Growing visibility for the California Community Foundation

For more than 20 years, California Community Foundation has been an agent for the arts in multiple dimensions across Los Angeles County. This spring, staff realized the time had come to pull the strands of activity together and allow a holistic look at the leadership this organization is bringing to one of the nation’s most vibrant arts sectors.

It’s an impressive picture, beautifully presented.

Between 2005 and 2010, this community foundation has given more than $72.4 million to artists, art projects, art institutions and art education. Annual grantmaking has doubled over this period, and the number of arts-related funds has increased from nine to 21.

Putting it all in the donor’s hands

“L.A. MAKES ART” is the community foundation’s first telling of the full scope of its art reach. This mini-brochure was created for initial use in studio tours hosted for donors. Through this piece, givers can see the power of L.A. arts, and learn how California Community Foundation helps them fuel the local arts ecosystem through support for organizations, artists and arts education. Content describes how the community foundation helps make L.A. arts:

• Innovative through investment in small and midsize community-based arts organizations
• Memorable through support for the major cultural institutions in the area
• Bold through the CCF Fellowship for Visual Artists providing funds and business skills to individuals
• Transformative through scholarships for arts students

The brochure is sized to be easily held, and designed as a physically and visually engaging piece. Its pages fold out to reveal moving images of artwork created with community foundation support, and a punchy notebook and pencil pouch let donors jot down their own points of inspiration.

This tool illustrates how the combination of donors and community foundation programs helps make L.A. arts soar. It encourages potential new donors to sponsor an artist or a project, and motivates current sponsors to think about starting a fund or leaving a legacy.

The cumulative effect is striking. And the success of this Los Angeles arts leader is breeding more success: This year, the community foundation has already raised more than 70 percent of its $100,000 goal for the 2011 CCF Fellowship for Visual Artists program.

California Community Foundation is a participant in Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

California Community Foundation is changing the artistic face of Los Angeles

For a winning example of how a community foundation supports individual artists, look to L.A.  Since 1988 the California Community Foundation has awarded nearly $1 million to 157 emerging and midcareer artists through its Fellowships for Visual Artists.

Fellowships allow artists to continue their creative work when the realities of bills and financial responsibilities compete with their artistic focus. As a group, the fellows are changing access to art—and the shape of communities—throughout Los Angeles County.

Meet the 2009 fellows

A new catalog showcases the 14 artists who were awarded fellowships in 2009. Although they work in diverse media—including photography, digital installations, ceramic and moss, acrylic ink, and performance art—the fellows are united in using their art to engage the public and contribute to change within the vibrant cultural mosaic of Los Angeles.

The role of art within a community is expressed by multimedia artist and 2009 fellow Juan Capistran: “Art, by itself, cannot solve all our problems. It can, though, spark a flame, create a space for dialogue, and give voice to [those] overlooked.”

Visit an online gallery showcasing the work of the fellows.

About the fellowships

The Fellowships for Visual Artists program provides one-year fellowships in an effort to:

• Acknowledge the contributions of outstanding midcareer artists in Los Angeles by enhancing, encouraging and nurturing artistic accomplishments
• Encourage and foster promising and emerging artists in Los Angeles by supporting early stages of individual development
• Increase access to artistic support among the diverse communities of Los Angeles
• Support and develop artistic or cultural talent of special merit that reflects Los Angeles’ diverse population

Rather than investing in a particular art project, the Fellowships for Visual Artists provide a $15,000 to $20,000 investment in each artist’s career. By granting the money without restrictions on how it is spent, the fellowship allows an artist to meet his or her area of greatest need.

The catalog provides insight on how fellows use the award.  More than 40 percent is spent on the purchase of art supplies; 36 percent is spent on the development of new projects; and 15 percent on personal expenses. It’s encouraging to note that so much money given to support the arts goes directly into new art projects.

Fellows gain additional career help by attending a two-day Business of Art retreat that strengthens business skills and supports their sustainability.

The catalog is part of a strategy for advancing the California Community Foundation’s goal to “ensure that all residents in Los Angeles County have access to the arts in their communities.” Copies are available upon request by emailing the foundation at info@ccf-la.org.

Since 2000, the community foundation has distributed more than $3.7 million to support the arts. Read more about this community foundation’s Arts & Culture Fund.

The California Community Foundation is a participant in Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of  The James Irvine Foundation.

ArtPrize supports culture, education and economics in Grand Rapids

One “little art experiment” has turned into a prime example of how philanthropy and arts can have seemingly limitless positive effects on a community – drawing praise from school children and senior citizens, from business and government leaders, and from individual artists as well as major arts institutions.  This big success, not yet two years old, is already being replicated in Chicago, and is drawing interest from community arts leaders around the world.

It’s happening in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where for two-and-a-half weeks each fall hotels are filled to capacity, hundreds of thousands of people flood the streets, restaurants are sapped of food and drink, and the chatter is contagious.

And it’s all about art

Rick DeVos said he started ArtPrize because he wanted to see what would happen when a city became a gallery, when artists engaged directly with the public, and when the public gained an empowered voice in response to art.

Billed as a “radically open art competition,” the aptly-named ArtPrize carries the largest grand prize ever for a non-invitational art contest—$250,000. The top ten artists each year divvy up total prize money of $449,000.

If ArtPrize was a rock band, it would be the Beatles: A smash from the first note, a big-time crowd pleaser and an enduring cultural phenomenon.  There is music, plus sculpture, painting, video and performance art—all created by more than 1,700 artists whose entries are spread across 192 venues in Michigan’s second-largest city.

These artists come from 44 states and 21 countries, including Croatia, Israel, Peru and Iran.

Here’s what brings the crowds to life

ArtPrize is judged not by established art critics, but by anyone who cares to express an opinion. Voting is done via the web or text, so it is open to people of all ages and interests—from those with a passing fancy to those with a lifelong devotion to the arts.

