Tennessee Arts Commission's Strategic Planning West TN Public Meeting

 

The Tennessee Arts Commission’s Strategic Planning Public Meeting

Monday, January 13, 2014

STAX Museum of American Soul Music 1:00 - 3:00 PM with networking at 3:00 PM

PANEL MEMBERS 

Bob Loeb, President, Loeb Properties, Memphis

Gretchen Wollert McLennon, Program Director, Authentic Assets and Communications, Hyde Foundation, Memphis

Tim Sampson, Communications Director, Soulsville Foundation, Memphis

Patsy Camp, TN Arts Commission Member, West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation Member and Jackson Arts Council Past President

Moderated by Ann Coulter, Principal, A. Coulter Consulting, Chattanooga

Round-Table Discussion Report

1. How are the arts positively impacting your community?

• The arts are more and more in the past decade a part of the conversation around community development.  In the example of the Sears Crosstown development project, Crosstown Arts instigated the idea and was the developer. The arts are beginning to define community development – they are more a point of departure rather than an after –thought in this important conversation in Memphis. 
• Africa in April Festival– the arts have tremendous impact just by getting arts to underserved communities. The festival is in its 28^th– 26 years were free. International arts and culture resonates with the community that comes to Africa in April.  
• An NFL player that played for the Saints – Mike McKenzie, a student and when he went to University of Memphis came to the Africa in April festival. He expressed years later that the experience still resonated with him as unexplainable and so encouraging. As a result, he wanted to give back to the festival.  He brought the Zulu players and the chefs from New Orleans for the festival in 2011. 
• The arts bring meaning and a new way of expressing oneself. This is especially true within the deaf community. By hosting music, visual arts showcase a community of deaf has received more exposure and interaction with other communities. Resulting in more exposure and meaning to the lives of both types of people. 
• Free programs/subsidized tickets for students is helpful
• Center for Southern Folklore, a grade school girl would come to visit a lot and spend time at the Museum. When asked why she come she said it was the only place she was able to come in and look at art for free within walking distance of her home. 
• Festival is a place of common ground and shared experience that is triggered through the art of the festival. The setting and art ignites conversation and understand between people from different back grounds.
• A  Documentary on Teenie Hodges – Al Green’s song writer- done by New York film maker came to the Indie Memphis Film Festival. The film was able to introduce or reintroduced, Teenie to Memphis. The audience was made up of so many diverse communities and the film created a conversation between to them. With film you can combine live experiences with the film by inviting the subject or filmmakers which provides more engagement. ‘
• Loeb’s effort in Overton Square
• Carpenter Art Garden in Binghampton had a student who shared his story with a police officer and got a new mural site through that conversation.
• Levitt Shell free concerts make Memphis feel like cohesive community and a growing sense of pride for our city.
• The arts are a perfect facilitator for community.
• When the arts are involved, many times property values and sense of pride/community go up – for example, Cooper Young and urban gardens in Binghamton.
• Organizations that pay artists.
• Numerous Memphis arts organization with national recognition.
• The Choose901 effort.
• Organizations increasingly collaborate.
• Shelby County Schools spends 45 million in fine arts education, with 700 fine arts teachers serving 140,000 students.  They recently completed a 4 year national education grants and a University of Memphis study positively quantifying the impact of SCS classrooms that focus on arts integration and community partnerships.
• Hattiloo Theatre is one of only 5 independent black theaters in the country and the new facility opens on July 18, 2014 in Overton Square.  They are a connector and cultural connection black arts Memphis and around the country.  Hattiloo is excited for new collaborations now that it can bring physical in addition to artists’ assets to collaborations.
• Memphis Black Arts Alliance is a place where cultural heritage arts transform people.  They focus and are a multiple disciplinary facility focused on education and artist incubation.  Example of pride: George Hunt and Frank Robinson had their first arts show at the Firehouse.  They provide a venue for artists to come together for mutual benefit and growth. Dovetailing to the need for advocacy working with you people.  Some programs include:  camps,   jazz series, etc.
• Germantown Performing Arts Center has 70,000 patrons annually at performances and family events like jazz, international artists, diverse international performing. They offer discounts and programs for children and education programs.
• Ballet Memphis takes the Memphis vibe out nationally and internationally and gets good press for the city and state.  They are willing to work collabratively - lot of arts group sharing.  They would like the possibility of going a new direction working to focus on understating the infrastructure of underserved community in the arts and how to break down those barriers.
• The Orpheum Theatre offers diverse programming to over 275,000 patron annually and is focused on audience development and engagement of young and underserved population through it student, family and educational programs.  A new facility to expand these efforts breaks ground in late February / early March.  This new facility will turn the historic building into a modern performing arts facility.
