Giving Compass' Take:

• At the Arts Annual Convention, speakers discussed professional development within the context of arts administrators. It is not always an imperative within this field even though investing in best practices is very important for arts education. 

• Can more schools focus on arts administration and incorporate professional development trainings that are inclusive of arts education programs-- perhaps through partnerships? 

• Read about the importance of arts education in Kindergarten classes. 

Last summer, I had the pleasure of co-facilitating an Americans for the Arts Annual Convention session with Ryan Deal and the late Ebony McKinney. Our topic was professional development—for internal staff, for grantees, for artists, for the public at large.

Early in the question-and-answer portion it became evident that many attendees were arts educators. They saw “professional development” in the session title and assumed we would focus on the K-12 context, not on arts administrators. They were not expecting the conversation we wanted to lead.

In arts administration and within local arts agencies, however, professional development is often considered a luxury investment. The hidden assumption in this attitude is that changing how we work is rare, or undesirable. The truth is that any arts organization operating under a “business as usual” mindset is in for an awakening—if not now, then in the near future. Local arts agencies have a responsibility to create space to support those awakenings—and a responsibility to prompt them.

Our Organizational Grant Program (OGP), which currently funds more than 400 arts nonprofits in the region, has always had professional development baked into its design, pairing grantees with consultants to increase organizational capacity (in the early years), or providing grantees access to local courses covering arts administration topics. More recently, we have defined our role as cultivating the skills, knowledge, and networks for artists and arts administrators to succeed, and have consistently convened groups including arts service organizations and municipal arts funders to create space for bridge-building.

Arts administration is still a relatively young field, but as with all professions, “best practices” are not static. If we do not invest in ongoing learning and growth, we are doing a disservice to ourselves, our artists, and our stakeholders. Supporting, providing, and engaging in professional development is fundamental to our identity.

Read the full article about professional development by Talia Gibas at ARTS Blog