The event builds, and permeates, the community. Homeless men and business men stand together and debate the value of a two-story quilt of flowers that spruces up a building exterior. Strangers strike up café discussions and swap opinions on entries not to be missed.

At ArtPrize 2010, more than 38,500 people voted; together they cast more than 465,000 votes.

Walk the streets during ArtPrize and you’ll see throngs of people, including busloads of visitors, every day and every night. Researchers at nearby Grand Valley State University cite a $6 million economic boon for the local economy as a result of the event.

A boon for artists too

The 2010 winner is “Cavalry”, a 300-square-foot pencil drawing of a 1921 Army regiment. It is the work of Grand Rapids resident Chris LaPorte. It joins the inaugural prize winner, a massive photo-realistic oil-on-canvas painting of the sea by Brooklynite Ran Ortner.

Ortner is candid about the benefits of public appreciation and a monetary windfall. Before the big win, he was an artist concerned with paying the phone bill. With the grand prize in hand, he sold the winning entry (for an undisclosed amount of money), and now faces a glut of requests for his time and talent. His career is sailing.

So too is the optimism of community leaders who want Grand Rapids to be as much about dance and sculpture and painting as it is about manufacturing and health care and tourism.

A growing phenomenon

“We had no idea what to expect last year,” DeVos told the Detroit Free Press when discussing the first year of the experiment. “We were stunned at the extent to which people were willing to take a leap with us.”

Much of the funding for the prize, and for the management of the competition, comes from the Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation, but the list of partners and sponsors is deep and includes local governments, foundations, businesses and individuals.

The Grand Rapids Community Foundation is a long-time leader in local arts, and an active participant in ArtPrize.  The community foundation was a venue in the event’s inaugural year, and one side of its building now houses a stunning mural created for ArtPrize by Daan Hoekstra of Sonora, Mexico. His work presents “Humanity at the Crossroads” via a 100-foot long, 40-foot high expression.

“The community has become more energized because of ArtPrize,” according to Diana Sieger, President of the Community Foundation. “This excitement has translated into more business for our entertainment venues and world-class restaurants. However, the big plus has been increasing a keen interest in art of various forms. It’s an introduction if you will for people who may not have been exposed to the myriad projects and ideas that literally explode when ArtPrize opens up to the community.

“To take advantage of this energy, the area foundations are pumping in enthusiasm, dollars and influence to assure that all forms of art grow and prosper,” Sieger said. “We are all looking to long-term sustainable support for the arts.”

Barely eighteen months after the birth of ArtPrize, this daring competition serves as a leading example of what arts can do for a community. Dates for ArtPrize 2011 have been announced—and who knows how far this event may go. Visit the ArtPrize website to see more.

A Capitol event: connecting with elected officials

California’s nonprofit arts organizations add $5.4 billion to the state’s economy annually, creating more than 160,000 jobs and generating nearly $300 million in state and local taxes. This message that arts are part of the solution—and part of the creative economy— set the stage for a spring legislative reception in Sacramento. The idea was formed by Communities Advancing the Arts participants, and gained ready support from Senator Curren Price of Los Angeles, chair of the California Joint Legislative Committee on the Arts. Senator Price served as honorary host of the reception, along with two co-sponsors—Senate President pro Tem Darryl Steinberg of Sacramento, and Senator Loni Hancock of Oakland.

Standing for arts

In total, more than 40 legislators, staff members and guests joined the cohort of 30 community foundation leaders to fill a majestic room inside the Capitol. As Ruth Blank, Sacramento Region Community Foundation CEO, stated in her remarks as local community foundation host for this event, “We stand here united by our belief that the arts build community—that people and places grow stronger through the creativity and connections and commerce that the arts inspire.”

Her comment rang true throughout the reception, which served a dual purpose: fostering relationships between community foundations and their respective state elected officials, and informing these state officials of the gains being made by community foundations and their partners to generate new giving to sustain arts in locales across California.

Group and individual community foundation achievements were celebrated at this event. It began with remarks from senators Price and Hancock, each of whom spoke from the heart about the importance of arts to California people and communities.

Anne Vally, The James Irvine Foundation’s leader for the Communities Advancing the Arts initiative, reported that collectively, initiative participants have raised $23 million in new funds for the arts; the even better news is that a high percent of these funds are endowed. Plus, participants have increased annual grantmaking to the arts by $5 million. (Note that dollars reported here were through completion of 2008; with 2009 numbers showing continued growth.)

This aggregate reporting in turn led to several individual community foundations sharing recent fund development successes—beginning with a $250,000 endowment gift in Orange County, and including other examples such as 2,600 new donors to a matching commissions program in the Bay Area.

The event concluded with a remarkable performance by two youth artists, Maya Haines and Marsalis Cannady, participating in Poetry Out Loud, introduced by Sacramento Poet Laureate Bob Stanley.

Two productive days, and a promising future

The legislative reception was part of a two-day gathering of Communities Advancing the Arts participants in Sacramento. The gathering began with a question: What does a community foundation committed to arts have to do with policy?

The events, strategies, and examples shared in response point to a simple answer: As much as it wants.

More specifically, community foundations have demonstrated proven ability in this arena. The critical variables that affect how far they go with policy are internal philosophy and capacity, and external credibility and opportunity.

Throughout this time in Sacramento, community foundations illuminated a core principle that permeates their range of work on arts policy: It’s all about leverage. It’s about applying the assets of a community foundation—influence, relationships, partnerships, ability to engage all local voices, access to leaders, support from donors, and more—to generate greater public good.

In other words, it is about community leadership in the arts.

This is the third and final posting in a Communities Advancing the Arts series on community foundations and policy. Access the earlier posts here.