• We refocused to partner with the Grizzlie’s  and winding arts into that. We go into charter schools and brings arts into subjects. Then we create a spoken word piece giving the students a voice. First time some of them have been given approval for anything they have done. We do a poetry workshop that has grown.  As teaching artists, we go out and bring our community into our theater
• This is a room full of professionals that work in the arts so as arts grows that professional development of the arts grows
• McNairy County Arts started off as a place that needed a place for kids to do community theater and grown into the hottest properties for econ development, 2 public art projects, tourism. The theater has been the core of what we do and one of the big things is that you can work in an arts org in rural west TN. Go from the volunteer into a council model and so now there’s an arts job there. What’s missing is a rural presence. There’s a lot of arts history and talent that needs to have a seat at the metro table but it’s not organized. We have an informal network, but Memphis and Nashville can’t be all it can be if the middle is still suffering
• I work and live in Crosstown. We used arts as a means to have a block party with music and arts that included neighborhood discussions with business and architecture. Careful to balance a visual reference --  if the store fronts weren’t empty, how  it would look if people lived there. MemFix has pop up parties, critical in allowing the discussions. 50 60 years ago it was a vibrant area but people moved because of the interstate fight and because of the sears distribution center closed -- 3000 jobs were lost in the 90s. That affected all the mom and pop businesses as well. Way to bring back the neighborhood is we have a vacant space for art performances  for anything you want as long as it’s not hateful and charge less ten dollars. Helped bring people back out and talk about the neighborhood, especially kids 
• Arts Memphis participated in an 18 month study with Americans for the Arts, the findings were that $120 million per year is earned thru the arts, it is the cities 3rd largest employer. Arts groups were very eager or share information for the study. They responded quickly and efficiently. 
• Engaging children - giving them something else , engaging the youth. Changing role of arts education. When kids learn to read music their brains change. 
• A lot of development in the area - STAX, Sears tower, Overton square. Reformation thru the arts. 
• Professional development during Teacher in services. 
• TAC speakers bureau list. Regionally get information out to teachers/schools.
• Be in touch with city mayor and county mayor. Such as charter schools for the visual arts, in Memphis.
• Quite a few different ways – New Ballet Ensemble programming affects children and family lives – as long as they stay on track –program is structured for success and composition of program gives authentic and engaging ties to other generations
• Impact – people’s lives transformed and then they come back to give back – graduates
• Connecting people, collaboration that builds on strengths, authenticity and legacy – what quality of life stems from
• Engagement of non-arts audiences
• Metrics – we struggle with them – because the tangible measurements don’t measure what people live for
• Authentic culture – success stories – work at Germantown Community theatre – mother of youth with Aspergers tried to find outlets for him – student cast and then participated in talkbacks – mom said a light has been turned on – brother and sisters are now in program too
• Authentic dance style has taken youth out of community to see world that they never would have seen – students performing on national stage – charm of Memphis fusion of dance
• 100% economically disadvantaged school that had ongoing relationship with students and through art ed. – providing students with positive role models and outlets
• Urban Arts Commission – graffiti artist – mentors students after commission provided access – horizons are being broadened – convention center program – design competition builds pride of young participants – kids end up being cultural ambassadors because of access to arts education – not biased and welcoming
• We answered this question in relation to each of the organizations represented. All of these organizations improve the quality of life of their participants. Many help stimulate the local economy. All of them engage budding artists and promote a sustainable culture of arts. Many also seek to reach a demographic that is traditionally not as active in the arts. An explanation of what each of these organizations is doing to impact their communities is listed below.
• Better Choice Living has one mission – Better Life Through Better Choices
• Their target audience is minorities and their program includes getting the minority population, especially youth engaged in artistic endeavors, particularly through R & B music. They fulfill this mission in several ways, including:
• Providing opportunities for local high school students to work with guest artists -Providing a space for youth to perform
• Equipping aspiring artists with business skills and knowledge.
• Preserving heritage & culture through cooperative programs with seniors and youth
• Voices of the South creates, produces, and performs theatre from diverse Southern perspectives. Their work includes award-winning new plays and adaptations of literature. VOTS’ intended audiences range from the very young up to grown folks. They impact the community through a positive celebration of Southern culture by
• Providing educational touring shows for preK – 12th grade, complete with study guides. Topics have included Frederick Douglas, Martin Luther King Junior, Langston Hughes, Southern storytellers, and more.
• Providing several works per year that are geared toward adults or family audiences that celebrate Southern culture. These works also promote the writing, performance, and artistic endeavors of local visionaries. 
• Producing an annual children’s theatre festival at Rhodes College (in central Memphis) that is absolutely free and open to the public.

