ArtsGreensboro has partnered with Michael Kaiser of the DeVos Institute for Arts Management at the University of Maryland and he will make his preliminary observation and recommendations in December.
These findings are from an assessment of 36 organizations in both Greensboro and High Point. One-on-one conversations with executive directors focused on artistic choices and planning, marketing strategies, donor composition, creative development, and financial stability.
ArtGreensboro covered the assessment cost as part of the Reentry and Reinvent Campaign to assist organizations in sustainability planning.
Relief support for the arts tied to capacity building initiatives is being replicated in cities across the country: Louisville, Memphis, Portland, Cincinnati, Saint Louis, among others. Arts councils are raising emergency dollars and tying them to sustainability planning. ArtsGreensboro is following in this path by hiring the DeVos Institute of Arts Management to assess the health and vitality of Guilford County’s arts sector.
The DeVos Institute is led by Michael Kaiser, past president of The Kennedy Center, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and known as a “turnaround” expert of the arts. He and his DeVos team bring immediate credibility, for both organizations and campaign supporters.
The DeVos deliverables will include individual assessments of 36 Guilford County arts organizations; aggregate data and recommendations will be provided to ArtsGreensboro. The data and recommendations will address arts education provided in public schools, quality and financial capabilities of arts institutions, the strength of governing boards, sources of funding, audience profiles, and accessibility of arts for all segments of the community.
The DeVos client list includes the American Repertory Theatre, Apollo Theatre, Arts for LA, ArtPlace, Dallas Museum of Art, Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, Harlem School of the Arts, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, and Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, to name just a few.
The evaluation will outline approaches for building larger, more diverse audiences, increasing contributed income, building stronger and more inclusive boards, and reducing costs through collective action. In tandem with the GNC, ArtsGreensboro will formalize the recommendations as an action plan to optimize our arts community with a new cultural, financial, and philanthropic landscape.
We love the enriching arts community Guilford County has, and we want to make sure that every aspect of our artistic community is tapped in to and allowed to flourish. This action plan would allow Guilford County to take a step forward and progress the artistic culture thriving in our city.