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Knit Together: Advocacy Strengthening the Landscape
Yarn tied then tightened, then the next loop begun.
Even blue knots pulled closely together, forming rows. Then the rows link together into small squares.
Squares bound together into larger bands and those bound to others.
Backing up, the view is all encompassing, splaying out a pixelated landscape of blues and greens across a downtown city skyline.
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State Arts Advocacy = Informed Passion + Strategist Mind
Leadership is a concept that comes to mind these days in the midst of one of the most contentious primary presidential campaigns we have seen in recent memory in the United States. Is what we see on TV real leadership? For the most part, it is not. Leadership combines informed passion in the mind of a strategist able to maximize limited resources to deliver tangible results, while bringing people together. Real leaders seek advice to make sounded decisions and give credit to those sources. An example of real leadership in state-level arts advocacy in the U.S. is the State Arts Action Network (SAAN).
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Welcome to Innovations in State Arts Advocacy Blog Salon!
Who are the players in statewide arts advocacy you might ask?
Text book speaking, state arts advocacy leaders and their organizations are the primary source of advocacy promoting arts and arts education friendly policy from state governments. Many statewide arts advocacy leaders belong to Americans for the Arts’ State Arts Action Network (SAAN), so you may also hear them referred to as SAAN members.
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12 Steps Towards Organization-Wide Equity at Your Nonprofit
For some years now I’ve been striving—as a white woman leading an organization that serves a diverse constituency—to meet my responsibility to equity, and I share my thoughts in this blog because I think my journey could be relevant to others.
So here is a brief primer.
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IF YOU HAVE POWER, GIVE POWER. Or, how giving up your power is the key to achieving all of your
Being an artist is a really grueling and unrewarding career choice, almost all the time. We all strive to find more moments when everything feels worth it. If you are going to commit your life to an industry that basically guarantees that you're going to live poor, you have to have a really powerful reason. For me, it's the moment when an audience member finally gains new insight and compassion for their transitioning son; when fellow artists are brought to tears as they are reminded of the power of art to create change; when community members see themselves authentically represented onstage for the first time. As the Managing Director of a theatre company, those moments also come when I am able to meet (and surpass) fundraising goals, pay the artists working for me, and having community members beg the box office for tickets that don't exist, because we've sold out every performance.
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Is Your House In Order?
I love Viola Davis for obvious reasons, but I’ll name some: she’s a brilliant, passionate actor who has used her platform to advocate for equal opportunities for artist of color. She gained even MORE of my love for what she said after winning the SAG Award this year:
Diversity is not a trending topic.
It’s really not. Diversity is not something that you prioritize because it’s the new buzzword
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10 THINK-ACTION STEPS when thinking about diversity
I have been involved in many deep discussions regarding diversity and often leave the conversations thinking, what can I do?
I realized that I needed to start by making PERSONAL CHANGE—TO LISTEN AND NOT JUST HAVE AN AGENDA. Based on conversations, interactions with people, and my own person soul searching I’ve arrived at what I call the 10 Think-Action Steps regarding diversity.
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TRUMP!
I've titled this blog post Trump because it contains braggadocio, gratuitous pandering, and an ominous message. Also, by mentioning Donald Trump and the musical, Hamilton, in the same post, it will get lots of readers!
Hamilton is one of the most brilliant musicals that Broadway has seen in a very long time. The hype over this show is merited I'm not just saying that because I met the cast and they all love me. I state that because Lin-Manuel Miranda can look at this this guy and think, "yeah, I see myself here!" But, that is because he was paying attention to Hamilton's story.
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5 Ways Data Helps Your Arts Education Collective Impact Initiative
The use of data is changing the way cities across the United States tackle arts education inequities. Community-wide efforts, including our own work through the Arts Access Initiative in Houston, continue to use data to consistently measure results, use as tools for learning and adapting, and ensure efforts are aligned with agreed-upon ambitious goals and visions for equity of arts education and creative learning in our cities.
Simply put, data matters in arts education.
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4 out of 5 Dentists Surveyed Recommend Arts in Education
For those of us that grew up in or around the 1970’s, the most recognizable use of data was in a chewing gum commercial.
“4 out of 5 dentists surveyed recommend sugarless gum for their patients who chew gum.”
Brilliant advertising. It was brief, easy to understand, and repeated ad nauseam …….. and so it stuck, like gum.
In the 21st century, the world is filled with data. And the field of arts education is no different.
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Great Data Can Help Create Better Access in Arts Education
At a recent training session on Chicago’s South Side, I discussed the challenges and opportunities of providing arts education in CPS with a small group of arts instructors. One spoke of overcoming the violence and acting out that are a part of everyday life in her elementary school. Another shared the triumphs of their school’s out-of-school-time dance club. Access to the club, especially given the difficult circumstances these young people face, is making a difference in their lives.
