Posted on 11/16/2010 at 03:43 PM by Global Reach
Northwest AEA Fine Arts Blog
Volume 2 Number 4
Marlin Jeffers, Educational Consultant
Music Web Site of the Month:
American for the Arts: www.artsusa.org
Americans for the Arts has been engaged in a strategic planning process to reflect upon the impact the organization has had over time and in the future. This process enabled us to capture the thoughts of over 6,000 stakeholders through surveys, focus groups, and dialogue. We were preparing to release the results of this extensive examination of the arts environment, our field, and our own organization when the current economic crisis shook the nation and the world. The combination of our planning outcomes and fiscal realities resulted in a call for a renewed focus on core audiences and the vital programs that serve them.
As a result of the new strategic plan, the Board of Directors of Americans for the Arts has approved a new Vision, Mission, & Goals for the organization. They are:
VISION
The vision of Americans for the Arts is that the arts are recognized as integral to the lives of all people and essential to the health and vitality of communities and the nation.
MISSION
The mission of Americans for the Arts is to serve, advance, and lead the network of organizations and individuals who cultivate, promote, sustain, and support the arts in America.
GOAL ONE: Strengthening An Informed Leadership
Lead and serve individuals and organizations to help build environments in which the arts and arts education thrive and contribute to more vibrant and creative communities.
GOAL TWO: Increasing Resources and Meaningful Policies for the Arts
Generate meaningful public and private sector policies and more leaders and resources for the arts and arts education.
GOAL THREE: Advancing the Value Proposition for the Arts
Build individual awareness and appreciation of the value of the arts and arts education.
GOAL FOUR: Ensuring Organizational Sustainability
Ensure the operational stability of the organization and its ability to creatively respond to opportunities and challenges.
The following includes the organization’s new strategic plan for 2009–2011 and related resources that informed our planning process:
- Americans for the Arts 2009–2011 Strategic Plan (pdf,157KB)
This document outlines the 12 key issues that emerged from the environmental scan process; core audiences of Americans for the Arts; the new Mission, Vision, and Goals of the organization; as well as key programmatic directives under each goal. - Americans for the Arts Environmental Scan Executive Summary (pdf, 162MB)
Americans for the Arts worked with AMS Planning & Research to conduct an extensive scan of the arts environment. This Executive Summary highlights the top-level results of that research. - A Time of Change. A Time for Change: Results and Recommendations from the Americans for the Arts Environmental Scan (pdf, 1,081KB)
In this Monograph, AMS Planning & Research presents the 12 most pressing challenges it observed that are affecting all artistic discipline groups and arts service organizations and also offers a thought-provoking discussion of seven possible strategies to help the field not only respond to these challenges, but guide innovation in the arts in to the 21st century.- The Monograph series is a benefit of professional membership at the Standard level or above to Americans for the Arts. However, in these tough economic times, we have made a one-time exception and are providing complimentary access to this special issue of the Monograph, regardless of member status. To continue to receive the Monograph and other important tools, join Americans for the Arts as a professional member at the Standard level or above.
- Renegotiation: An Overview of U.S. Arts Industry Insights, 2003–2007 (pdf, 186KB)
This paper was prepared for AMS Planning & Research by Andrew Taylor, Director of Bolz Center for Arts Administration at University of Wisconsin-Madison in the early stages of the planning process to provide some context for the environmental scan. .
Article of the month:
Business and School Leaders See the Arts as Key to
Preparing Students to Be Creative Workers for the Global Marketplace
85 percent of surveyed business executives indicated that they are currently having
difficulty recruiting individuals who possess creative ability. The demand for creative
people will increase as U.S. firms pursue innovation.
• U.S. employers rate creativity/innovation among the top five skills that will
increase in importance over the next five years, and rank it among the top
challenges facing CEOs.
• Employers (56 percent) and superintendents (79 percent) agree that a college
degree in the arts is the most significant indicator of creativity in a prospective
job candidate.
• Among eleven subjects offered in high school, superintendants rank arts
activities in the top four that are most likely to develop creativity. Yet, three out
of four top rated arts subjects are offered as an only as elective by a majority of
respondents. Creative writing is the sole required course in more than half the
districts. Less than 1 in 5 require a music class.
Improving access to arts education for all students and strengthening the arts in
NCLB is critical to building tomorrow’s creative workforce.
The source for this information comes from Ready to Innovate, a new study conducted
by The Conference Board, Americans for the Arts, and the American Association of
School Administrators.
The Conference Board is a global, independent association of business executives dedicated to creating and disseminating knowledge about management and the marketplace.
