, Program, Contract Labor
V.
Appendices a. Press Coverage etc.,
PURPOSE
We exist in order to provide comprehensive community programs and a centralized network of artistic and cultural resources to the residents of East New York. Our programs and events serve as a conduit to cultural enrichment, community pride and progressive thinking via comprehensive exposure of artistic ingenuity.
ARTs: for East New York COMPANY NAME HERE Grant Application
February 4, 2010
Spring/Summer ‘10
Ry-Ann Hermon Office of NY State Assemblyman William F. Boyland Jr. 467 Thomas S. Boyland St. Brooklyn, NY 11212 Dear Ms. Hermon, ARTs East New York is pleased to submit this request for your review. We look forward to your partnership/support in our efforts to improve the quality of life in East New York. Our ARTs: for East New York events are a creative and eclectic blend of the arts that is geared towards uniting the community. These monthly series expose our community to various forms of the arts that have not been introduced to the neighbors in a cultural setting. Our arts events vary in form each month and can included any eclectic array of presentation ie., spoken word, modern dance, gallery walk, film screening etc., all at no charge to our audience. The arts play a vital role within a community and we want to provide an outlet for our neighborhood to appreciate and participate in it. These events will set the standard of cultural excellence and create a legacy of multi-cultural and intergenerational participation in the arts for our neighborhood. We have requested in the amount of $7400 in funding to seed the program and support our program evaluation efforts. We are committed to soliciting volunteers that are vested in improving the standard of living in the East New York Neighborhood that will donate the time to match for every dollar in this request. Your ongoing investment in our community programs and projects will enable us to continue to effectively serve our impoverished community, and its working poor residents. Thank you for your interest in ARTs East New York. We envision building upon our collaborative success by developing our cultural enrichment programs with you. Sincerely, Catherine A. Green Executive Director/Founder ARTs East New York
In my own philanthropy and business endeavors, I have seen the critical role that the arts play in stimulating creativity and in developing vital communities. As this study indicates, the arts have a crucial impact on our economy and are an important catalyst for learning, discovery, and achievement in our country. Paul G. Allen Philanthropist and Co-Founder, Microsoft
Community Volunteer Event
ARTsPLOTION
October 2009
December 2009
This events main objective is to recruit
ARTsPOLTION is an annual cultural festival designed
volunteers for future projects, introduce the audience to the organization, its vision and plans. We take the opportunity to have the audience choose a team they would like to volunteer under (audio/visual, welcome committee etc.) they interview with team leaders and then placed into the appropriate team for orientation and registration. During downtime volunteers are able to network with one another and enjoy refreshments provided. ARTs East New York community volunteer event is about cooperation. We are a network that is only as strong as the partnerships that support it. None of us can build a community alone. We take partnerships seriously and seek to work with local nonprofits, businesses and governmental leaders committed to building stronger relationships with their constituents around volunteering and service.
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to expose the East New York neighborhood to creative performances, independent film screenings, and community leaders speaking out to call an end to gun violence in East New York. The primary goal of ARTsSPLOTION is to serve as the archetype for all future events that we will showcase in order to evoke community unification and neighborhood pride. This project was the catalyst of our organization and set the standard we want East New York residents to strive towards. This event was able to bring out 178 attendees from and outside of the community. We were able to successfully showcase the following forms of the arts: Brazilian Dance o Nao Yamada & Millenium Dance Co. Contemporary Dance o Roza Dance Company African Dance & Drumming o The Hand & Cradle In The Rock Film Screening o “Future” Mya Baker o “War For Your Soul” Reginald Bullock Cello Soloist o Mike Lunapiena Teen Poetry o Nina Spierer o Phisah Rollins
In August 2009 five community members: Catherine A. Green, Nadine Cummings, Russell Greene, Licia Buckner, and M’Bwebe Ishangi decided to take a stand for the East New York neighborhood and the cultural premise that enlightening a community changes and sets a sustainable pattern of growth and development for all who reside there. They understood that artistic and cultural influence serves as a catalyst for enormous economic growth, cultural unity and educational improvements in neighborhoods that participate. ARTs East New York was the product of their determination and foresight.
Each member of our team offers a dynamic background in event production, operational excellence, computer engineering, law and client servicing industries. With our wealth of experience we created a plan that will serve as a model for our community enrichment efforts. We have developed enduring relationships with many institutions and community leaders to expand the scope and breadth of our efforts to improve the standard of cultural excellence in the neighborhood of East New York. M’ Bwebe Ishangi Board Chairman
Catherine A. Green Executive Director/Founder
Vacant Youth Program Supervisor
Vacant Event Coordinator
Intern Youth Program Assistant
Intern Event Assistant
Altrinna Slade Office Assistant
Nadine Cummings Treasurer
Licia Buckner Secretary
Cary Barnes Member
Sarah Jones Member
Russell Greene Advisory Board Member
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presents
There is no better indicator of the spiritual health of our city, its neighborhoods, and the larger region than the state of the arts. The arts deepen our understanding of the human spirit, extend our capacity to comprehend the lives of others, allow us to imagine a more just and humane world. Through their diversity of feeling, their variety of form, their multiplicity of inspiration, the arts make our culture richer and more reflective. Jonathan Fanton President, MacArthur Foundation
ARTs East New York is committed to presenting, promoting and preserving multicultural arts to encorage the artistic development of our community. We believe that arts and culture are an essential component of community life. Our belief is that showcasing the arts is absolutely essential – they are community assets that offer hope and encouragement to its residents. Our purpose is to provide an enriching environment in which our audiences may experience and become inspired by a broad array of distinctive aesthetic and cultural programs.
East New York will be known far and wide as "The Community of Creativity," where the arts are essential to the creativity, imagination and community change that make East New York the very best place in East Brooklyn to live, learn, work and play.
Goal #1: Arts Education: “Young ARTist Institute” Provide access to high quality arts education in order to develop the full creative potential of all East New York residents. Objective #1: Ongoing creative learning Offer a diverse base of course offerings that provide something for every students interest. Implement a consistent participation policy that will give students incentives to attend long enough to develop skills and participate in closing events. Broad partnership with parents/guardian, community and local organizations. Access to professional development workshops, and strategic program planning in arts education, as well as operating support partnerships for our educational missions. Offer technical assistance to schools and arts organizations to determine how to make their programs and facilities available to a diverse group of learners Provide leadership in advocating for arts education for all East New Yorkers through representation on community boards and collaborating with other local community organizations agencies and state/national arts organizations. Create curriculum development, assessment tools and resources in for arts instructors. Organize workshops for teachers and teaching artists in assessment, lesson planning, classroom management, and integration of the arts with other subjects. Objective #2: “Positivity” Workshops Offer students positive self-esteem building exercises and discussion.