Communities Advancing the Arts is a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

A mayor can make a world of difference

San Francisco Mayor Christopher’s action to enact a hotel tax to support the arts nearly 50 years ago is mirrored in Sacramento today via Mayor Kevin Johnson. Motivated by his life-long respect for the arts, and inspired by a community foundation event featuring Michael Kaiser, president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Mayor Johnson has boldly asserted the importance of arts as one of the primary planks in his platform for elevating Sacramento to the status of a world-class city.

Personal passion, public vision

Mayor Johnson addressed a group of arts-focused community foundations gathered in Sacramento this spring. His passion and vision for community arts are palpable—he explains that Sacramento is the capital of a state that on its own is one of the ten largest economies globally, that it merits a place among great destination cities worldwide, and that achieving this status requires commitment to arts and culture.

Early in his tenure as mayor, he launched For Art’s Sake, an initiative grounded in a three-point strategy for making arts a competitive advantage for the Sacramento region: 1) strengthen the cultural infrastructure—with a focus on funding and facilities, 2) increase access to arts and arts education, and 3) invest in creative people and talent—including making sure local artists feel esteemed.

The mayor’s leadership is heightening awareness of the critical importance of arts in the future of Sacramento, and bringing added momentum to the positive programs and strong leaders supporting arts locally. Sacramento Region Community Foundation is an active partner of the mayor in the work of building community through arts; the community foundation helped fund the launch of For Art’s Sake, and senior staff participate on key committees charged with further developing and implementing this initiative. Mayor Johnson stated that the city and the community foundation “came together in a very powerful way” around arts as a “connector of people, conveyor of culture, and expression of ideas.”

Part three in the series will be posted next week: Learn how community foundations in California connected with state elected officials at a legislative reception.

Communities Advancing the Arts is a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

Pursuing public policies that advance
the arts in California communities.

What does a community foundation have to do with government policies and spending that support the arts? Any number of things, it seems. That is the finding from a lively two days spent sharing knowledge among a group of ten community foundations working to generate new local arts giving across California.

The learning took place in Sacramento, at an event sponsored by The James Irvine Foundation as part of its Communities Advancing the Arts initiative.

Policy is defined through the lens of public gain

Participants entered into conversation by reflecting on the best way to define public policy. Their collective characterization follows:

Policy is a definite course of action adopted and pursued by a government for the sake of more efficiently bringing about a public benefit.

In short, public policy is a way to achieve public good. And, when it comes to arts and community foundations, this definition translates into multiple expressions.

Policy in action takes diverse forms

Following are several policy achievements reported by Communities Advancing the Arts participants and their local partners:

• 510 Arts: A unique four-city collaboration to create an arts corridor in the East Bay. Through the work of the East Bay Community Foundation, the cities of Berkeley, Richmond, Emeryville, and Oakland came together to pool resources and develop a collective approach to marketing the distinct arts scenes in each of these locales. The outer expression is www.510Arts.org, a shared website. The inner workings go deeper, and involve a statement of principles and agreement signed by all four mayors. According to Diane Sanchez, Director of Grantmaking and Program Services at the community foundation, “The idea is to promote East Bay arts as a whole,” as a way to help each city gain additional visibility and support for its arts organizations. Read more.

• Santa Rosa Arts District: Establishing and funding a zone for the arts. Community Foundation Sonoma County, together with Sonoma Arts Council, was an advocate for establishing an arts district in Santa Rosa. These players provided education and promoted the benefits of a downtown arts district—as well as the value of funding it with a 1% arts ordinance applied to public or private developments in the city of Santa Rosa. It was an exercise in endurance and relationship development, reported Melissa Kester, Development Officer for the Arts at the community foundation. “We worked with the city to craft this ordinance, talked to developers, and held meetings for all stakeholders, including one event that featured a debate between two developers—one who was for and one who was against the ordinance.” This inclusive approach has paid dividends; the arts district is popular, was a significant influence in Santa Rosa competing for—and winning—an All-American City award, and has led to a redevelopment project featuring a major downtown building that is now designated to serve an arts purpose. Next up: The community foundation and arts council are exploring a county “Arts to Zoo” tax similar to the approach taken in Denver and elsewhere.

• Master Planning and Public Funding: Elevating arts in Monterey County. The Arts Council for Monterey County, in tandem with the Community Foundation for Monterey County, successfully conveyed the need to sustain funding when elected officials sought to dramatically reduce the County’s budget line item for arts due to hard times. These players made the case for arts as an economic contributor to the region and a critical element in Monterey’s identity. The County decision to restore most of the planned budget cuts, and to reaffirm the formula used to ensure ongoing annual funding to arts, directly supports the work of the community foundation and arts council in creating Creative Monterey County, the first ever cultural plan for the region. The comprehensive planning process involved new research and inputs from private and public stakeholders in all corners of the County. These stakeholders helped build the case for arts in the County, and shaped the goals and strategies now being pursued to accelerate arts’ contribution to community. Ongoing plan implementation is supported in part by the County arts budget line item. “This process has brought a new level of public visibility and respect for the arts… and it has elevated the credibility of the arts council as a vital agent for community well-being,” said Julie Drezner, Vice President of Community Engagement at the community foundation.

A spectrum of possibilities; a recognition that policy is not for everyone

These are just three landscape-changing examples of the types of work community foundations can do for arts in the policy arena. Of course, an active policy role is not for every organization. Some community foundations adopt a conscious stance to stand outside this arena, viewing policy work as contrary to their desire to maintain a neutral posture in the community.

Others are active in policy that affects programmatic priorities. For example, Ventura County Community Foundation is working with its County Superintendent and the four largest organizations providing arts education in area schools to develop a sharper understanding of these school-based programs and their contributions to youth. The expectation is that all players will join together to create an enhanced, integrated approach to arts education that better connects schools with public and private arts venues.

