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Engaging Matters

Doug Borwick on vibrant arts and communities

Community Knowledge

November 8, 2017 by Doug Borwick

It’s no secret that I advocate for arts organizations addressing community interests. (Well, duh!) And, in order to do that, we have to know what those interests are. (Again, duh!) On my website I address some of the ways we can start to discover those interests. (Community Learning) Of course, the simple answer is to talk to members of those communities. And we absolutely should do so.

But if this is so important, here’s another thing we could do to keep community interests uppermost in our minds. At each board meeting, at each staff meeting devote time to a discussion of “what’s happening in the community.” We cannot credibly respond to things going on “out there” if we don’t know what those things are.

In the consultation I do around organizational planning I suggest that a portion of each board meeting be devoted to a discussion of one of the strategic issues facing the organization. (And if not at every meeting, at least frequently enough that the topic is recognized as significant.) If community engagement has been identified as a central focus of the organization, discussion of community issues (and how the organization might address them) is a perfectly logical step. And, since some of the opportunities that community interests raise might be operational or tactical, it also makes sense for staff meetings to have these discussions as well.

This would have the further impact of keeping engagement on everyone’s mental “front burner.” Worth considering.

Engage!

Doug

Photo: AttributionNo Derivative Works Some rights reserved by Michigan Municipal League (MML)

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Filed Under: The Practice of Engagement Tagged With: arts, board of directors, community engagement, governance, mainstreaming, public good, relationships, staff

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  1. Top Posts From AJBlogs 11.07.17 - British News Cloud says:
    November 8, 2017 at 4:06 am

    […] Community Knowledge It's no secret that I advocate for arts organizations addressing community interests. (Well, duh!) And, in order to do that, we have to know what those interests are. (Again, duh!) On my website I address … read more AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2017-11-07 About that Arts Council England economic report I've been away from the blog for a while, but I just can’t keep myself away from economic impact studies of the arts. The latest is from Arts Council England – you can read the …  new TWTR.Widget({ version: 2, type: 'profile', rpp: 7, interval: 30000, width: 'auto', height: 300, theme: { shell: { background: '#8dc0da', color: '#ffffff' }, tweets: { background: '#ffffff', color: '#000000', links: '#8dc0da' } }, features: { scrollbar: true, loop: true, live: false, behavior: 'default' } }).render().setUser('britishnewscld').start(); BBC Radio 1 click here Cool FM 97.4Newtownards, Northern Ireland click here Business ScotlandEdinburgh, Scotland click here News Talk 106.0 FMDublin, Ireland click here Central WalesCardiff, Wales click here Free RadioBirmingham, UK click here Manchester Radio OnlineManchester, UK click here Radio City 96.7Liverpool, UK click here […]

About Doug Borwick

Doug Borwick is a past President of the Board of the Association of Arts Administration Educators and was for nearly 30 years Director of the Arts Management and Not-for-Profit Management Programs at Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC. He is CEO of Outfitters4, Inc., providing management services to nonprofit organizations and ArtsEngaged providing training and consultation to artists and arts organization to help them more effectively engage with their communities. [Read More …]

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About Engaging Matters

The arts began as collective activity around the campfire, expressions of community. In a very real sense, the community owned that expression. Over time, with increasing specialization of labor, the arts– especially Western “high arts”– became … [Read More...]

Books

Community Engagement: Why and How

Building Communities, Not Audiences: The Future of the Arts in the United States Engage Now! A Guide to Making the Arts Indispensable[Purchase info below] I have to be honest, I haven’t finished it yet because I’m constantly having to digest the ‘YES’ and ‘AMEN’ moments I get from each … [Read More...]

Gard Foundation Calls for Stories

The Robert E. Gard Foundation is dedicated to fostering healthy communities through arts-based development, it is currently seeking stories from communities in which the arts have improved the lives of citizens in remarkable ways. These stories can either be full descriptions (400-900 words) with photos, video, and web links or mini stories (ca. 200 words) […]

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Recent Comments

  • Alan Harrison on Matter: “Brilliant once again. I think the issue of inward-facing acclaim (instead of outward-facing impact) being so prevalent among dying arts…” Jan 27, 07:17
  • Jerry Yoshitomi on Connect: “Doug: Thank you again for this. You’re suggesting that we must develop new ‘capacities’ or ‘muscles’ in order to be…” Jan 13, 21:24
  • Alan Harrison on Connect: “Brilliantly put, once again. Thanks, Doug!” Jan 13, 02:43
  • Jackie Mathis on Getting the Question(s) Right: “I have been spending a lot of time thinking about this, and there seems to me a huge opportunity for…” Jan 7, 18:06
  • Trevor O’Donnell on Getting the Question(s) Right: ““Connect and then Matter” Brilliant. Should be the new mantra for every arts organization.” Jan 6, 10:35

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