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To get group to know each other and to have each member of the group think about things that are special and unique about themselves - they also find out things that they might have in common with others in the group To help students define self-esteem and healthy neighborhoods, learn why it’s important for their development. Students explore negative behaviors that affect their communities (violence, drugs, gangs etc.) and collectively formulate ways to create positive changes. Objective #3: Career Pathing Organize field trips as a tool for career exploration in the arts. Offer one on one mentoring to develop a path with students to follow educational and career path that will lead them to successful future. Schedule Guest Speaker presentations that will allow students to physically see and learn from industry professionals. Show students how creativity at work can boost careers as well as increase economic and community vitality.
Goal #2: Community Vitality: Community Empowerment Projects Creativity at work through beautification services that boost careers, neighborhood economies and community pride. Objective #1: Community Re-Development Continue ongoing partnership with community partners, business owners and residents to develop neighborhood ―greening‖ (i.e. flowers, Christmas decorating, African burial ground dedication etc.) efforts. Produce publications, share community related information resources and research via website, and foster connections with local, statewide and national service organizations Utilize technology to maximize participation and distribute resources. Objective #2: ARTs East New York Website Expansion Create web-based resource that ties to other East New York organizations, businesses, events etc. Create message board for East New York residents to give voice to community concerns. Promote East New York artists, artisans and arts organizations and create trade and showcase opportunities for their work to reach local, regional, state and out-of-state markets.
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Goal #3: Public Value of the Arts: Last Saturday series Actively convey the positive difference the arts make in the individual and collective lives of East New Yorkers.
Objective #1: Bridge Building Find and define the connections between the arts field and politics, education and economics where there are common values, goals and outcomes. Initiate opportunities to establish relationships between the arts council, artists, artisans, arts organizations and those who fund or provide services for the arts including civic and governmental leaders. Articulate the return on investment and public benefits of our missions, products and services as they relate to what the public deems meaningful and relevant. Objective #2: Innovation Provide and encourage networking to build and strengthen partnerships, both monetary and conceptual, between local initiatives, socio-economic ills and the arts community. Share industry developments, research and publications with community leaders and residents that reinforce the benefits of bringing the arts into community conversations. Provide and/or link local artists to the skills, funding and training needed to make them stable, innovative and active community participants and partners. Objective #3: Challenges and Opportunities Anticipate new directions and challenges that will be important to the lives of East New Yorkers and their community, including the need for affordable housing, poverty, violence, healthy living using the arts as a tool for education and change in these subjects. Assess how the AENY management and staff can handle the potential impact of new directions within its programming and project funding decisions, and make sound, strategic investments with agency dollars and staff to advance these areas Define and convey to those who impact state and local resources how those challenges can be met through increased revenues and resources for the arts.
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East New York Residents have lack of exposure to the ARTs within the community. Hosting various culturally rich events for community residents to experience. -Increase community pride and neighborhood unity -Combat socio-economic issues through artistic interpretation -Attract 50-100 area residents to attend events -Decrease socio-economic issues that cripple the community. -Recruit 10 volunteers within the community to assist in event activities -Schedule various artist and performers to showcase their talents at the event. -Market event to area residents -Execute events on last calendar Saturday each month (1) Executive Director (1) Event Coordinator (10) Event Volunteers -Local Public Schools, Local Not-for-profit organizations, community political leaders, New Lots Triangle Business Owners Assoc., Nehemiah Home Assoc., East New York Home Owners Association, Community Board 5, East New York Block Associations, Local Press -Board of Directors: Event Evaluation Form (2days after event) -Event Attendees: Event Survey at the event -Donations will be solicited from individuals within the community, local government leaders, business owners. -Future support will be sought from Brooklyn Arts Council, Dept. of Cultural Affairs and local government agencies.
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ARTs: for East New York events are culturally enriching community gatherings that are geared towards establishing a love for the arts as well as opportunities to target specific socio-economic issues that cripple the growth of our neighborhood. These intergenerational events take place the last Saturday of each month and vary in content. Each month every East New York community member is able to gain access to quality artistic programs and entertainment within their very own community free of charge. Our audience will enjoy interactive, family friendly multicultural programming while collectively working towards community growth. Participants will not only experience art forms that have rarely been showcased in their community they will join together as one voice to create the change they would like to see in their very own streets.
Our ―community talk‖ series are lead by residents, community leaders and special guest speakers that share experiences and information with the audience surrounding the targeted socio-economic issue our event seeks to dissolve. This is an opportunity to connect with community residents about what they can do collectively to promote change and improve their own quality of life w/o waiting on any governmental reaction to their demands. Our audience will learn to take the steps towards their strive towards an improved quality of life with their own power.
We award our community residents who are role models for making change in our streets with our ―East New Yorker of the Month Award‖. Our goal is to encourage and empower our residents by seeing their neighbors create a difference.
Education
Gun Violence
Visual Art Gallery
Film Video
Drama ARTs Events + Socio-Economic
Issues
Music
HIV/STD Prevention
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Fashion
Home Forecloser Spoken Word
5-7:30p 6-7p 7-8p
8-9p 8-10p 5-7:30p 6-7p 7-8p
8-9p 8-10p
5-7:30p 6-7p 7-8p
8-9p 8-10p
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Musical Performance TBD ART Fusion: Dance/Drama/Spoken Word Artist Talk: Winston Huggins Live Painting Lesson as the artist speaks about his work and career path. Fashion Trunk Show: Harriet’s Alter Ego Dance Party: DJ Russell Community Talk series open each performance Musical Performance TBD ART Fusion: Dance/Drama/Spoken Word The Drum: Kojo Johnson ―The Hand” Live Drumming Lesson as the artist speaks about his work and career path. Film Screening: Short Film Series Dance Party: DJ Russell Community Talk series open each performance East New Yorker of the Month Award @ 8pm Musical Performance TBD ART Fusion: Dance/Drama/Spoken Word Capoeira: A Legacy – Chike Nwabukwu Live Capoeira Lesson as the artist speaks about his work and career path. Fashion Trunk Show: The Fabric Twinz Dance Party: DJ Russell Community Talk series open each performance East New Yorker of the Month Award @ 8pm
5-7:30p 6-7p 7-8p
8-9p 8-10p
5-7:30p 6-7p 7-8p
8-9p 8-10p
5-7:30p 6-7p 7-8p
8-9p 8-10p
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Musical Performance: The Hand ART Fusion: Dance/Drama/Spoken Word Artist Talk: The African Diaspora Experience: Jimmie Vaughn Panel discussion as the collector speaks about various pieces of artwork from the continent of Africa. Film Screening: TBD Dance Party: DJ Russell Community Talk series open each performance East New Yorker of the Month Award @ 8pm Musical Performance ART Fusion: Dance/Drama/Spoken Word Artist Talk: The Price of Education Exhibit and Panel discussion based on the tremendous sacrifices that various cultures have endured for education. Fashion Trunk Show: TBD Dance Party: DJ Russell Community Talk series open each performance Community Talk series open each performance East New Yorker of the Month Award @ 8pm Musical Performance ART Fusion: Dance/Drama/Spoken Word Artist Talk: Winston Huggins Live Painting Lesson as the artist speaks about his work and career path. Film Screening: TBD Dance Party: DJ Russell Community Talk series open each performance Community Talk series open each performance East New Yorker of the Month Award @ 8pm
Total Cost Other Funding
Requested Amount
15% Time @ $50,000/yr 100% Time @ $15,000/yr n/a
$7500 $15,000 n/a
$1,000 $1,000 n/a $2,000
$300/artist (24) @ 6 events $100/event @ 6 events $50/speaker (2) @ 6 events
$43,200
$3,000
$600 $600
$300 $300 $3,600
$600/event
$3600 $1000 $1800 $2000 $2000 $4000
$600 $300 $300 $200 $100 $300 $1,800
$7,400
DEMOGRAPHICS East New York has a population around 90,000. Over half the population lives below the poverty line and receives public assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families [TANF], Home Relief, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicaid). East New York is predominantly African American with a significant Puerto Rican population. The vast majority of households are renter occupied.