Plus, community foundations can contribute to the effectiveness of good arts policies that originate outside of their involvement. A case in point involves San Francisco, where a hotel tax for the arts was instituted in 1961 through the diligent efforts of Mayor George Christopher. Today, The San Francisco Foundation actively participates on the committee that makes grants for the arts from funds generated by the hotel tax, and in this role helps inform program strategies and encourage grants that optimize the impact of this tax.

Part two in this series will be posted next week: Learn how a mayor can make a world of difference for the arts.

Communities Advancing the Arts is a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

An international arts venue
becomes a permanent part of
Sonoma County

Here’s an amazing example of what is possible in a community when its community foundation stands for the arts. Steve and Nancy Oliver, founders of the globally acclaimed sculpture ranch that bears their name, are donating their entire collection—and the real estate it resides on—to the community they love through their community foundation.

It’s a powerful tale with multiple storylines.
The art

The 100-acre Oliver Ranch is known for its spectacular collection of large-scale, site-specific sculpture. Over 25 years, the Olivers have commissioned 18 works that pepper the rolling hills of Geyserville, in the heart of Sonoma County. The artists are among the world’s best, and include Richard Serra, Robert Stackhouse, Judith Shea, Andy Goldsworthy, Martin Puryear, and Bruce Nauman—who created a cast-concrete staircase that graces a quarter-mile stretch of hillside to the Olivers’ home.

Disillusioned with the emphasis on valuation in the world of art

collecting, in 1985 the Olivers began to commission site-specific installations that could not be moved, and therefore, could not be bought or sold. Their focus is squarely on the art itself, not on its assessed value. The Olivers underscore this point by seeking to free artists of traditional constraints, engaging with each in a unique, long-term, personal partnership.

Over 25 years, their only direction has been to ask sculptors to “respond to the land.”

The philanthropy

The resulting sculptures and land, with worth in excess of $20 million, are transferring over time through the Oliver Ranch Foundation—which is a new supporting organization established at Community Foundation Sonoma County. The particulars of this planned gift are sophisticated, and were custom-fit to the Olivers’ interests by community foundation staff who were working closely with the tax and legal professionals who advise the couple. Given tax implications and expected future uses of the ranch, local government officials were involved as well.

Half of the sculptures and initial parcels of land have been placed in the supporting organization already; the remainder will transfer over the Olivers’ lifetimes. Plus, the Olivers have established a designated endowment to support the operating costs of the ranch in perpetuity.

The impact

Through its supporting organization, the Ranch will continue to conduct about thirty private tours each year in conjunction with nonprofit organizations. This approach was started several years ago by the Olivers: nonprofits use these intimate tours, involving a two-and-a-half-mile walk led by Steve, as fundraisers, collectively generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in direct support for their missions each year.

In addition, a select series of events takes place each year in the Ranch’s unique performance tower designed by Ann Hamilton. Meredith Monk, the Kronos Quartet, and others have portrayed their art in this remarkable venue. These performances provide additional fundraising opportunities for nonprofits.

Tours and performances at Oliver Ranch have drawn patrons from around the world. The interest is staggering. “Believe me, we never planned to have tour buses parked in our driveway 30 days a year,” remarked Nancy Oliver.

Future plans will make it possible for more people to enjoy the wonders of the Ranch, which in turn boosts recognition and participation for all local arts. “The Oliver Ranch is a priceless asset in the Sonoma County arts and culture scene that, by its singular presence and renown, lifts all other arts organizations higher,” reported Jean Schulz, an inaugural member of the Oliver Ranch Foundation board.

The decision

Steve Oliver, President of Oliver Construction and Development in the East Bay, served on the boards of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian Institution. He told The Press Democrat that the decision about how and to whom he would entrust his legacy, was “a little awkward” given his many ties in the art world.
In the final analysis, the Olivers’ choice was simple. “I mean, what do you do with such a place? There’s really only one thing to do—you give it to the community,” said Steve. “We wanted to ensure the longevity and security of the collection, as well as keep the ranch alive with new sculptural works and original performance works inspired around the sculptures. Oliver Ranch is truly a Sonoma County asset and we very much hoped to leave the ranch in local hands. The Community Foundation was a perfect fit for us.”
And Oliver Ranch is a perfect demonstration of the Community Foundation’s value. “As a community foundation we are in unique position that enables us to take on supporting organizations such as the Oliver Ranch and help the Olivers realize their legacy,” said Barbara Hughes, CEO at Community Foundation Sonoma County.

The genesis

Community Foundation Sonoma County impressed the Olivers through its work in advancing local arts. The Community Foundation has become an innovative force for this sector, working closely with the Arts Council of Sonoma County to bring visibility and sustainability to the region’s bustling arts scene. The Community Foundation has been instrumental in establishing an arts district in downtown Santa Rosa (the county’s largest city), establishing an Artist Awards Fund and related program, and leading the charge to raise sorely needed monies for arts organizations reeling from the effects of the economic downturn.

Steve and Nancy Oliver’s engagement deepened as the Community Foundation grew its leadership in the arts arena. The relationship began with Steve being invited to participate in an arts advisory group convened by the Community Foundation. The Olivers began participating in arts events sponsored by the foundation, which led to the Olivers becoming donors, and ultimately choosing to create their legacy through a new supporting organization.

Oliver Ranch Foundation is a story more than 25 years in the making, and one with an unlimited future—thanks to the community spirit of a truly visionary couple, and the distinctive capabilities of their community foundation.

Community Foundation Sonoma County is a participant in Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

Guest post by Margy Waller,
Cincinnati Fine Arts Fund

Many of us have spent years searching for the strongest possible message and the best case on which to build support for the arts. Yet, the messages we have used to create dialogue in communities across the country have not yielded the broad sense of shared responsibility for the arts that we seek.

