Giving Compass' Take:

• Kelly Lamb Pollock lists six ways that community arts organization leaders can become more accountable to the communities they serve.

• What are the challenges with arts funding? Can donors do more to support community art organizations?

• Read about how and why to fund impactful art.

Historically, community arts organizations have looked to large-scale, stable, and well-resourced arts institutions—our symphonies, operas, and museums—as models of success. We tried to follow their lead: recruit large, affluent Boards; make sure we have a long-term strategic plan; plan our programs at least three years out; build a large endowment; develop polished marketing materials ... you get the idea.

As community arts organizations, our ambitions for our communities should be big and bold. We must play a larger role in transforming individuals and communities. We must take on our missions with great intentionality and ask ourselves how we can deploy our assets and our capabilities as a force for good. Ultimately, we need to ask, “How are we accountable to our communities?”

So, if this is our charge in community arts, how do we approach this work? What does our roadmap look like? I offer the following as “landmarks” to consider as you head down the road to relevancy:

  • Work at Intersections
  • Focus on People and Process
  • Put Inclusivity at the Core
  • Practice Radical Hospitality
  • Be Learners, Not Experts
  • Be Nimble

Read the full article about landmarks for community arts organizations by Kelly Lamb Pollock at Americans for the Arts.