Americans for the Arts, the leading organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America, is pleased to announce the second cohort of the Arts Marketing and Audience Engagement in the 21st Century: Building the Capacity of Pennsylvania’s Cultural Sector, a new, five-year initiative to strengthen and advance the arts marketing and audience engagement skills of Pennsylvania-based arts and cultural professionals. The second cohort of participants started their three-day bootcamp today!

Developed by Americans for the Arts in partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the initiative is designed to tackle the issue of declining arts participation in Pennsylvania through skill-building in the areas of arts marketing and audience engagement. The training aims to assist and strengthen Pennsylvania arts and cultural organizations—particularly those within diverse communities—in attracting and retaining expanded audiences.

Following an intensive three-day boot camp June 28-30 at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council in Pittsburgh, PA, all Cohort 2 participants will be required to participate in four in-person trainings and five virtual trainings, as well a special preconference event at the annual National Arts Marketing Project (NAMP) Conference in Seattle Nov. 9-12. While the bulk of training will take place in the first year, in the second year all Cohort 2 participants will shift from trainees to mentors for the next cohort.

This year's cohort includes arts leaders and marketing professionals from The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Attack Theater, BLOOM Collaborative, City Theatre Company, Rivers of Steel, 1Hood Media, Arts & Education at the Hoyt, Barrio Alegria, Bottle Works on Third Avenue, Casey Droege Cultural Productions, Community Arts Center of Cambria County, Erie Dance Consortium, George Junior Republic in Pennsylvania, Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Lively Arts, Mattress Factory, Office of Public Art, Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance, Quantum Theatre, Texture Contemporary Ballet, and Touchstone Center for the Arts.

“The arts today are more important than ever, whether as a contributor to the development of well-rounded youth, as a partner in community development, or as an economic driver,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “Arts organizations thrive in today’s constant state of evolution when they have the marketing tools and skills to reach both the broad audiences—which bring purchasing power and income—or the targeted audiences that become partners in positive community change. This landmark program will prepare Pennsylvania arts organizations to compete and prosper in our 21st century.”

“We are excited to see the program continuing to build as cohort 2 begins,” said Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Executive Director Karl Blischke. “AMAE21 aims to help Pennsylvania arts and cultural organizations adeptly strengthen and sustain themselves, and to equip them with the ability to quantify and illustrate their contributions to their communities and the economy.”