In late 2008, leaders of the Fine Arts Fund, with financial support from The Greater Cincinnati Foundation and the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, embarked on a research initiative designed to develop a communications strategy for an inclusive community dialogue leading to broadly shared public responsibility for arts and culture. The result of that work, The Arts Ripple Effect Report, was released early in 2009.

Perceptions shape behavior toward the arts

After a year of investigation and hundreds of interviews with residents of the area and surrounding states, this research—conducted with the Topos Partnership, a national communications research organization—finds that public responsibility for the arts is undermined by deeply entrenched perceptions. Members of the public typically have positive feelings toward the arts, some quite strong, but how they think about the arts is shaped by a number of common default patterns that obscure a sense of shared responsibility in this area.

For example, it is natural and common for people who are not insiders to think of the arts in terms of entertainment. Problematically, entertainment is a matter of personal taste, not public responsibility, and is viewed as an extra—not as a necessity. People make several assumptions that work against the objective of positioning the arts as a public good.

• The arts are a private matter: Arts are about individual tastes, experiences and enrichment, and individual expression by artists.
• The arts are a good to be purchased: Therefore, most assume that the arts should succeed or fail, as any product does in the marketplace, based on what people want to purchase.
• People expect to be passive, not active: People expect to have a mostly passive, consumer relationship with the arts. The arts will be offered to them, and therefore do not need to be created or supported by them.
• The arts are a low priority: Even when people value art, it is rarely high on their list of priorities.

These points represent the “default thinking” of people in the community, and indicate that the existing landscape of public understanding is not conducive to a sense of broadly shared responsibility for the arts.

A new message to inspire public support

Of the many communications approaches explored in our testing, one stood out as having the most potential to shift thinking and conversations in a constructive direction. This approach emphasizes one key organizing idea:

A thriving arts sector creates “ripple effects” of benefits throughout our community.

This message is at the heart of a communications strategy that helps position arts and culture as a public good, and helps people see this topic in a new way. In delivering this message, we have learned that the following two ripple effects are especially helpful and compelling to enumerate:

• A vibrant, thriving economy: Neighborhoods are more lively, communities are revitalized, tourists and residents are attracted to the area, etc. Note that this goes well beyond the usual dollars-and-cents argument and emphasizes creating an environment where people want to live, work, play, and stay.
• A more connected population: Diverse groups share common experiences, hear new perspectives, and understand each other better through the arts.

By conveying this message and describing key ripple effects, we are bringing new language with the power to create a broader sense of collective responsibility for the arts. This organizing concept for our message is simple and vivid, and helps people learn and remember our main idea.

This strategy emerged from significant testing conducted with a range of messages that are often associated with building public support for arts—including messages that emphasize civic inspiration, or focus on strengthening our identity as a great city, or highlight the positive connection between arts and youth.

It is fair to assume that at least some of the default patterns of thinking, as well as responses to messages we tested, reflect patterns that would be repeated elsewhere. We believe this research initiative provides a head start for those planning to embark on similar efforts in other parts of the country and at the national level.

Read the report and reviews.

Margy Waller is Vice President of Arts & Culture Partnership for the Fine Arts Fund, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information and to discuss replication of this research, please contact her at mwaller@fineartsfund.org.

Is there anything special arts funders can do to help nonprofits and artists deal with the continued effects of a down economy? Something beyond continued funding opportunities, capacity building, and technical support?

That’s the question The San Francisco Foundation (a participant in Irvine’s Communities Advancing the Arts) and a group of Bay Area arts funders took on halfway through 2009. And the result was a welcome relief from hard times for 700 artists and arts leaders who attended the Dynamic Adaptability conference last week at the historic Herbst Theatre.

An untypical gathering

This conference brought together creative thinkers from arts, neuroscience, business, media and philanthropy for a day of conversations. The idea was not to highlight a single strategy, emphasize a certain type of skill, or support a specific new set of relationships. To the contrary, this was a day to do something different—to be stimulated and inspired, and to turn the tide from one of cautious hope to one of genuine optimism for continued vibrancy in the Bay Area’s diverse arts ecology.

The day was keynoted by Jonah Lehrer, neuroscientist and author of How We Decide and Proust was a Neuroscientist. His rich ability to make insightful connections between art and science was catnip for the group. In the context of deep understanding of the human brain and its dual needs for focus and relaxation, he makes the persuasive point that, “Art is truth. Art teaches us something special about the mind.” In particular, he makes the case that, “Arts are deeply practical in helping us think about thinking.” In this way, arts can play a role in helping people learn new ways of thinking—including creative thinking. It’s a powerful argument.

Informative material, informal exchanges

The conference featured doses of data, including new research from Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC) indicating that Bay Area artists are, when compared to their peers nationally:

• More affected financially by the recession (more declines in grant amounts, fewer sales of work, and greater declines in non-arts income)
• More likely to have second jobs in the arts (seven of ten artists nationally hold at least one job in addition to making art)
• More likely to engage in volunteer activities (in and outside of the arts) More likely to say that artists have a special role in strengthening their communities at this time
• More likely to believe that future success will require a new outlook and approach after the economy stabilizes
• More highly educated, less white and African-American, and more Asian and Latino

Brief presentations led to conversations among panels of practitioners and thought leaders on topics such as:

• How has the way that artists engage audiences and markets been affected by the recession? How can we help artists strengthen their connections with their audiences, communities and support systems?
• What inspires people to want to be involved in something beyond themselves, including arts and culture? How can artists and cultural organizations form deeper and more authentic connections with their audiences, donors and communities?
• What are the implications of the demographic and technological changes we are experiencing for arts and cultural organizations? How can we adapt effectively to the evolving environment?