• Fuel Film Memphis promotes the growth of the Memphis film industry by educating filmmakers and investors on the development of independent film projects, and facilitating relationships between investors, producers, directors and writers to get more local films made in Memphis. They do this by
• Offering classes in film making
• Creating an environment for mentorship
• Promoting positive business and commerce relationships with their clients and local businesses.

• Mayor Wharton’s office is interested in promoting local art and artists, especially as they relate to the social infrastructure, economy, travel, & tourism.
• Theatre Memphis’s mission is to provide outstanding theatrical experience for their patrons, volunteers, and other participants. They seek to engage community members in a variety demographics. Their programming currently includes:
• An afterschool youth enrichment program for elementary and middle school student in the Binghampton Neighborhood, which is predominantly, populated by lower income Latino families.
• Writing and creative arts residencies in local grade schools, that supplement the lack of artistic programming found in public schools.
• Volunteer programs that allow members of the community to explore and cultivate performance and performance support skills in an environment where high quality performance art is created.
• Producing several classical and modern productions a year geared toward adults or family audiences. 
• Quite a few different ways – New Ballet Ensemble programming affects children and family lives – as long as they stay on track –program is structured for success and composition of program gives authentic and engaging ties to other generations
• Impact – people’s lives transformed and then they come back to give back – graduates
• Connecting people, collaboration that builds on strengths, authenticity and legacy – what quality of life stems from
• Engagement of non-arts audiences
• Metrics – we struggle with them – because the tangible measurements don’t measure what people live for
• Authentic culture – success stories – work at Germantown Community theatre – mother of youth with Aspergers tried to find outlets for him – student cast and then participated in talkbacks – mom said a light has been turned on – brother and sisters are now in program too
• Authentic dance style has taken youth out of community to see world that they never would have seen – students performing on national stage – charm of Memphis fusion of dance
• 100% economically disadvantaged school that had ongoing relationship with students and through art ed. – providing students with positive role models and outlets
• Urban Arts Commission – graffiti artist – mentors students after commission provided access – horizons are being broadened – convention center program – design competition builds pride of young participants – kids end up being cultural ambassadors because of access to arts education – not biased and welcoming
• GermantoWn Comm Theatre