LAND USE East New York is dominated by semi-detached multi-unit rowhouses similar to that found in Brownsville and Soundview. Many of which however have been torn down and replaced by vacant lots or newly constructed subsidized attached multi-unit rowhouses. The area is also home to the East Brooklyn Industrial Park. There are also public housing developments of various type and a smaller number of tenements in the area. The total land area is one square mile. EAST BROOKLYN INDUST RIAL PARK
In 1980, the forty-four block East Brooklyn Industrial Park was established by the New York City Public Development Corporation in the northwest quadrant of East New York, Brooklyn. Bounded by Atlantic Avenue, Sheffield Avenue, Sutter Avenue and Powell Street. P U B L I C HO U S I N G P R O J E C T S
There are eleven NYCHA developments located in East New York. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
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Belmont-Sutter Turnkey; three 3-story buildings. Boulevard Houses; eighteen buildings, 6 and 14-stories tall. Cypress Hills Houses; fifteen 7-story buildings. East New York City Line; thirty-three 3-story buildings. Fiorentino Plaza; eight 4-story buildings. Linden Houses; nineteen buildings, 8 and 14-stories. Linden Plaza; eleven buildings, 3 and 20-stories. Long Island Baptist Houses; four, 6-story rehabilitated tenement buildings. Louis Heaton Pink Houses; twenty-two 8-story buildings. Unity Plaza (Sites 4, 5A, 6, 7, 11, 12, 27); five 6-story buildings. Unity Plaza (Sites 17,24,25A); three buildings 6-stories tall. Vandalia Avenue; two 10-story buildings.
AGE People in East New York and New Lots are younger than in Brooklyn and New York City overall. East New York
Brooklyn
NYC
0-17 yrs
34%
27%
24%
18-24 yrs
11%
10%
10%
25-44 yrs
30%
31%
33%
45-64 yrs
18%
21%
21%
65+ yrs
7%
11%
12%
EDUCATION East New York and New Lots residents aged 25 and older have completed fewer years of education than those in Brooklyn and NYC overall. East New York
Brooklyn
NYC
Up to 8th grade
17%
13%
12%
Some HS
26%
18%
16%
HS Diploma
29%
27%
25%
Some College
20%
20%
20%
8%
22%
27%
No Diploma
No Degree College Graduate
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POVERTY In East New York and New Lots, the percent of residents living below the poverty level is higher than in Brooklyn and NYC overall.
40 30 20 10 0 East New York
Brooklyn
NYC
RACE AND ETHNICITY East New York and New Lots have higher proportions of black and Hispanic residents than Brooklyn and NYC overall.
East New York
Brooklyn African American 50%
African American 34%
Hispanic 39%
Hispanic 20%
White 3%
White 35%
Asian 3% Other 5%
Asian 7%
Other 4%
Community Information Citations Wikipedia, 2006 NYC Bureau of Vital Statistics, NYC DOHMH, 1995-2004
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The nonprofit arts and culture industry is one of growth. Between 2000 and 2005, expenditures by nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences grew 24 percent: $134 billion to $166.2 billion. When adjusted for inflation, this represents a healthy 11 percent increase. Gross Domestic Product, by comparison, grew at a slightly faster rate of an inflationadjusted 12.5 percent. Spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations grew 18.6 percent between 2000 and 2005, from $53.2 billion to $63.1 billion (4 percent increase when adjusted for inflation). Event-related spending by audiences attending a nonprofit arts and culture event increased 28 percent during the same period, from $80.8 billion to $103.1 billion (15 percent when adjusted for inflation).
$200
$166.2 billion
$175 $150
$134.0 billion
$125
AUDIENCES $80.8
$100 $75
AUDIENCES $103.1
$50 $25 $0
ORGANIZATIONS $36.8 1992
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ORGANIZATIONS $53.2
ORGANIZATIONS $63.1
2000
2005
Arts & Economic Prosperity III uses a sophisticated economic analysis called input/output analysis to measure economic impact. It is a system of mathematical equations that combines statistical methods and economic theory. Input/output analysis enables economists to track how many times a dollar is “respent” within the local economy, and the economic impact generated by each round of spending. How can a dollar be respent? Consider the following example: A theater company purchases a gallon of paint from the local hardware store for $20, generating the direct economic impact of the expenditure. The hardware store then uses a portion of the aforementioned $20 to pay the sales clerk’s salary; the sales clerk respends some of the money for groceries; the grocery store uses some of the money to pay its cashier; the cashier then spends some for the utility bill; and so on. The subsequent rounds of spending are the indirect economic impacts. Thus, the initial expenditure by the theater company was followed by four additional rounds of spending (by the hardware store, sales clerk, grocery store, and the cashier). The effect of the theater company’s initial expenditure is the direct economic impact. The subsequent rounds of spending are all of the indirect impacts. The total impact is the sum of the direct and indirect impacts. Note: Interestingly, a dollar “ripples” through each community very differently, which is why each study region has its own customized economic model. Input/output analysis is a highly regarded type of economic analysis that has been the basis for two Nobel Prizes in economics. This form of economic analysis is well suited for this study because it can be customized specifically to each community.
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Spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations provide rewarding employment for more than just artists, curators, and musicians. They also directly support builders, plumbers, accountants, printers, and an array of occupations spanning many industries. In 2005, nonprofit arts and culture organizations alone supported 2.6 million full-time equivalent jobs. Of this total, 1.3 million jobs were a result of “direct� expenditures by nonprofit arts organizations, representing 1.01 percent of the U.S. workforce.[i] Compared to the size of other sectors of the U.S. workforce, this figure is significant. Nonprofit arts and culture organizations support more jobs than accountants and auditors, public safety officers, and even lawyers, and just slightly fewer than elementary school teachers. The above chart provides a helpful context for the large number of jobs directly supported by nonprofit arts and culture organizations. It must be noted that the arts and culture jobs represent portions of multiple industry sectors (e.g., musicians, designers, accountants, printers), whereas the comparison groups are single job classifications. [i] The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were 130,307,840 nonself-employed individuals in the U.S. workforce during 2005.
