Perhaps the most important accomplishment of our study is Best Practices in Cultural Placemaking with its accompanying suggestions for non-financial metrics. This document,created in a series of community meetings,draws on the experience and judgement of over fifty partners from the arts community to define the qualities that characterize a healthy and functional local culture.
I. Arts Activity/Incidence
A rich cultural place may be defined by the incidence of its cultural activities- the week to week, month to month flow of cultural life it provides. As such, an organization’s impact on the cultural vitality of a community may be measured not only in large turnouts at festivals or major concerts but equally well in the on-going number of workshops, lectures, performances, and other publicly available events offered by that venue or institution over time. So, too, an organization’s steadfast contribution to civic life over many years is also a major indicator of its value to the continuity of the cultural life. In short, a great local culture is measured in moments over time.
Education and Outreach:
Total number of workshop dates, lectures, formal lessons per year
Total number of residency programs (5+dates at a given place) per year
Total number of programs offered to mentally and physically challenged
Total number of field trips offered per year
Total number of programs designed for under-served audiences
Total number of programs dedicated to community-building and unity
Total number of programs purposely designed to serve small, intimate audiences
Population/Diversity
Total number of programs offered to reach minority populations
Total number of programs offered to address gender issues
Total number of programs offered by minority populations
Total number of programs offered by LGBTQ organizations
Series/Regular Programs
Number of program series of three programs or more offered per year
Number of scheduled classes or workshops series offered per year
Number of culturally-based meetings hosted at your facility per year
Years in service to community:
Cultural Events:
Total number of cultural events of all kinds offered per year
Total number of:
Performance dates offered per year
Gallery exhibits offered per year
Lectures and/or Demonstrations offered per year
Community workshops offered per year
Average number of:
Audience members per performance
Attendees per gallery exhibit
Audience members per lecture or demonstration
Participants per community workshop
Collaboration
Total number of:
Collaborative events per year
Number of municipally based civic events participated in per year
Collaboration with local historical societies/organizations
Collaboration with local diversity groups and individuals
Events conducted in association with local small businesses
II. New Work
The health and quality of a local cultural community may be measured by its ability to grow artistically and take artistic risks. We believe the presence of a creative arts community supports an active and energized populace. And, as innovative leaders, the resident arts community helps to maintain a high standard for creative enterprise in other phases of city life: business, education, and social services.
The following measures can provide fuel and inspiration for a creative, flexible cultural community:
Number of premieres of new locally produced works per year
Number of original adaptions per year
Number of productions of obscure or little-known works per year
Number of shows, programs, or events about or inspired by regional history
Number of visual arts commissions granted for original works employing regional artists to execute public projects
Number of original programs, projects. or compositions created to support the work of social agencies , schools. and city needs
Number of special projects created for specific events or community promotions
III. Support of Regional Artists
A rich resident artist community is a fundamental requirement for the development of a healthy and productive local cultural place. Unlike visiting artists, active local artists know their city, its history, its human networks, and its needs. And they are available to collaborate over long periods of time and at a moment’s notice. It is a central concern of this project to underscore practices that support and help to create a healthy resident artist community. In particular, our study focuses on rewarding local institutions who pay local artists rather than drawing on their talents free of charge. Genuine cultural places only evolve by valuing and making use of all the resources and talents that are immediately available to it.
The following measures support a rich resident artist community:
Percent of budget paid directly to local individual artists for services
Number of local artists of all ages who were paid for their services by your organization
Amount of money allotted in your current year’s budget for hiring local artists
Ratio of dollars spent on local artists versus artists from outside region
Number of programs, events, and fundraising events dedicated to the financial support of regional artists
Number of events and forms of community citations offered to celebrate and recognize the work of regional artists
Number of collaborations with local artists intended to create new programming
The following practices support the growth of young local artists:
Number of artists aged 21 to 29 (young and emerging artists) who were paid for services
Number of programs, events, and exhibitions dedicated to the work of young artists
Number of scholarships, internships, and/or apprenticeships offered to young artists
Number of staging opportunities offered to young local artists
IV. Community Integration
The arts of the local community have a great capacity as a binding social force. They connect businesses with performance venues, historical sites with galleries and cafes. Integration of the arts throughout the social and business community is a primary objective of a healthy arts community. For the arts not only connect people and places, they set the stage for civic participation, volunteerism, and community activism. Rewarding the integration of the small arts and small businesses is a central concern of this document.
