Public Policy and Arts Advocacy
All arts organizations, small and large, have a role to play in the development of public policy. Advocacy is the means by which you express yourself and further the mission of your organization.
Increasingly, civic and elected leaders view the arts as integral to civic engagement, workforce development, economic development, and quality of life issues. When such policies are considered arts leaders need to be at the proverbial table in order to help craft public policy that best utilizes the strengths of local and regional arts organizations.
The development of sound public policy for the arts requires solid community engagement. While most arts administrators would view community engagement as an important aspect of program and audience development, it is also critical for the development of public policy for the arts and culture.
The Integrated Arts Team will work with you and your organization’s leaders to identify how your organization can best be integrated into the larger discussions surrounding public policy in your community, region, State and at the federal level.
Grant Making Made Transparent
For local arts agencies, bureaus of cultural affairs or community foundations, grant making is one of the most important services they provide. But, grant making is not just about the distribution of funds to eligible groups or individual artists it is about providing resources to your community to enable groups and/or individuals to provide services that enhance the quality of life in your community. Ultimately, the totality of your grant making should illustrate and quantitatively demonstrate the activation of your organization’s Mission.
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Establish a transparent process that reflects the character and values of your community.
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Bring your stakeholders into the planning process – work with key stakeholders to develop the application format and process.
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Reporting and accountability procedures – responsibility is critical and good stewardship demands it.
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Create a pathway for growth – Do groups know how to move up the funding “ladder?”
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Develop an engaged processes – offer opportunities for your grantees and donors to provide feedback.
Organization and Program Development
Public Art Planning and Implementing
Public Art is a Balancing Act
Public art is a multi-dimensional realm requiring curators and arts administrators to balance the creative needs of artists with the expectations of your community. Successful arts leaders will find a way to provide a platform for artists that is informed by and responsive to the community in which they are working. The Integrated Arts team offers the following:
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Conducting assessment dialogues to determine what kind of public art program would work best for your community – temporary versus permanent; event-focused versus on-going; artist-centered or community-centered.
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Conduct inventory of existing public art while also identifying local artists interested in public art.
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Developing a plan that provides a basic blueprint for a sustainable public art program.
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Site selection — identifying and prioritizing locations.
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Artist selection processes — Request for Proposals versus Request for Qualifications; Open Calls; and, employing a curator.
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Community engagement — the planning process and the site and artist selection processes provide numerous opportunities to engage civic leaders, elected officials and other community representatives in the public art program.
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Public information — from signage to educational materials – provides opportunities to engage educators and your community’s library system.
ABOUT IAI
Integrated Arts exists t o do exactly what its name states – to integrate the arts into our communities and into our daily lives
This is not a lofty goal. Indeed it is fundamental to any city or town considered to be vibrant and attractive. The arts transform a city into a destination And increasingly, the arts attract young creative professionals who seek out cities where they feel they can flourish as creative individuals and commune with like-minded people.
Being an arts-enriched city is not a luxury — it is a necessity if you want to thrive in the 21s t Century.
Integrated Arts works with civic and business leaders and nonprofit groups to identify ways to enhance your city’s arts profile. This can be achieved through public art and through a local arts agency that is transparent and engaged in risk-taking, supports individual artists as well as other creative professionals, and thinks like a venture-capitalist who expects measurable aesthetic and social returns.
Integrated Arts is about creating a two-way street.
How well are your arts groups connected to state-wide, regional and national associations? In order to have a healthy arts scene, it is important that its leadership is taking advantage of all the resources they can access. By integrating into a larger network of like-minded professionals your local arts scene will be enriched and nourished, which is especially important during challenging times.
Integrated Arts takes a comprehensive approach to assessment and planning. We work with you to identify a wide array of elements that contribute, or hinder, your city’s arts and cultural scene, such as public policies, cultural norms (biases), funding patterns and practices surrounding the distribution of local funds. Integrated Arts can work with local arts groups to identify potential organizational and programmatic growth.
Meet Jim Clark
Jim Clark
Jim Clark brings 25+ years of government, academic and nonprofit arts management experience to the table. A leader in the fields of public art and local arts agencies. Clark’s experience and training in urban studies as well as public administration make him unique in the nonprofit arts management realm.
Prior to becoming an arts professional Clark worked in local government, for Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley in his office of Economic Development and then for New York City Mayor Ed Koch in his Office of Operations. During the Koch Administration, he found his way to the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and, ultimately, to his career in the arts.
Clark’s first foray into the nonprofit arts world was with the Public Art Fund in New York City, where he was Executive Director and Curator (1989 – 1996). At PAF, he organized a wide variety of temporary public art initiatives throughout the five boroughs of New York City. While supporting the work of local and regional artists, he expanded PAF’s programming to include international artists such as Fernando Botero (Botero on Park Avenue, 1993) and Christian Boltanski (LOST: New York, 1995). Seeking to integrate contemporary art into the lives of New Yorkers, Clark organized many projects that involved large numbers of community members. For instance, in “Urban Paradise: gardens in the city,” 10 artists were paired with a variety of community groups to design urban gardens.
Having gained experience at the Public Art Fund in community organizing and arts advocacy, Clark transitioned into the management of local arts agencies. In 1998, he was named President & CEO of Culture Works in Dayton, Ohio, a United Arts Fund and arts advocacy group. In 2002, Jim moved further south to Lexington, Kentucky to lead LexArts. There, Clark oversaw the expansion of its fundraising efforts as well as its programming. Under his leadership, the annual Fund for the Arts Campaign grew by 40 percent, realizing growth even during the recession of 2009-2010. In addition, he was successful in developing public art initiatives and nurturing several emerging arts groups.
Clark has shared his insights and knowledge through his writing and teaching. He authored and led Pratt Institute’s Arts & Cultural Management Program (1997-1998) — the first accredited graduate program for cultural management and policy in the United States. This innovative program was modeled after executive management programs and is the only arts program in to employ large-scale behavioral management simulation. Developed at New York University, the Northwood Arts Center Simulation was co-authored by Clark while a graduate student at NYU. In addition to teaching at Pratt Institute for seven years, Clark has taught at City College in New York City, and the University of Kentucky’s Public Administration program.
Meet Tania Blanich
Tania Blanich has spent her career in non-profit, philanthropic and government administration. Currently, she is a management consultant, working with institutions and individuals on fundraising and grant-writing, communications, organizational structuring, and program and operations strategies. She recently served as Executive Director of the Rourke Art Museum in Moorhead, MN, responsible for transitioning it from a founder-led organization to a more professionally managed institution. Previously, she was Chief Operating Officer of LexArts, the local arts council and fund for the arts in Lexington, KY. For nearly a dozen years, she served as Director of the Program for Media Artists, a Rockefeller Foundation-funded program that supported innovative media artists in the U.S. and Latin America. Blanich began her career in public administration, working as an analyst for several New York City governmental agencies, including the Mayor’s Office of Operations. She earned her BA from the University of Michigan and her master’s degree from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
Contact Us
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