* Statistical Data: ARTs&Economic Prosperity stats provided by Americans for the ARTs
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Goal #1: Arts Education: “Young ART..ist Institute” Provide access to high quality arts education in order to develop the full creative potential of all East New York residents. Objective #1: Ongoing creative learning Offer a diverse base of course offerings that provide something for every students interest. Implement a consistent participation policy that will give students incentives to attend long enough to develop skills and participate in closing events. Broad partnership with parents/guardian, community and local organizations. Access to professional development workshops, and strategic program planning in arts education, as well as operating support partnerships for our educational missions. Offer technical assistance to schools and arts organizations to determine how to make their programs and facilities available to a diverse group of learners Provide leadership in advocating for arts education for all East New Yorkers through representation on community boards and collaborating with other local community organizations agencies and state/national arts organizations. Create curriculum development, assessment tools and resources in for arts instructors. Organize workshops for teachers and teaching artists in assessment, lesson planning, classroom management, and integration of the arts with other subjects. Objective #2: “Positivity” Workshops Offer students positive self-esteem building exercises and discussion. To get group to know each other and to have each member of the group think about things that are special and unique about themselves - they also find out things that they might have in common with others in the group To help students define self-esteem and healthy neighborhoods, learn why it’s important for their development. Students explore negative behaviors that affect their communities (violence, drugs, gangs etc.) and collectively formulate ways to create positive changes. Objective #3: Career Pathing Organize field trips as a tool for career exploration in the arts. Offer one on one mentoring to develop a path with students to follow educational and career path that will lead them to successful future. Schedule Guest Speaker presentations that will allow students to physically see and learn from industry professionals. Show students how creativity at work can boost careers as well as increase economic and community vitality.
THE ARTS HOLD PROMISE Youth in East New York face complex challenges affecting their personal lives and future opportunities. Gun violence, gangs involvement, drugs use/addiction and drop-out rates all rank higher as compare to the NYC and Brooklyn averages. These negative community statistics present our youth with often-difficult choices. Recent statistics paint a discouraging picture of trends among East New York youth while tragic incidents of youth violence daily grip the city’s attention: East New York is one of the areas that suffers from very high high school dropout rates. Violent crime is also a big problem in the local schools. According to Wikipedia statistics 2007 Youth account for 18 % of violent crime and 33% of all serious property crime. According to NYC Crime Statistics 75th Precint Only 1 in 10 students have access to developmental arts programs during non-school hours within the East New York community. Given that East New York Students are face with numerous challenges during and after-school hours, attention needs to be placed on what school age children are doing with their extra-ciriclular time. During the hours of 3pm – 6pm Mon-Fri and 11am-8pm students are most likely to: Become victims of violent crimes Experiment with dangerous drugs Involve themselves in gang activity With the ability to reverse these ominous trends, we will use our arts programs to: Reduce juvenile crime and violence Reduce drug use and addiction Reduce other risky behaviors (HIV/AIDs and STD contraction, Teen Pregnancy etc.) Reduce truancy and improve academic performance Provide more cost effective approaches with better results than traditional programs Build critical self-discipline, self-esteem, communication and job skills The future of this community is being shaped by the development of our youth and should seriously consider the dramatic and promising results gained by establishing arts programs for our youth.
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The ultimate challenge for American education is to place all children on pathways toward success in school and in life . Through engagement with the arts, young people can better begin lifelong journeys of developing their capabilities and contributing to the world around them. The arts teach young people how to learn by giving them the first step: the desire to learn. Richard Riley Secretary, Department of Education
Here we find key differences between students highly involved in the arts and non-involved students, both for all students in this study and for the low SES (socio-economic standard) quartile respectively. The figure includes both academic measures and also indicators of students’ regard for community service and measures of their television watching habits. This shows consistently more favorable outcomes for students involved in the arts — higher achievement , staying in school , and better attitudes about school and community. We also see marked differences in television watching habits , where arts involved youngsters watch considerably less. All Students
Low SES Students
High Arts
Low Arts
High Arts
Low Arts
Earned mostly As and Bs in Engilsh
79.2%
64%
64%
56%
Scoring in top 2 quartiles on std. tests
66.8%
42.7%
29.5%
24.5%
Dropping out by grade 10
1.4%
4.8%
6.5%
9.4%
Bored in school half or most of the time
42.2%
48.9%
41.0%
46.0%
72.5%
45.0%
41.4%
24.9%
70.9%
45.1%
43.8%
28.4%
Grade 8 Academic Performance
Grade 10 Academic Performance Scoring in top 2 quartiles, Grade 10 Std. Test Composite Scoring in top 2 quartiles in Reading
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70.9%
46.3%
41.6%
28.6%
Consider community service important or very important
46.6%
33.9%
49.2%
40.7%
Television watching, weekdays percentage watching 1 hour or less
28.2%
15.1%
16.4%
13.3%
Television watching, weekdays percentage watching 3 hours or more
20.6%
34.9%
33.6%
42.0%
Scoring in top 2 quartiles in History
Grade 10 Attitudes and Behaviors
Research conducted by Champions for Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning Report 2009 President’s Committee on Arts & Humanities
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METHODS Create core ciricullum and course offerings Student Application Process Conduct Instructor informational session Welcome Parents/Students Keep daily log of program progress Manage Social worker workshops/ guest speaker seminar Plan Career Field Trip Organize Closing Event
EVALUATION Management and staff will conduct survey’s, daily log and formative summary at the end of the program cycle to determine whether the program actually addresses the identified problem or need, whether it actually served members of the target population, program implemented as planned, whether program achieved its expected outcomes. •
•
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Executive Director • Daily evaluation log • Lesson Plan review (goals & outcomes) • Program attendance • One on one mentoring sessions • Board Review re: Program Evaluation Report presentation. Program Supervisor • Survey Parents, Instructors & Volunteers • Daily Evaluation log • Moniter Attendance ( school & program) • Student closing ceremony • Submit Evaluation Report 1/week • Picture Diary • Youth: Personal Stories
FIELD TRIPS Field trips expand children's learning through active hands-on experience with the rich resources of the local community. Field trips increase student knowledge and understanding of a subject and add realism to the topic of study. We offer good planning that precedes our field trips. Careful attention is given to trip selection, pre-visit preparation, the trip itself, appropriate follow up, and evaluation.
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GUEST SPEAKER SEMINAR Guest speakers are invited to share their career experiences with our students. The speakers share what education, skills, and experience is needed to do their jobs. Salary and benefits are also a topic of discussion. Speakers are asked to share visual aids, provide demonstrations, and any other products they would like to give to students. There are six 60-minute speaker sessions. The students receive preparation time prior to the event to complete the Guest Speaker Day Notes form. They must select at least one speaker within their pathway and two others from any pathway. The students must prepare questions to ask the guest speaker. These forms are handed in at the end of the speaker session and filed in their folder for future reference.
