The 2008 National Performing Arts Convention in Denver, Colorado

I’ve just returned from the National Performing Arts Convention in Denver and I’m so fired up about the events, conversations and art that took place there when over 3000 people gathered to discuss the art and business of live performance. Here’s some info that I’d like to pass on to the dance community at large.

The most inspiring aspect of the convention was the caucus discussions. To sit at a table with the general manager of a high budget ballet company or a the marketing directors of the symphony or opera as well as small dance and theater company directors like me, from all over the nation, was a unique and enlightening experience. Our mission was to tackle the concrete issues of moving the performing arts field forward (advance our vision), to identify our weaknesses and strengths as a community, find strategies for strengthening arts education, arts advocacy and relevance to our culture at large, to take the idea of diversity a little bit further. The beauty was that we didn’t just talk, we came to agreements, got it all down on paper, handed it into a ‘theme team’ who synthesized all these words into concise language overnight so that we could take the ideas another step further the next day. On the last day of the conference, we, 1600 people, gathered in one huge room in the Colorado Convention Center and voted on our top priorities. Here’s what we came up with, summarized from the printed daily discussion guides.

Vision statement
We are a performing arts community, inclusive of all the disciplines, that coordinates and collaborates effectively at both national and local levels to multiply the public benefits of the performing arts and to enhance each art form. We create optimum value for our constituencies and their communities by ensuring:

• Highly innovative and sustainable institutions
• Fully supported artists
• Meaningful opportunities for education in the arts for all children and lifelong learners
• Robust artistic collaboration among disciplines
• Strong and effective advocacy for public policy conducive to the full spectrum of the performing arts
• Authentic and diverse public participation in the performing arts
• Deep and widely acknowledged contributions to the public good by being vitally connected to other individuals, groups, and organizations
• Relevance through our presence in the marketplace of culture and ideas.

We identified the community’s three most pressing issues and were asked to vote for the strategy we felt most important to take in order to advance our vision.

Issue #1. Our communities do not sufficiently perceive the value, benefits, and relevance of the arts, which makes advocacy and building public support for the arts a challenge at every level. Top three strategies:

On the national level:
#1. Organize a national media campaign with celebrity spokespersons, catchy slogans (e.g. “Got Milk”), unified message, and compelling stories.

#2. Create a Department of Culture/Cabinet-level position which is responsible for implementing a national arts policy

#3. Lobby elected political officials for pro-arts policy and funding; demand arts policy platform from candidates

On the local level – local being the regional, state and civic levels
#1. Create an arts coalition to get involved in local decision-making, take leadership positions, and strengthen relationships with elected officials.

#2. Forge partnerships with other sectors to identify how the arts can serve community needs

#3. Foster cross-disciplinary conversations to share data and best practices, develop common goals, and create joint activities/performances.

On the individual/organizational level:
#1. Build relationships with non-ars groups, including governments, corporations, community development organizations, etc.

#2. Create opportunities for active participation in the arts for all ages (including interactive websites, open rehearsals, etc.)

#3. Expand relationships across the community to find and develop new leaders (e.g. through Board development) and local champions for the arts

Issue #2. The potential of arts education and lifelong learning in the Arts is under realized. Top three strategies:

On the national level:
#1. Devise an advocacy campaign to promote the inclusion of performing arts in core curricula

#2. Lobby for education reform, including rescinding No Child Left Behind

#3. Enlist artists as full partners in all aspects of arts education through training and creating an AmeriCorps/WPA- program

On the local level:
#1. Mobilize and collaborate with K-12 and higher education institutions to strengthen arts education and arts participation as core curriculum

#2. Strengthen relationship with school boards and policy makers through lobbying, electing “arts friendly officials”, involvement in local politics

#3. Integrate arts teaching in educators’ professional development and integrate teaching programs in artist organizations

#4. Innovate financial models to fund the arts: link to tax base, develop dedicated sales tax, connect to corporate funds

On the individual/organizational level:
#1. Lead lifelong education programs that actively involve people in multigenerational groups. “Make the arts part of a lifelong wellness plan”

#2. Directly engage teachers to integrate the arts into their teaching and create professional development programs to address their needs

#3. Commit your entire organization to arts education in mission, budget, programs, and collaborations

Issue #3. The increasing diversity of our communities creates an opportunity to engage a variety of ages, races, identities, and cultures in our audiences and organization. Top three strategies:

On the national level:
#1. Charge national service organizations to create dialogue at convenings, create training programs, promote diverse art and artists, and partner with grassroots organizations who are already connected to diverse communities

#2. Diversify boards, management, and staff in all national arts organizations

On the local level:
#1. Open an honest dialogue across community groups and sectors to share priorities and identify barriers to participation

#2. Partner within the arts, as well as with community organizations, to build relationships

#3. Expand beyond traditional venues to establish new points of access

On the individual/organizational level:
#1. Discover arts in our community offered by cultures other than your own and establish peer relationships

#2. Set long term goals and plan to have staff, board, programming, and audiences reflect the demographics of your community

#3. Program more diverse artists and content