2. What can we do beyond funding to get the arts to more children in your region?

• In schools, testing is so much the focus of the entire school culture that the arts cannot thrive. 
• We need a space for just the art.
• Bring more artists to students in schools that they are familiar with and admire this will break down barriers to the arts, inspire and give context.  Introduce children to new genres through the gateways of celebrity and social media content. 
• Join resources together from the arts community for more or higher quality exposure. 
• Help smaller arts organizations to navigate through bureaucracy and manage time. 
• Efficient transportation solutions.  
• Need help building relationships and trust in neighborhoods (spending time with kids in their neighborhoods and also taking them outside of their neighborhoods are important), taking outside neighborhood).
• Meeting actual needs is crucial – a theatre can’t just show up with a play in an underserved neighborhood with there are issues of hunger, transportation, succeeding in school/getting homework done…
• This group believes that getting the arts to more children must be done with a mission of showing kid’s what’s possible rather than making kids actors, musicians, painters, etc.
• Would be good to link Teach901.com with the arts.
• Communicating how the arts can be used as engagement in other subjects (Orpheum has seen success with this in professional development – increasing teacher involvement from 8 to 45).
• Perhaps ArtsMemphis could host an online forum and quarterly get togethers for cultural program leaders to get to know each other, make connections and discuss important topics.
• Provide more arts to students by collaborating and leveraging assets
• Arts organizations need to work towards a better understanding of barriers that prohibit arts participation
• Black children need to have a stake in the ownership of Memphis and understand and embrace their ownership
• Find a way for students to better understand the contributions of non-white leaders in Memphis.  Present these ideas in an historical state through arts and not focus on struggles but importance of history.
• Curriculum development so access goes to intellectual engagement not just access. Bring educators to with arts providers - how do I make this experience real to be able to be used in the classroom.
• Quality Arts integration for teachers may be the way to get them to be able to better relate the arts experiences to their classrooms.  SCS & The Orpheum have worked with 500 teachers in workshops or 3-40 hours on arts integration but there are 7500+ in our area needing these services to better deliver and deepen  all arts experiences to/for  children.   
• Shelby County Schools Arts Fest was discussed and how different arts groups collaborate to heighten awareness for arts. SCS participation for outside is important and key to keeping the arts in our public school system.
• Kids need help right after school with homework so if we can tie art into other things. Story booth is where kids come to do homework and work with a mentor and then write their story. Published 3 books to date. They do a book signing and they make their own book. Artists are on site to help them. Also do the same with music producing CDs. All done through the arts organizations in this room
• From a non-funding standpoint, we need to be sharing these ideas with each other. Caritas started in an after-care program in a Hispanic neighborhood and now as performing arts, the children perform and bring the parents in. Partner with church originally and now running it helps us extend into new neighborhoods.  Just getting the word out internally and communicate with each other if there are other programs we can share expertise and resource
• This is valuable to me as I am from business. Would like to have arts orgs come visit and present
• Resource sharing 
• Arts Memphis initiative to get arts organizations around the same table to develop partnerships . Learn how to build strategic partnerships and alliances to focus on the kids and the underserved . Deadline passed and got lots of applications Arts Memphis Community Engagement. Bring in some national folks that are doing their work
• Arts Fest with Memphis City Schools that happens in March, Work is from a Student’s perspective. Bring an arts on wheels bringing arts to the community
• Need for statistical data for each region. Neutral entity for Memphis organizations to convene needed where a centralized message can be spread. 
• TAC create incentive to start an arts charter school in Memphis.
• Accessibility in schools is becoming more of an issue – artists and arts organizations are being shut out – talking about using churches and comm. centers – working with transportation issues – those places have trust already in place
• Public arts 
• Share the Value Plus data with other funders (not just arts) – needs to come from someone (state advocate) that doesn’t have vested interest – could be conduit for educational funders – simple presentation – make the info more accessible
• Arts executives struggle with types of metrics  - need information and training on, especially communicating 
• Arts Memphis – economic impact study results need to be communicated in accessible way
• Advocacy with local funders and schools – advocacy goes both ways – brokering relationships
• In some cases we are aware that the TAC has programming that already supports these thoughts, which we want to encourage you to continue or develop more extensively. In others we wished the programming could be made available. Our thoughts are:
• Help spread the word about and help host events that highlight local artists
• Help encourage collaboration between different arts venues
• Help encourage collaboration between art & non-art venues
• Play a greater role in schools – How do we get the arts incorporated into standardized teaching?....The standardized teaching programs seem to be stripping away access to the arts and TN educators’ empowerment to be creative teachers.
• Create & maintain relationships with established and highly recognized artists and encourage their involvement in local and budding artist.
• Help create programming and awareness that empowers ALL TN citizens to get informed and involved in the arts on some level - service, patronage, etc. The arts are SO important to quality of life and everyone in TN should know WHY the arts matter.
• Provide budget, management, and self-promotion skills for upcoming artists
• Offer mentoring programs
• Host arts education and showcases
• Help us make TN a stronger go-to place for arts & culture in respect to recruiting tourism and providing a “home” state in which artists will choose to live (having grown up here) or move to in adult years to help their art flourish 
• Accessibility in schools is becoming more of an issue – artists and arts organizations are being shut out – talking about using churches and comm. centers – working with transportation issues – those places have trust already in place
• Public arts 
• Share the Value Plus data with other funders (not just arts) – needs to come from someone (state advocate) that doesn’t have vested interest – could be conduit for educational funders – simple presentation – make the info more accessible
• Arts executives struggle with types of metrics  - need information and training on, especially communicating 
• Arts Memphis – economic impact study results need to be communicated in accessible way
• Advocacy with local funders and schools – advocacy goes both ways – brokering relationships