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POSITIVITY WORKSHOPS This workshop series provides an opportunity to support parents who want to develop a well rounded child. The workshop is designed to help community educators discuss with young adults the goals of keeping healthy and safe—and strategies for success in school and the community. The workshop is designed for ages 9-17 and are facilitated in a six-part group setting. Topics addressed include:
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health and safety
justice and the law
medically accurate information about sexuality and health
alcohol, tobacco, and drugs
conflict and violence
family values
Internet safety and mixed messages in the media
self esteem
peer pressure
COURSE OFFERINGS Capoeira
YAI Capoeira workshops strives to bring you the best capoeira has to offer— top quality instructors, up-to-date capoeira technique, and master workshops taught by visiting artists from Brazil and locally, all in a clean, supportive, welcoming, community setting.
Spoken Word
Spoken Word workshops are student-centered environments where young writers can experiment, explore, and eventually explode their work in performance. Our workshops are designed to encourage brave and creative expression in the literary arts, spoken word, hip-hop and performance. In 12 sessions, youth explore the written and oral traditions of poetry, rap and hip-hop forms, song lyrics, writing for political/social change, and more. Every workshop is a place to get feedback and new ideas, and provides a real, diverse, and supportive community of young writer/performers.
Fashion Design
What does a fashion designer do everyday? This course teaches you how the fashion business works and includes field trips to museums, stores, and fabric sources. Special guest speakers will educate the class according to their road to success in the fashion industry. Class will create a cohesive clothing line using presentation boards, collectively creating a concept, choosing fabrication and producing a fashion show at closing event.
Filmmaking
In our filmmaking workshops, each student writes, produces, directs, and edits a class collaborative film. In addition, they each assist other members of the crew in the roles of director of photography and assistant camera person, providing all with extensive set experience. Our one of a kind, hands-on film workshops are designed to teach youth the fundamentals of movie making and acting in film with a perspective of community change.
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Drama
African Dance
African Drumming
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Participants work together as a theater company to examine the political, intellectual, economic, and social impact of literary and dramatic works, culminating in the collaborative creation of a play that confronts issues in the playwrights’ cultural history and community. Introduces dance, music, and the culture of West Africa. Class begins with warm-up exercises that condition the body to develop strength, aerobic stamina, coordination, flexibility, and rhythmic awareness while learning the authentic dances and songs from West Africa, as well as their historical and cultural contexts.
Students will learn the fundamentals of hand and eye coordination, develop thinking patterns, two-hand tone method, plus a variety of cross rhythms, and have a basic proficiency on West African instruments such as the djembe, djun-djun, and the sangba.
Need
• •
Youth within the community are not exposed to various forms of the arts. Youth are in need of alternative activities as a deterent to destructive behaviors.
Project Description
•
Local youth are instructed in various forms of the arts, developed in self-esteem workshops and are exposed to industry professionals as well as field trips for educational/career mentoring.
Goals
•
To instruct students in various forms of the arts towards presentation opportunities. To develop an interest in the arts as a career and educational pursue option. To recruit 40 students ages 9-17 At-Risk youth Diversion of youth either arrested, in police custody or under probation supervision . To prevent youth involvement in gangs and violence. To improve school attendance One instructor will teach students every Saturday for 2-hours for one year One Licensed social worker will facilitate self-esteem workshop for all students every other Saturday for one year. Guest Speaker seminars will be conducted every other Saturday for one year Students will attend field trips 3x in one year Students will execute a presentation event 3x in one year
• Objectives
Methods
• • • • • • • • •
Staff Responsible
• • • •
1-FT Executive Director to oversee program 1-PT Program Coordinator to assist 6-Instructors for arts class 1-Social Worker for “Positivity Workshops”
Collaboration
•
Steering committee will include program administration, parents and Dept. of Children and Family services.
Evaluation
•
A Daily journal to document the programs effectiveness and opportunities
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• •
Sustainability
• •
Student attendance (in-school and program) reporting Survey of parents/guardian re: noticeable improvement of the behavior of the child, program satisfaction etc. Donations will be solicited from individuals in the community. Future support will be sought from corporate, government and private funding sources.
Located in the heart of East New York , YAI offers quality instruction to youth, ages 9 to 17 years old in dance, drama, fashion, spoken word and film. Our students are nurtured with positivity workshops, guest speaker seminars, field trips and special closing events all as a deterrent to negative activities. Classes are offered from 11a-5p on Saturdays. For students interested in pursuing the arts professionally, YAI offers a career pathing one on one counseling sessions that gives students a guide to lead them on the road to success, students will also showcase their talent locally and throughout New York City. Students learn discipline, respect and artistic excellence in a supportive, creative environment. Unique learning and complementary performance opportunity for YAI students includes a closing ceremony and participation in AENY annual ARTsplotion event. It is our goal that YAI students are routinely accepted at renowned performing arts high schools and go on to professional artistic careers on Broadway, film and beyond.
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CLOSING CEREMONY Young ARTist in Action is the closing ceremony for Young ARTist Institute students. It offers our young people the opportunity to perform and showcase their learned skill within the program. It also provides them the opportunity to learn the ability to produce their very own event, students will recruit volunteers, manage a budget and delgate responsibilities within their commitees. All supervision of event is overseen by YAI leadership, however, it offers the students a chance to acivate their leadership abilities as well as empower them to execute an event and manage its process and outcomes. These events are spirited by the socio-economic climate that the students are working to change, this is again an opportunity to have something to say about their community and its future. All of Young ARTist in Action productions are performance experiments, designed to challenge its performers and audiences to think and feel outside the box. They tackle difficult social and political issues and create an environment in which community youth can express their experiences and perspectives through performance and share them with a diverse audience of adults and young people from throughout New York City and beyond.
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ARTSPLOTION ARTsPOLTION is a multimedia cultural annual fundraising event designed to expose the East New York neighborhood to aesthetic workshops, creative performances, and independent artists all while educating our audience on ways to combat the socioeconomic ills that cripple the vitality of our community. The primary goal of ARTsplotion is to serve as the archetype for all events that we will showcase in order to evoke community unification and neighborhood pride. This project will be the catalyst of our organization and will set the high standard we want East New York residents to strive towards. ARTsPlotion will capture the talents of local and outside artists whose disciplines vary from the following forms of the arts: Fashion Visual Art Dance Music Film/Video Theater Spoken Word
BROOKLYN ARTS TOUR AENY Brooklyn ARTs Tour offers the premiere opportunity to visit the most authentic arts organizations, galleries and museums that serve the great borough of Brooklyn. These sightseeing tours highlight the rich and diverse cultural history of the Brooklyn neighborhood and it’s many contributions to global culture. Our guests will participate with us in the cultural and artistic renaissance taking hold presently, feel the historic streets of Brooklyn and enjoy visits to the borough’s premiere cultural institutions. Our guests are provided with breakfast, lunch and dine on delicious cuisine at our Last Saturday’s artistic event after event arrives back in East New York where they are greeted by a Djembe drummers set. AENY Brooklyn ARTs Tour offers: 1. All tours are conducted by those who are well versed in the Brooklyn arts community. Many companies offer tours in Brooklyn, but few really know and have lived the true culture and artistic diversity of the community. 2. We provide the most the innovative tours in the industry, made possible by our inside information and extensive community connects. Many experiences are
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customized to talk to national and global themes, participate in tours provided by facility staff, or to compliment the distinct needs of our attendees.