Memorable lessons

The day was a juicy mix of reality check, intellectual calisthenics, and new tools and techniques. A few more highlights:

• Margaret Jenkins, who leads the dance company bearing her name, has navigated through many recessions in 35 years of choreographing community-based dance programs. Her advice spans dance and business: “The only way to keep your balance is to move forward.”
• Perry Chen, CEO of Kickstarter, an online funding platform for artists and other inventors, makes it clear that artists need to make a pointed ask. When artists ask “can you help me?” they will get some response. When they ask “can you help me do X?” they will get a better response. And when they ask “can you help me do X, for which you will get Y?” they get the best response. Donors want to invest in a particular project and outcome, and many really appreciate gaining something (even simple recognition or a pin or a free ticket) in return.
• Philip Huang, founder of Dana Street Theater, and a grantee of the East Bay Community Foundation Fund for Artists, put Perry Chen’s principles to work in a highly animated fashion, making an unexpected bid for arts funding from conference attendees. His new project is street theatre pantomime to be performed in the middle of the night, in view of people working out on the other side of the window in 24-hour exercise facilities. It’s titled Witness to Fitness. Philip’s spontaneous pitch raised nearly $200 of his $300 project funding goal. The trick behind his animated description of the project, his up-front response to questions from the crowd (Q: “Why are you doing this piece.” A: “Art doesn’t need to have a reason.”) and his unabashed request to be “showered with money” is simple. “Thrill yourself,” says Philip, “and the money will come.”

A recurring theme, brought home by several speakers, is the need to always have “faith in our stories.” Artists and arts organization leaders need to keep their stories relevant to donor interests, even if it is a small set of donors who have real interest in the art experience offered, and to make it easy for these donors to become part of the stories. As Perry Chen commented on the colorful and engaging pitch made by Philip Huang, many of those in the audience “will tell this story tonight,” and those who contributed to his art will feel they have “a special place in it.”

Visit the conference website for more information.

The San Francisco Foundation and East Bay Community Foundation are part of Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

Talk about a multiplier effect: Here’s how two community foundations leveraged private foundation dollars to seed a four-city partnership for the arts. It’s an equation worth knowing in regions where acting together is the better path for growing a vibrant, sustainable arts landscape.The action takes place in the East Bay, where the cities of Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland and Richmond have distinct art scenes. According to mayors Tom Bates, Richard Kassis, Ron Dellums and Gayle McLaughlin, “The East Bay is a region of widely diverse cultural backgrounds. Our arts and culture reflect the region’s demographics.”

By the numbers

The East Bay contains:

• More than 6,000 professional artists
• One of the nation’s largest per capita collections of public art
• A depth and variety of art styles that mirror the diversity of the region—more than 150 languages are spoken in the area; many times that number of culturally specific art forms are practiced
• Hundreds of non-profit visual arts, music, dance, theater, multi-disciplinary and arts education organizations—from established international institutions to start-up neighborhood programs

From culturally specific traditional art forms to edgy and experimental expressions, this geography yields an astonishing array of art. The new four-city collaboration is well founded in promoting “world culture in the east bay.”

Out front and online

The East Bay Cultural Corridor is being marketed as 510Arts. (510 is the telephone area code for the region.) The partner cities worked together to build 510Arts.com as a gateway to arts in Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland and Richmond. The website establishes a unified identity for all East Bay arts, and provides easy pathways to information about each city’s arts sector and happenings.

Organizations and artists submit information to their respective city arts agency to get placed online. The website is off to a hot start, with artists and arts leaders throughout the East Bay wanting to make sure they are a recognized part of 510Arts.

The website and overall 510Arts brand—including posters and materials that arts organizations can incorporate in their local marketing—were publicly launched through a media event featuring the mayors of all four cities, as well as the funders who made this collaboration possible.

The back story

Arts campaigns are not always easy to make happen. The same can be said for municipal collaborations, public/private partnerships, and foundation/government alliances. Yet all these elements are in the East Bay Cultural Corridor equation.

And the catalysts are two community foundations. East Bay Community Foundation and The San Francisco Foundation are collegial program champions for Bay Area arts. With funding support from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC), and The James Irvine Foundation, and drawing on credibility developed through years of good work with local governments, these community foundations convened arts leaders from the four cities and facilitated a joint planning process.

“We believe collaborations and partnerships are not merely desirable, but are necessary in a world where limited resources must be leveraged for maximum impact,” reported Nicole Taylor, President and Chief Executive Officer of the East Bay Community Foundation. “Through this collaboration, we intend to throw a spotlight on the amazing richness of arts resources in these four East Bay cities.”

The process called for equal parts patience and persistence. All players needed to determine their level of comfort with, and assess their level of responsibility in, a collaborative effort. And each needed to in turn work through its own internal processes—which included gaining inputs and support from city administrators, elected officials, and community arts groups and leaders.

Steadily, the process gained momentum. A critical step was defining and having each mayor literally sign off on a formal set of operating principles for the collaboration.

A public declaration for the arts

It’s a terrific example for use in any potential arts collaborative—and for municipal arts partnerships in particular. 

It begins with a preamble, including making a direct connect between local arts and economic progress. Some excerpts…

We, the Mayors of the cities of Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland and Richmond have come together to state our strong commitment to strengthening the regional economy through creating the East Bay Cultural Corridor.

The intention is to heighten awareness of our cultural landscape, deepen the impact of the arts on their cities, and further the sustainability of artists and arts organizations through arts marketing, economic development and cultural tourism.

The arts drive economies. Creating sustainable arts communities is good business.

From individual artists working and teaching in communities to nationally recognized theatres and museums, the East Bay provides arts experiences that make the area a regional cultural treasure. Its arts presence has contributed to urban development, has a positive impact on local businesses, and has the potential for creating more viable and sustainable communities.

The document goes on to express a purpose for the corridor; two excerpts stand out:

The arts culture in each partner city has different components, different strengths, and different ways in which it interacts with the larger community. This collaboration between these cities was created in recognition of this, and the knowledge that working together creates opportunity for a cultural presence with wider impact than each city could have individually.

