{"id":19,"date":"2011-07-30T08:00:25","date_gmt":"2011-07-30T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/?p=19"},"modified":"2015-04-20T19:56:29","modified_gmt":"2015-04-20T23:56:29","slug":"new-blog-on-the-block","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2011\/07\/new-blog-on-the-block\/","title":{"rendered":"New Blog on the Block"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Photo credits below<\/p><\/div>\n

You have just stumbled upon yet another “new blog on the block.” To get immediately to the point, the fundamental premise of all that follows is: The arts have incredible, but insufficiently utilized, power to improve people’s lives\u2013instrumentally, instrinsically, extrinsically, schmeztrinsically . . . and every which way but loose. This is excellent news for people and it’s good news for the arts. However, the unforgettable words of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl<\/em>, tell a tale.<\/p>\n

\n

I’m the greatest star.
\nI am by far,
\n. . . but no one knows it.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Many community members outside the arts are unaware of the arts’ power. (For documentation, see the political whipping boy that the arts\u2013and arts funding\u2013often become.) Unfortunately, too much of the arts world is either unschooled in the means or unskilled in the practice of linking the arts with the broader community for the benefit of both.<\/p>\n

The point of this blog will be to encourage, nudge, prod, or cajole (as necessary) the arts community in the direction of\u00a0 ever more productive partnerships with the communities they serve. I hope we will have entertaining discussions along the way.<\/p>\n

“Engaging Matters” will address the why, what, and how of community engagement for both sides of the equation\u2013arts and community\u2013with an emphasis on those of us who live and work in the arts world.<\/p>\n

But enough “mission” stuff. To give the reader some actual content to digest in this first post, here is something I’ve just run across. I’m writing\/editing a book (more\u2013much more\u2013on that later). The following is from a case study written for it by Prerana Reddy, Director of Public Events at the Queens Museum of Art. The significant background point here is that QMA has a community organizer on staff! This passage demonstrates just one benefit of that fact.<\/p>\n

\n

QMA commissioned four emerging artists each year to produce temporary site-specific art in Corona Plaza. Participating artists were asked to develop projects that would integrate with the specific conditions of the plaza and Corona . . . . The community organizer played a key role in orienting the artist to the neighborhood, brokering partnerships and project locations, and facilitating public interaction. This process differed substantially from other public art initiatives in which artists are asked to find community partners. We already had a well-established coalition with scores of partners<\/span>. [Emphasis added by Editor.] The artists were not assigned the difficult task of wading into unfamiliar territory, but given free rein to explore with the community organizer as an expert consultant. If they wanted to work in a beauty salon or Western Union, an introduction was made.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In future posts I will discuss the idea of having someone on staff, knowledgeable in community organizing, responsible for fostering the relationships out of which community engagement can grow.<\/p>\n

(The really wonky among you can take a look at some notes I have put together\u2013and will be updating\u2013on the Backstory-Ground Rules page<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Engage!<\/p>\n

Doug<\/p>\n

Picture Source: kevinmiller<\/a> and Animal Photos!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You have just stumbled upon yet another “new blog on the block.” To get immediately to the point, the fundamental premise of all that follows is: The arts have incredible, but insufficiently utilized, power to improve people’s lives\u2013instrumentally, instrinsically, extrinsically, schmeztrinsically . . . and every which way but loose. This is excellent news for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-overview","7":"category-principles","8":"entry","9":"has-post-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1G6h9-j","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":105,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2011\/08\/why\/","url_meta":{"origin":19,"position":0},"title":"Why?","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"August 4, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"First, thanks to everyone who bothered to click through to see the New Blog on the Block post. It's gratifying to know that there are people out there interested in this stuff. That said, the pressure is on to see whether anything sufficiently interesting can be said in Engaging Matters\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Overview"","block_context":{"text":"Overview","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/overview\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/Why.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4345,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2015\/12\/driving-while\/","url_meta":{"origin":19,"position":1},"title":"Driving While . . . .","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"December 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"To many, the arts are closely associated with power and privilege. The arts organization encountering hostility needs to understand that and find ways to demonstrate not only passive good will but the capacity for positive action.","rel":"","context":"In "Overview"","block_context":{"text":"Overview","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/overview\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"TrafficStop","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/TrafficStop.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5682,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2019\/09\/the-chasm-of-disbelief\/","url_meta":{"origin":19,"position":2},"title":"The Chasm of Disbelief","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"September 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"For many, the arts are so void of impact on their own lives any proof of their power is literally unbelievable. Being perceived as valuable must be earned by doing things that make us so.","rel":"","context":"In "Overview"","block_context":{"text":"Overview","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/overview\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Chasm-358x500.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4219,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2015\/07\/afta-thoughts-2015-bait-and-switch\/","url_meta":{"origin":19,"position":3},"title":"AftA Thoughts 2015: Bait and Switch","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"July 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"If we tout the arts as a means of bettering people's lives, we need to be sure that the funding we secure as a result is used in ways that are demonstrably transforming communities.","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"CarrotOnString","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/CarrotOnString.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5034,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2017\/09\/zero-sum-funding\/","url_meta":{"origin":19,"position":4},"title":"Zero Sum Funding?","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"September 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Zero Sum Funding? Not smaller pieces; rather, bake more pies.","rel":"","context":"In "The Practice of Engagement"","block_context":{"text":"The Practice of Engagement","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/the-practice-of-engagement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Pies-e1502213568579.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2993,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2013\/06\/afta-thoughts-2013-i\/","url_meta":{"origin":19,"position":5},"title":"AftA Thoughts (2013): I","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"June 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The 2013 Americans for the Arts Convention was held in Pittsburgh earlier this month. I went, with my newly minted Twitter account, intent on communicating about what happened as it happened. Then I discovered I have a learning disability. 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