STATEMENT OF NEED The ARTsSPLOTION project’s goal is to secure external funding to support efforts of our community enrichment programs, streghthen the sustainability of the organization and create the needed artistic and multicultural community intended to reduce social and emotional distress and thereby improving individual, family and neighborhood functioning and improve the quality of life in East New York.
GOALS & OBJECTIVES Goal To establish East New York to be known far and wide as "The Community of Creativity," where the arts are essential to the creativity, imagination and community change that make East New York the very best place in East Brooklyn to live, learn, work and play.
Objectives: Fundraising To secure external funding to support efforts of moving Martin University from good to great. ACTION ITEMS Establish a consistent annual giving program with the initial events being held in December 2010. Host Artist Showcase event on December 11, 2010 as a means to connect the the community. Get support of Industry leaders, political leaders, as well as other community supporters for community arts organizations. Host first Brooklyn ARTs Tour on July 31, 2010 Secure appropriate advancement staff with comprehensive knowledge and demonstrated fundraising capability. Conduct fundraising training workshop by August 2010 for advancement Of management, staff and board members. Installation of a fundraising data tracking system by April 2010 as well as provide staff training on system utilization. Utilization of strategic marketing for promotion of Organization. STRATEGIC PLAN KEY DIRECTION: Create and advance status as East New York a ―Community for creativity and change‖. BUDGET CATEGORY LINK FOR OBJECTIVE: Salaries and fringe benefits; Contract Services; Association Dues; Conferences; Administration; Supplies;
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Travel; Printing; Marketing; Program Support MEASURABLE OUTCOMES Number of donors who give annually as compared to prior years. Number of board members and employees who make contributions to annual fund. Amount of external funds secured annually Number of external donor visits (calls) made Target marketing sites and budget linked to strategic plan.
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MANAGEMENT Catherine A. Green Executive Director/Founder Professional Achievements
Conceptualized,
coordinated and executed in-store client events, presentations, fashion shows, trunk shows, arts events, product/corporate meetings and training classes.
Extensive
background in personnel operations, including experience in employee recruitment and retention, hiring, budget management, staff development, mediation, conflict resolution, benefits and compensation, HR records management and operational compliance audits.
Demonstrated success in negotiating win-win compromises, developing teambuilding programs and training staff on personnel manuals, corporate policies, job descriptions and management reports.
Key Skills HR Department Startup Employment Law FMLA/ADA/EEO/WC Mediation & Advocacy Career Fair Presentation
Staff Recruitment & Retention Employee Relations Benefits Administration Teambuilding Event Production
Orientation & On-Boarding Training & Development Performance Management OrganizationalDevelopment HR Policies & Procedures
Educational Background B.A. Fashion Design – Meredith College - Raleigh, NC Fashion Events Planning Certificate – Fashion Institute of Technology - New York, NY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sarah Jones (MSW) Board Member Masters of Social Work – Fordham University 1999 20+ years experience as Mental Health Center Manager (HIP of greater NY, State of Delaware) Private Practice faith-based counseling services.
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M’Bwebe Ishangi Board Member BA Africana Studies/Education – University of Pittsburgh 1993 Web Developer (National Basketball Association NBA, DGT Inc.,) Author of (2) published books and nationally distributed newsletter publications and Public Speaker.
Nadine Cummings Treasurer B.S. Computer Science – Northwestern University – Boston, MA 10+ years of experience in Computer Technical Proven filmmaker , film/video mentoring instructing for at-risk youth
Cary Barnes Board Member Over 20+ years of theatre performing experience. Public speaker, Board President of Linden Houses NYCHA for over 10+ years
Licia Buckner Board Member Customer Service leadership experience Fashion Stylist with a large client basis and proven sales achievements Organic/Vegan dietician
Russell Greene Advisory Board Paralegal for Nicoletti, Gonson, Spinner and Owen LLC Corporate Design (fashion) Center Office Manager
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FIGHTING GUNS WITH ART Stephanie Ramirez, 11, is a typical 11-year-old. She likes volunteering with her Junior Girl Scout troop and performing with her stomp team at school basketball games. And when there are gun shots on her block, her mother hides her in the bathroom, Ramirez said at ARTsPLOTION on Dec. 12. The fifth grader was volunteering at the anti-gun violence event with fellow Junior Girl Scouts.
Nao Yamada & the Millenium Dance Co. perform at ARTsPLOTION. Photo credit Janet Lawrence
ARTs East New York, a new non-profit, held ARTsPLOTION to fight local gun violence through the arts. The dance performances, live music, and poetry took place in the auditorium of George Gershwin Junior High School on Linden Avenue in Brooklyn. “This event comes at an important time in our community,” Cary Barnes, the event’s emcee, said before the small audience. “It comes at a time when gun violence is high and the resources to combat those types of activities is low. This year was filled with lives lost due to gun violence. We would like to end the year with a voice of hope for 2010.”
Posted on 15 Dec, 2009 by Janet Lawrence Interactive Journalism
MOM WORKS TO BRING HOME THE ARTS Catherine Green’s career may have changed – dropping her family’s income by half – but her job as a mother hasn’t. It’s 8:30 in the morning in East New York on Veteran’s Day, and Green is in full mom-mode. Her fiancé, Russell Greene, was called into work early, so she must get both of their children ready. The kids will spend the day with their grandfather, since Green works on weekdays—even holidays. While she negotiates her 2-year-old son William’s shoes onto his feet in the bedroom, Green’s daughter, Nasira, 5, watches TV in the living room. “I like how to learn music, art and dance,” Nasira says as SpongeBob SquarePants illuminates the screen. She grips a pink plastic microphone and shows off a few ballet steps. For two years, Green traveled to downtown Brooklyn to take Nasira to dance class, but the distance and cost was too much for the family, so Green looked closer to home. She found that quality arts programs aren’t available to East New Yorkers. Nasira’s love of dance was one of the reasons Green left her job as manager of a Banana Republic store last summer. She wanted to improve the neighborhood for her children through hands-on work. In August, Green started a non-profit called ARTs East New York to bring affordable arts programs to the community. “Take your vitamin, baby.” Green emerges from the bedroom with William on her hip and hands Nasira an orange tablet. The self-described fashionista is wearing a simple black dress for work and seemingly incongruous bright white sneakers. She apologizes for the shoes and explains that since she started working from home, running after the kids trumped wearing heels. “This area has a lot of children. If we just encourage them, they could make a world of difference. It’s not about us,” Green says and zips William’s jacket. The tidy apartment is decorated with blue and brown accents, African masks and a fishfilled aquarium. The cozy scent of cinnamon potpourri drifts into the stairway. Outside, the street is anything but cozy. It’s lined with dilapidated row houses whose windows hide behind iron bars. In front of the building, Green loads her children into an aging minivan so she can drop them off at her father’s while she works. She is in the late stages of planning ARTs East New York’s first major event. She hopes the Dec. 12 event, entitled ARTsPLOTION, at George Gershwin Junior High School, will draw attention to gun violence in the neighborhood through dance, poetry and music. For Green, local violence is not an abstract problem. In the last two months, she says a helicopter has circled her East New York block four times in search of fleeing armed robbers. Speaking by phone, Green’s longtime friend and ARTs East New York treasurer Nadine Cummings, 33, said motherhood led Green to address local violence. “She’s on the battlefield of East New York. She has a ground zero view of what’s going on,” Cummings said. She added, “Every mother wonders if that could have been my child, and that fosters this need to change the landscape of the community.”