The following measures demonstrate an organization’s commitment to collaborate and encourage creative unity:
Partnerships
Number of partnerships with community and social service organizations
Number of partnerships with commercial/retail groups and organizations
Number of partnerships with regional educational organizations
Public Events
Number of shows, events, and initiatives produced in association with city and governmental agencies
Number of shows, events, and programs featuring regional non-profit and traditional organizations
Number of benefit performances, workshops, community events your arts organization has helped produce or stage per year
Number of Street Fairs, festivals, and community events featuring the arts and small businesses
Community Participation
Number of artistic responses to immediate community needs, problems, and incidents
Number of programs designed to address on-going public issues
Number of memberships in regional agencies and community and business organizations
Engagement in data banks and other collaborative community programs
Engagement in crowd funding, Maker Spaces, kick starter campaigns, and other social media promotions directed toward community projects
V. Historical Interpretation and Regional Identity
Our study of community placemaking is founded on the importance of native assets to create a rich and original local culture. It is our native assets that make us a different and intriguing destination. In this regard, regional history becomes a major resource; a major source of interest, content, and focus for the local resident arts community. Arts organizations engaged in interpreting local history and collaborating with regional historical organizations are connecting with “the ecology of our culture” and should be justly rewarded for this service.
The following measures can indicate support for a rich local cultural community:
Number of original shows, programs, and events produced based on local history and heritage
Number of artistic collaborations with regional historical organizations
Number of participating contributions to historical festivals, celebrations, and civic events
Number of participating contributions to traditional, folk, and ethnic programs
Number of educational programs offered based on regional history, heritage, and folkways
Frequency of use of historic buildings for meetings or programming
Percentage of program budget spent on regional historical projects
Number of artistic partnerships engaged in creating cultural archives and documentary websites
Number of joint grant-writing projects engaged in between arts and historical organizations
VI. Community Sharing
The arts of the local culture are remarkable for their financial efficiency. Sharing rehearsal space, equipment, storage areas, and a hundred other exchanges is not only a form of community solidarity, they are like money in the bank for many arts organizations. The economy of sharing is an important way a resident arts community can extend a region’s cultural capital, not only for themselves, but for the community as a whole.
The following qualities support a rich arts community:
Incidences of space sharing between your organization and another community group
Incidences of equipment sharing or lending between your organization and another community group
Incidences of joint marketing projects between your organization and another community group
Incidences of ticket deals and packages between your organization and another community organization
Number of community meetings of all kinds in which your organization participated
Instances in which your organization shared in the funding of a community project or event
Number of engagements with community time bank programs
Number of contributions to community auctions, ticket exchanges, and fundraising projects
Incidents in which your group participated in a volunteer pool
VII. Community Diversity
By nature, true cultural places develop and support the richest, most inclusive resident arts community possible. It is in the diversity, eccentricity, and variety of its native population that truly unique cultural communities evolve. The value of ethnic and gender diversity and the contributions of regional demographic groups is indispensable to the social and cultural health of a town or city. It is vital to reward artistic projects that celebrate the many facets of the community.