We see this partnership as the beginning of a wider regional collaboration between government, arts and culture, and business in the years to come.

Next come five objectives that codify the win/win nature of this collaboration (each is further described in the full document):

1. Create a Relationship Between the Diverse Arts Communities of Each City
2. Leverage New Audiences and Resources for the Arts
3. Increase the Visibility, Accessibility and Sustainability of Arts Communities
4. Leverage New Resources for Each Partner City
5. Benefit Local Businesses Through Partnerships with the Arts, Regionally and Locally

Finally, a set of “principles of partnership” explicitly set out the expectations for each city—ranging from agreement that each has equal representation in the process to acknowledging that each has responsibility for completing its assigned activities in a joint work plan to launch and sustain the collaboration. See the full document here.

A happy beginning

Three of the mayors, as well as executive leaders for the foundations that sponsored this partnership, were center stage in a media event introducing the East Bay Cultural Corridor and 510Arts.com.

The good feeling among players, and high hopes for long-term success, were evident. “The San Francisco Foundation is honored to join forces with the East Bay Community Foundation, our sister funders, and the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville and Richmond, to lift up the importance of arts and culture in the Bay Area,” commented CEO Sandra R. Hernández. “We look forward to the diverse fruits of this creative partnership.”

Media coverage was positive, leading people to 510.arts.com and emphasizing the cities’ shared goal of increasing the visibility, accessibility and sustainability of their arts communities.

Plus, the commitment—and structure—for the long term is in place. The four-city leadership group convened by the community foundations is now meeting on a monthly basis, and developing a regional advisory group made up of artists and nonprofit arts leaders, to steer the effort into the future.

Most meetings take place at the East Bay Community Foundation—a welcoming and productive place for multiplying the impact of individual actions.

East Bay Community Foundation and The San Francisco Foundation are participants in Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

This is the story of what a community—even one facing economic and social issues—can do to stake a claim for arts, and of how a community foundation can spark this public commitment.

California’s challenges are visible in its capital, where images of a tent city housing hundreds displaced by the economic downturn make international news.

Sacramento Region Community Foundation is active on many fronts to address human needs at this time of crisis, and has made a point of keeping arts very much in the mix of its local leadership agenda. The community foundation sponsored a series of high-profile spring events through its Advancing Sacramento Arts initiative, including a lively discussion with Michael Kaiser, President of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In front of a packed house at a local performing arts venue, Michael was interviewed by a local arts leader.

Ten tips from an arts turnaround expert

Michael spoke to over 200 arts leaders, drawing on his experience and writing to share insights on how arts organizations can survive—even thrive—in a down economy. In a nutshell, here are his ten basic rules for every turnaround:

1. Someone must lead.
2. The leader must have a plan.
3. You cannot “save” your way to health.
4. Focus on today and tomorrow, not yesterday.
5. Extend your programming planning calendar.
6. Marketing is more than brochures and advertisements.
7. There must be only one spokesman and the message must be positive.
8. Fundraising must focus on the larger donor, but don’t aim too high.
9. The board must allow itself to be restructured.
10. The organization must have the discipline to follow each of these rules.

View the entire 90 minute event, including Michael’s complete message, by watching this video.

Connecting with public interest

One of the invitees to this event was new Sacramento mayor, Kevin Johnson. Michael Kaiser’s message immediately resonated with the mayor’s vision for the city—causing him to adjust his calendar to spend more time at this community event. Shortly thereafter, Mayor Johnson announced an initiative titled For Art’s Sake—establishing arts as a vital plank in the platform for making Sacramento a world-class city.

The mayor has proceeded to form a multi-sector coalition for the arts, to name a liaison to the arts community, and to initiate a popular and well-publicized process for creating new relationships and programs supporting the arts. He cites both the economic and cultural contributions of the arts. “Performing arts, visual arts and literary arts—we need all three to reach the potential of what Sacramento can be,” the mayor said in his speech. “Our commitment: We are going to promote the arts in a real way.”

Sacramento Region Community Foundation is at the table with the mayor and area leaders, finding ways to help strengthen For Art’s Sake while seeking ways to link it to programming and donor interests.

For the community foundation, it’s all about leverage—and leadership.

Sacramento Region Community Foundation is a participant in Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

Where is art? Thanks to SparkOC.com, that’s a question of the past for cultural consumers in Orange County. The area’s arts council and community foundation teamed to create a one-stop info source for area residents and visitors.

This website is a central element in a larger strategy to celebrate and stimulate creativity throughout Orange County—a place where 64 percent of residents say that they or their family members create or participate in arts (research report).

This comprehensive vehicle features a searchable calendar of arts events; a directory of local organizations, venues and schools; classified listings for jobs, auditions and classes; and individual artist profiles. As part of the Artsopolis Network, it’s in a growing movement to effectively promote local arts and culture via the internet.

Something for everyone

SparkOC.com is a go-to place for all performance and exhibition information. It promotes theatre, dance, music and visual arts offered by more than 140 organizations and venues in Orange County. Online users also can find activities based on their interests in youth and family activities; classes and workshops; poetry and literature; festivals; events unique to Orange County, including History and Heritage, Science and Nature; and free public shows in all categories.

In addition, the site includes listings of special events and fundraising galas offered by arts and culture organizations, as well as weekly half-price ticket offers available exclusively through SparkOC.com.

“The goal of SparkOC.com is to inspire a groundswell of creativity and imagination throughout Orange County by increasing involvement with the arts,” said Richard Stein, executive director of Arts Orange County, which, together with the Orange County Community Foundation, developed the site. “SparkOC.com allows everyone to be in the know about the Orange County arts scene.”

SparkOC.com was developed in response to a landmark 2006 Cultural Indicators study   commissioned by Arts Orange County and the Orange County Community Foundation which found that 92% of residents agree on the importance of a vibrant cultural sector in the community, and that most said they would go to more arts and cultural events if they could find the information easily.