Back home, Green has a lot to accomplish in the six hours before she returns to mom-mode. She sits at her dining room table and makes a list of newspapers that will receive the ARTsPLOTION press release. Green provides a running commentary while she works. “I’m a yapper,” she says, glancing over the screen of her laptop. It’s true. As she taps at her keyboard, Green mentions prominent neighbors whose support she’s gained in the past few months. Community board members. The president of the Small Business Owners Association. Leaders of various local non-profits. Church reverends. Green’s gift of gab makes her a master networker. Recently, she chatted up an actress memorizing lines on the subway. Now the actress’s theater company plans to put on a production in East New York next spring. Another time, in a restaurant, Green gabbed with strangers at a neighboring table. The flyer she gave them found its way to Liz Koch, the arts and culture head in Borough President Marty Markowitz’s office. Koch called Green to learn about ARTsPLOTION. And Green plans to keep talking. In a bedroom-cum-office next to the dining room, a large sheet of paper hangs on the wall. On it, Green has scrawled names in black Sharpie like District Councilman Erik Martin Dilan, Saleema Davis of a local non-profit the George C. Walker Community Foundation, and Jackie Hilly the director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence who she still wants to contact. Green turns to a list of phone calls she must make before lunch. Hoping to get her event broadcast on Brooklyn Community Access TV, Green calls a producer at the station. When she hangs up, Green pumps her fist – the producer has agreed to air the entire event. She pauses to enjoy her small victory, and then dials the next number on her list. During her lunch break at a nearby diner, Green hardly touches her french fries and hot chocolate. She can’t stop talking about her plans. Green’s 10-year goal is for ARTs East New York to have a building where locals can take low-cost classes from fashion to opera and enjoy multi-cultural dance and music performances. “Not everyone will have to go outside of East New York, they will have access to art and culture in their own neighborhood,” she says. Green imagines a cultural center could transform East New York the way the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts transformed Fort Greene. “They have a million events,” she says. “Everyone – the kids, the local businesses, the cultural environment – everyone’s benefited.” After lunch, Green hurries back to the van to change her white sneakers to heels. She has only one hour to meet with a local organization, the Christopher Rose Empowerment Campaign, before she has to pick up her kids. Green hopes the group, which works to decrease local gun violence, will hand out educational materials at ARTsPLOTION. Green says she hopes ARTs East New York will help her children learn the value of community. “Nasira will be a part of the organization, take classes and do performances, but she must encourage other children, help her peers. She has to be community-minded. She and William need to understand it’s bigger than them. They live in a community.”
Posted on 11 Dec, 2009 by Janet Lawrence Interactive Journalism
ARTS East New York: A Story of a Grantee Site Visit It was November of last year when my fellow staff members and I sat at the final Review Committee meeting, debating and discussing the last of the New Yorkers for Better Neighborhood (NYBN) grant proposals sent to us by neighborhood groups in the city. With the additional support of three VISTAs who are with us for one year, we were able to increase our outreach efforts, resulting in a greater number of applications than in previous fall grant cycles. Among the applicants was ARTs East New York, a group from East New York, Brooklyn, one of the most challenging, marginalized and historically underserved neighborhoods in the entire city. The group proposed to organize a community cultural program to showcase and recognize the talents of youth in the neighborhood as well as from other parts of Brooklyn. The event would address the important issue of gun violence in East New York through messages for unity and by facilitating dialogue among community members. The Review Committee was impressed with the proposal, viewing it as a catalyst for positive change as well as for creating momentum in a neighborhood with a very limited civic infrastructure. However, could they actually pull off the concert event successfully? The Review Committee proceeded to assess the main criteria for this project’s approval at our meeting. Does the project contribute to strengthening the community by promoting collaboration among neighbors? It definitely did. Does the project address important community concerns or raise awareness of those concerns? Yes, and in a unique and creative way. According to their application, “five community members decided to take a stand for the neighborhood.” OK, it was clear that these founding members expressed a frustration and shared a brighter vision for their community. Were its outreach efforts impressive and in place? They were, in writing. Had event space been donated? It had. How realistic was their timeline? The event was to happen within the month! As importantly, did the young group have the knowledge and wherewithal to assemble talent within East New York? Tough question! But the clear and detailed project proposal reassured the Review Committee. Also, as with all other groups, we would make ourselves available for project planning assistance if required. And even though I was narrow-minded about the spelling of the event’s title (I insisted it was wrong!), I quickly came into consensus with the rest of the committee and we gave the project a thumbs up. Although the group’s goals were lofty and I still had concerns about the group’s capacity, we couldn’t pass up a group whose application stated, “the primary goal [of the program] is to serve as the archetype for all future [East New York] events that we will showcase in order to evoke community unification and neighborhood pride.” Many fall cycle grantees begin work in the last days of winter or early spring. This was not the case for ARTS East New York, which sought to address immediate community concerns by choosing a mid-December date for the event. The concert was held in the auditorium of a local junior high school and there were a few hundred people already there when I walked in right before a cello solo. The audience members came from East New York and surrounding communities like Brownsville, as well as from all over Brooklyn. Students, artists, teachers, community members of all ages, and the entire family of a slain teenager were there to support the event. There was a segment when the mother of the victim courageously took the stage and spoke to a silent audience. Her son had been shot to death in September. She simply reminded attendees of the importance to speak to young children about the senselessness of youth violence and to take pride in community-building efforts such as this one. Neighborhood leaders delivered messages of hope and optimism during brief interludes between the various artistic
acts that took the stage. Young people were commended for being a positive force in the community and resisting ever-present calls to join male and female gangs. With regard to the cultural arts, a spoken word segment by a young woman from East New York captivated the audience with her struggle to stay away from negative community forces and be a mentor for young girls. There was an awe-inspiring free-form dance performance by women’s dance collective from Westchester County. Hailing from East New York were a Brazilian dance movement and a local Latin dance studio act performances. Dedicated leaders of local grassroots groups such as East New York Crisis Team and New Yorkers Against Gun Violence gave short, powerful speeches about the positive role that young people play in the community everyday. A local filmmaker even had the opportunity to screen her controversial documentary that took East New York children on a visit to Park Slope to show the differences in both neighborhoods’ power dynamics and their respective relationships with residents! I was astonished at the number and quality of collaborations that were in place by the day of the event. I had already met Catherine Greene, the main force behind Arts East New York, earlier that week as she came all the way to our Chelsea office to make the 100 color and 200 blackand-white flyer copies we allow for volunteer-led group. In addition to the grant award of $500, we were able to lend our movie projector and portable amplifier through our Community Resource Center’s Loan Library. Catherine’s daughter happens to be a Girl Scout and so the Girls Scouts from the East New York chapter became the events’ ushers! In addition, ARTS East New York forged ties with the local community development corporation, a community-based organization and fellow NYBN grantee East New York United Concerned Citizens, and a local community coalition. Several in-kind donations such as food and refreshments were made by local businesses and the group’s first-ever laptop computer was donated as well. In a recent phone interview, Catherine told me she just tried to “utilize the knowledge of leaders from within the community.” When I asked her what she likes about giving back to the community where she grew up, she said “there’s an amazing vibrant energy that can and should be harnessed by neighborhood leaders to affect positive change.” She went on to say, “with a neighborhood as distressed as ours, the arts can be that force that churns the pot.” Foreshadowing the direction ARTS East New York will take, Catherine said, “youth programs exist but it’s the quality that is a problem, there is a lack of structure.” The group’s workshops in video documentary-making, fashion design, and theater arts start later this year as well as artsrelated programs for women. Next steps also include connecting with local elected officials and making them more aware of the important grassroots community-building work being done by ordinary citizens in their district. And while extremely appreciative of the fall 2009 NYBN grant, “finding funding was the big challenge,” as a result of the current economic climate. I told her Citizens Committee for New York City was honored to be a part of ARTS East New York’s initial project for community revitalization and unity and that it would go down as the seminal event of East New York in recent memory. In conclusion, I’d like to say that I was wrong all along. ARTSplotion was never misspelled. It took me a while, but I now know where that last syllable comes from and what it’s about: Emotion. A positive kind of emotion, like the love for one’s community. Saleen Shah Assistant Director, Neighborhood Resources Citizens Committee for New York City