The following qualities support a rich resident arts community:
Number of programs that address multi-cultural themes: social justice, unity, diversity
Number of programs that address ethnic populations
Number of programs dedicated to gender related issues
Number of workshops based on cross-cultural training/ social issues
Number of programs derived from cross-cultural decision-making process
Percentage of program budget spent on regional diversity and traditional programming
VIII. Artistic Variety
The resident arts community is the special haven for the small arts, non-commercial art forms, and artistic disciplines outside of the cultural mainstream. Venues representing classical music, modern dance, poetry readings, and contemporary theater are often dependent on a healthy resident arts community for support. Likewise, a wide number of small businesses, cafes, and artisan food and beverage shops, and art galleries also depend on the vitality of the arts community for their survival. Support of diverse disciplines and enterprises is crucial to enriching the character and singularity of a cultural place.
The following qualities support a rich resident arts community:
Percentage of program budget in support of non-mainstream art forms and programs
Number of programs based on traditional art forms
Number of programs based on “classical” art forms
Number of collaborations/exchanges with small community businesses
Number of artistic collaborations developed in association with colleges or universities
Number of programs or exhibitions of an experimental or contemporary nature offered
IX. The Arts in Education
Quality work in the arts education is the product of a rich relationship between the schools and the artists of the local culture. Establishing strong relationships between parents, teachers, principals, and artists takes time and patience. But the payoffs can be enormous. The arts of the local culture bring inclusion, self-confidence, and direction to the students, community building and social energy to the schools. The creation of an aesthetically literate community is a huge social and economic asset.
The following practices support a quality relationship between the schools and the resident arts community:
Number of local artists engaged in your organization’s school programming
Number of educational programs developed by your organization with local artists
Number of cultural programs presented in regional schools
Number of workshops and classes presented in regional schools
Number of lecture/demos on cultural subjects presented in regional schools
Number of in-service programs in the arts offered to regional teachers
Number of artist-in-residence programs presented in regional schools
Number of collaborative projects undertaken with local schools
X. Engagement in Local Civic Issues
The central purpose of charitable giving is to advance the work of civilization. Beyond education, artistic expression, and community-building, the arts of the local culture engage and explore important social, human, and environmental civic issues. Cultural organizations that accept and embrace this responsibility should be amply rewarded for their contributions to a healthy community.
The following practices support a strong values-based arts community:
Number of artistic programs offered on diversity, and gender-related themes
Number of arts-based workshops dedicated to gender and diversity themes
Number of arts-based programs addressing environmental and civic issues
Number of arts-based workshops dedicated to environmental and civic issues
Number of post-show discussion sessions on addressing human and social justice topics
Number of collaborative projects engaged in with environmental and social justice organizations
Number of on-going partnerships held with environmental and social justice organizations
Number of original productions and educational programs developed on gender, environmental and diversity-related themes
XI. Arts and Business Community Partnerships
Successful local cultural communities enjoy strong mutually beneficial relationships with businesses of all types— from restaurants to roofing contractors. The multiple services arts organizations can offer to the business community from teaching creative speech-writing to employee arts instruction are socially and economically effective. The support businesses can, in turn, give arts organizations in sponsorships and ticket sales is equally important.
The following practices support a quality relationship between the schools and the resident arts community:
Number of programs, workshops, and projects offered to the business community that support employee relations and creativity
Number of programs and complimentary ticket offerings to regional businesses that support clientele and employee relations
Number of programs involving joint promotional collaborations and special offers
Number of collaborative community events and small festivals combining small businesses and the arts organizations
Number of fliers, playbills, and media notices offered as joint business/arts community promotions
Number of cultural programs offered to businesses to improve and celebrate cultural differences among employees
Number of outdoor festivals, sidewalk arts sales, and civic events shared with business community
XII. Energizing Community Spaces and Neighborhoods
Community events, commemorations, parades, and festivals are all ways in which the arts of the local culture bring value and energy to public spaces. Such activities give new life to parks, downtowns, and neighborhoods. In this, the native cultural community pays real economic dividends as they provide inspiration and affordable content to community and municipal projects.
The following practices are ways the arts enliven and attract attention to community spaces:
Number of performances in the playgrounds, parks, and recreational areas.
Number of murals and public art in playground, parks, and recreational areas.