Orange County Community Foundation is a participant in Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

Who knew? A surprising 64 percent of residents say that they or their family members create or participate in arts. It’s a fact that shows the value of research, and it came from the Orange County Cultural Indicators Report, this community’s first-ever study of arts giving and donor perceptions. The study was conducted by the Orange County Community Foundation and Arts Orange County. The attached report describes resident values and behavioral drivers related to the arts. It includes the case for investing in a creative community, a review of the research findings summarized below, and a set of recommendations for advancing the arts and culture sector.

Key findings

1. Orange County residents agree on the importance of a vibrant cultural sector in Orange County and recognize the social and personal benefits of the arts: 64 percent revealed that they or their immediate family members actively create or participate in the arts.
2. A deepening relationship with the arts leads to attendance and financial investment. Research reinforced that early or informal family involvement in the arts are the strongest drivers for future attendance.
3. The county’s nonprofit arts sector is young and undercapitalized. Seventy-five percent of local arts organizations were founded in the last 35 years.
4. Orange County residents place a high priority on the importance of the arts in the development and education of children. A remarkable 98 percent of residents agree that arts are critical for the education and development of children.
5. Orange County has a unique set of cultural assets that tells the story of the county’s cultural history and creates the cultural face it presents to the world. The County of Orange and its 34 cities have the capability to leverage these cultural assets to help create a unique sense of place for Orange County residents and visitors.
6. Leadership at all levels will be required to make Orange County a more creative community. These leaders can be bolstered by evidence of community support: 92 percent of residents agree on the importance of a vibrant cultural sector in Orange County.

This activity was conducted as part of Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

While lots of communities want to build a creative economy, too few are able to pull everyone together around a plan. Not so in Monterey County, where collaboration, research and dialogue led to a countywide blueprint for collective action. The process was led by the Community Foundation for Monterey County in tandem with the Arts Council for Monterey County. And it produced the first comprehensive approach to advancing local arts and culture.

Seeing the big picture

The attached report states the case for investing in a creative economy. It then presents goals, recommended strategies, and a timeline for implementing an action plan to advance this creative economy over a five-year period. It addresses the role of arts and culture in community life, makes a case for increased donor support to sustain arts and culture as part of a vibrant region, and describes an approach for increasing cultural patronage. It includes a review of local demographic trends pertinent to the arts.

Purpose and goals

The purpose of this planning was three-fold:

1. To guide actions of and collaborations among artists, arts agencies and arts educators regarding research, program development and public awareness
2. To guide public and private investment, including an array of short-term and long-term loans, grants and earned revenues
3. To guide the Arts Council for Monterey County in leading countywide research, planning, advocacy and support

Four goals resulted from this process:

• Develop greater participation in Monterey County’s culture and creative activities by residents and visitors
• Build and strengthen the creative industries as a major economic cluster in the region
• Make effective use of arts, culture and creative opportunities to promote vibrant and healthy communities, including education and workforce development
• Develop visible support mechanisms to nurture and promote arts, culture and creativity

This planning activity was conducted as part of Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.

A new study helps answer the old question: What do arts bring to communities? It documents the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry, and covers 156 communities and regions representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The study was conducted by Americans for the Arts. It includes diverse communities, both rural and urban, ranging from four thousand to three million people.

The attached study focuses solely on nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences and excludes spending by individual artists and the for-profit arts and entertainment sector. The two largest U.S. cities, New York and Los Angeles, each with more than $1 billion in organizational expenditures, were excluded from this study to avoid inflating the national estimates.

Arts are big business…with big benefits

America’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity every year—$63.1 billion in spending by organizations and an additional $103.1 billion in event-related spending by audiences. The national impact of this activity is significant, supporting 5.7 million jobs and generating $29.6 billion in government revenue.

The impact of spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations is far reaching; they pay their employees, purchase supplies, and acquire assets within the local community. Additionally, unlike most industries, nonprofit arts and culture leverage significant event-related spending by their audience. Whether serving the local community or out-of-town visitors, a vibrant arts and culture industry helps local businesses thrive.

Less public support for arts is the trend in many communities. Monterey County has reversed the pattern. Here is a happy story of increased commitment to arts by a local government, and of collaboration between a community foundation and arts council to make it happen. It begins in the context of public sector budgets.

Monterey County, like virtually all local governments in California, has faced severe financial pressures in recent years. In response to these challenges, county funding of the Arts Council declined from a 2003/04 high of more than $500,000 to less than $95,000 in 2006/07.

Based on continued budget concerns, county staff’s recommendation for 2007/08 funding was $120,000.

A winning combination

Working in tandem, the Arts Council of Monterey County and the Community Foundation for Monterey County engaged the County Board of Supervisors to revisit this recommendation. By emphasizing the vital role of arts and culture in economic development (Monterey continues to be a hot spot for national festivals as well as a welcome home for emerging and established artists) and in quality of life (for current residents plus those considering locating to the region), these community leaders helped the Board of Supervisors rethink the emphasis given arts in the county budget.

The result: an increase in funding to more than $300,000 for 2007/08.

Even better, the Supervisors committed to restore and revitalize the historic formula (abandoned in recent years) for ensuring that arts have significant support from the county’s coffers.

According to Paulette Lynch, Executive Director of the Arts Council for Monterey County, the visible involvement of the community foundation was essential to helping county leaders understand the broad-reaching impact of the arts, as well as the value of investing in a creative economy. Following the Board of Supervisors’ action, her note to community foundation colleagues concluded, “Thanks to you all, the arts are back on track in Monterey County and poised to take a leadership role in the creative economy.”

The Community Foundation for Monterey County is a participant in Communities Advancing the Arts, a major funding initiative of The James Irvine Foundation.