January 2010
WORK PLAN
I. II.
III.
IV.
V. VI. VII.
VIII. IX. X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
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Secure Venue a. Book event space w/ adequate time allotted for set-up & clean-up Recruit Volunteers a. Contact previous volunteers b. Contact collaborating organizations for volunteer support. Schedule Performers & Vendors a. Secure Performers and fee b. Secure Vendors and fee c. Confirm event date and payment arrangments Apply for Permits a. Fill out and submit all permits: Food, Outdoor Space, Sound, Sanitation, Sales/Fundraising and Film. Apply for Grants/Fundraising a. Submit applications by deadline Press Release Distribution Distribute Marketing Materials a. Postering b. Email Listservs c. Flyering community (Street Team) Board Meeting a. Review of Event Process Event Flow Meeting a. Performance/Technical rehersal Shopping a. Supplies need for the event i.e., plates, food, decorations performer specific item request etc. Week Prior a. Call performers/vendors communicate all details b. Confirm all permits are approved and ready for pick-up c. Assign event shifts and duties for volunteers d. Create event programs Day of Event a. Compile all performer requests b. Arrive early for the event set-up c. Greet guests @ the door and maintain a sign-in log of guest phone numbers and emails. d. Distribute and collect participant surveys e. Organize clean-up crew After Event a. Send thank you notes to performers, volunteers and sponsors. b. Post event evaluation (Formative & Summative) c. Pay all bills and turn in all funding supporting.
POST-EVENT EVALUATION PROCESS Survey The ARTs East New York Team will distribute surveys during the event to determine audience satisfaction. We will also collect a sign-in sheet and email list so that patrons and volunteers can be contacted to participate in feedback for ways to improve. Board of Directors Review Board of Directors meeting will review all press coverage, interviews pictures and survey results in order to determine the effectiveness of each program we offered. We then will tailor our strategies to come into alignment with community voices.
Sample of Executive/Board of Directors Post Event Evaluation Questionairre 1. Did we meet our goals/objectives with this event? 2. Did we meet our budgetary goals? 3. Did we have enough volunteers for the event? 4. What could we have done differently to make the event better/more productive? 5. Did we have enough advertising/PR for the event? How could we have made this better? 6. Did we execute the program in a professional manner? 7. Did we face any group conflict with this program? What was it? How was it resolved? What could we have done differently? 8. Would we bring this vendor/performer in again? Was it worth it? 9. Would we execute a similar program in the future? What changes would we make? 10. How does this program allow us to grow as a group, officers, and leaders? Was it a good program?
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ARTs East New York is a community organization that is dedicated to developing culturally enriching artistic programming within the East New York neighborhood. The purpose of this organization is to create a deep appreciation of the arts and promote community unity by using artistic programs to address socioeconomic issues that hinder it’s progression. The first goal of ARTs East New York is to produce a monthly summer multi-cultural events that showcase a variety of artistic expression. The second goal is to develop a very specific youth development program (Young ARTist Institute). The third is to participate in community beautification and empowerment projects. The results will be valuable to the East New York community and its residents. All goals are to be attained with the experience and background of our leadership team. The budgeted cost for our 2010organization expenses is $243,200, however, we goals may be unreachable with inadequate funding. We have implemented a strategic financial plan in order to see our organization and its programs flourish.
INTRODUCTION TO ARTS EAST NEW YORK ARTs East New York is a new arts organization servicing the East New York community with quality arts programming, arts education for local youth, and community beautification projects to boost the quality of life for our residents. Through this organization we will provide the community of East New York with the following services: Family Cultural Events Monthly Multi-faceted Artistic Events Annual Brooklyn Arts Tour/Family Day Annual ARTsPLOTION: Concert for the arts East New Yorker of the Month Celebration Youth Art Workshops Rolling 12-week art workshops for various age groups Diverse course offerings in Fashion, film, dance, fine arts, poetry, music and drama. “Positivity Workshops” self-esteem building activities. Field Trips Guest Speaker Presentations Community Empowerment Projects New Lots African Burial Ground Dedication New Lots Ave. Tree Lighting Ceremony/Toy Giveaway The goal of the ARTs East New York initiative is to provide our community with quality arts programming and to utilize the experience of the AENY staff to ensure that the presentation of the events, youth programs and neighborhood projects will be successful. Skills gained from professional development are transferable and will allow the organization to plan and implement a comprehensive series of future arts events in our community. 2
2010 Contributions
Monthly Expenses
200,000
MONTHLY
Operations Utilities
300
Office Equipment
1,000
12,000
Rent
2,000
24,000
Paper/Supplies
100
Petty Cash/Meals/Food Personnel
50
Executive Director
3,500
42,000
Secretary
2,000
24,000
P/T Help
600
7,200
Internships Fringe
600 n/a
7,200
Contract Labor
525
6,300
Program expense
9,792
117,500
Fundraising Expenses
417
5,000 243,200
Total Expenses
1,200
1,200 600
&
presents
568 Jerome St. Brooklyn, NY 11207 COMPANY 917.756.0133 888.400.1473