Number of arts-based special events (arts walks, benefits, fundraisers)
Number of permanent and semi-permanent installments (flower planters, sculpture gardens) provided to enhance city parks and streets
Number of artistic collaborations with historical groups commemorating public spaces
Number of street fairs and public festivals engaged in
Number of public happenings and media events staged in community
XIII. Leadership Practices
A working knowledge of how the local culture works is essential to administering any small arts organization or business. Also essential is an institutional belief in sustainable practices and in the importance of community as a social bio-system. For an effective administrator or leader must understand his or her role as a community collaborator, partner, and facilitator. The acceptance of the local culture as a collective undertaking is crucial to all decision-making in a healthy resident arts community.
The following statistics are basic to strong organizational leadership in the resident arts community:
Ratio of women to men on Board of Directors
Ratio of women to men on staff
Ratio of women to men in organizational leadership
Number of minority participants on board
Number of minority participants on staff
Number of minority participants in leadership positions
Number of collaborations, partnerships initiated with other companies and businesses
Number of working artists contributing to organizational decisions
Number of mentoring programs dedicated to new and younger arts groups and individuals
Number of joint promotional initiatives with other groups
Number of instances involving shared resources, calendars, and arts space with other groups
XIV. Audience Building
A local community audience is a force of its own, a separate creative partner in the evolution of a true local culture. Arts organizations must regard the local audience and the many people who provide volunteer services and promote local work on Facebook and other media outlets as key players in the success of the local culture. The labor- intensive effort to nurture audience as artistic collaborators benefits the community as a whole.
The following practices are basic to the creation of a strong local arts audience:
Number of special offers for discounted and low-cost tickets
Number of outreach events in unusual public spaces and alternate community settings
Number of collaborative arts actions/projects offered to the public
Number of post-show meet the artist/audience interactions
Number of pre- and post- show educational and discussion sessions
Number of performances, exhibitions, and public events offering food and drink
Number of story-gathering programs with audience
Number of pre-show teasers
Number of events featuring audience walk-a-ways and prizes
Number of projects designed to engage and enlist new audiences
Number of master classes for audience members
Number of post-show receptions for audiences
Number of programs designed to reach out to underserved audiences
Number of special offers offering reduced ticket prices for underserved audiences
XV. The Arts Community and Municipal/Regional Government.
A supportive relationship between the resident arts community and the city is the foundation of a rich cultural place. On one hand, the arts of the local culture must uphold a strong commitment to the civic advancement to the city. On the other, the city must genuinely believe in the importance of its own heritage, cultural assets, and potential attraction as a destination. Together these forces create a positive ground for urban growth and cultural vitality— a basis for civic stability and prosperity.
The following practices are basic to creating a productive working relationship between the city and the local cultural community:
Number of city council and chamber of council meetings attended
Number of meetings between members of the arts community and city council members, city officials, city planners, etc.
Number of engagements presented in city events, festivals, and celebrations
Number of collaborative projects involving the arts and the city
Number of engagements involving promotion of the city and tourism
XVI. Best Practices by Members of the Artist Community
A local artist, one committed to the growth of a city’s culture, knows the history, the issues, and the demographics of his or her community. And they must develop an on-going relationship with a network of people of all occupations, ages, genders, and ethnicities. Unlike commercial, fine, domestic, and other categories of the arts, the city is the backdrop for the local artist’s work: place is her canvas.
The following practices are basic to the development as an active artist in the resident arts community:
Number of projects, lectures, creative contacts with the local history community
Number of projects, lectures, creative contacts with local schools
Number of committees, boards, and councils in various social sectors regularly attended
Number of memberships in various cultural and social organizations
Average number of attendances at cultural events throughout the city per month
Number of events or programs entered as a volunteer
Number of community benefits contributed to as an artist
Number of collaborative projects undertaken
Number of on-going partnerships engaged in
Number of community meetings and activities outside of the arts community attended