3. What could we do to help the arts get “a seat at the table” in all Tennessee communities?

• Add some chairs. 
• Become the developers.
• Arts as entrepreneurship
• The arts are solutions to economic development. Not viewing it as entertainment and tourism. 
• More examples for public consumption.  
• Getting the word out. Advocacy. 
• Data to back up claims. 
• Social media, to change perceptions of the community.  Utilize our networks to get the same message across. Creating a space to go online for information news about the arts. 
• Training to teach arts organizations how to lobby (how to book a mtg, what to say).
• A “playbook” for advocacy on the local level – maybe formatted after TFTA’s recent forms for state advocacy day. Important for arts organizations to collaborate on this.
• Hattiloo has done a great job at getting a seat at the table; other organizations should follow this model.
• Bob point about needing someone to translate was great.  Perhaps artist groups need a translator to better explain to legislators and business people.  Help groups on how to use metrics to communicate to - arts are economic driver and more than entertainment.
• Memphis Chamber does have an art seat on the Board of Directors.  This is good for all arts in Memphis.
• Staff education on legislature- make sure we are advocating up - someone needs to speak for us.
• What the state does is trickled down through the mayor’s office 
• Need better connections between arts, econ development 
• And corporations, for them to search out arts to be a part of. Not just governmental. Struggle to get corporations but if the state could help 
• AutoZone for example. Amazon. We need to help make those strategic partnerships 
• It needs to state at home. Always get elected officials involved. They are the ones who vote on our funding such as STS but if you invited them to a student matinee or master class
• We need to do more advocating
• A lot of nonprofit arts start from creativity and don’t have means to track and obtain data
• Connector – great position to get a seat at the table – TAC can really foster those collaborations
• Providing representatives of the arts to participate in other initiatives 
• Who is the connector to get the artists in the door?
• More active in working with boards – teaching them how to be better advocates
• Schedule – practical - of where you can go and advocate and get a seat at the table – what entity can do this
• Perception that artists are not good at business – how do we address – professional development – need for world of business to trust that will be able to follow through – need to promote that artists are good at and for business
• Tell stories of impact through several pathways
• Facilitate meetings that get the right people together in the same place
• Facilitate “out of the box” partnerships between the “art word” and “other worlds” -Spread the word about activities/artists/festivals/programming that is gaining positive notoriety and making positive impact
• Partner with other non-profits and civic organizations, especially those that already have a well-worn seat at the table. 
• Connector – great position to get a seat at the table – TAC can really foster those collaborations
• Providing representatives of the arts to participate in other initiatives 
• Who is the connector to get the artists in the door?
• More active in working with boards – teaching them how to be better advocates
• Schedule – practical - of where you can go and advocate and get a seat at the table – what entity can do this
• Perception that artists are not good at business – how do we address – professional development – need for world of business to trust that will be able to follow through – need to promote that artists are good at and for business

Other thoughts

• Bring Legislators and artists together for an arts conference economic summit forum.  Not just 3 or 4 of them and a bunch of artist group more of a split.  Perhaps revamp arts day to include not just the lunch or visiting but the information/educational part together for more impact. 
• Douglas Turner Ward’s play Day of Absence.  What if we could paint for legislators how much a day with no arts (a blackout day) really impacts not just how you define your life without the various arts forms but things we would not have.  Graceland, movies, restaurants, architecture, sights, graphics, events, etc.  Show legislators arts are not just as past time but we use these things everyday - - understand more than just economic value
• Building partnerships. 
• Ticket sales aren't the only way to measure the of the value of the arts. 
• Standardized evaluation forms, so that orgs can compare like issues. 
• ROI are a thing of the past. 
• Chambers of commerce need to get on the same page as the arts. 
• Legislation 
• TAC have a bigger presence. 
• We need TAC in The artists' toolbox.

Tennessee Arts Commission’s Strategic Planning Middle TN Public Meeting

 The Tennessee Arts Commission’s Strategic Planning Public Meeting

Wednesday, December 4, 2013 

Nashville Children's Theatre 1:00 -3:00 PM with networking at 12:30 PM

PANEL MEMBERS 

Dr. Ted Brown
President, Martin Methodist College, Pulaski

Dr. Barbara Hodges
Executive Director, Kids for the Creative Arts, Murfreesboro

The Honorable Lonnell Matthews
Metro Councilman and Operations Executive,
Davidson County School Age Services, YMCA of Middle Tennessee

Bo Spessard
COO and in-house attorney, Emma, Nashville

Moderated by Ann Coulter, Principal, A. Coulter Consulting, Chattanooga

 

Round-Table Discussion Report

 Question 1: How are the arts positively impacting your community? Give examples.

• Our organizations are already doing the 10 items mentioned as being things the arts are well suited to do on the slide presentation.
• As a muralist, I work with at risk populations and the work we create becomes the participants’ vision as opposed to just my vision as an artist.
• Art organizations are actively engaged in arts education by filling in the gaps left by schools.
• Great strides have been made in efforts to engage diverse audiences. Organizations are starting to see this as being valuable to the organizations as well as their audiences. There is still room for progress.
• Examples include Cheekwood’s Day of the Dead Festival, the Notes for Notes program and Oasis Center uses arts in its juvenile character development program. 
• In the Woodbine area, there is not a lot going on in the arts.  There’s a neighborhood association that puts on the Flat Rock Arts Festival for four or five years at Coleman Park, which is growing.  It promotes cohesiveness and community identity.  
• In our rural county, Hickman Co., we have lots of churches, which define social life.  Arts events are a way for people to interact beyond their church, they create another sense of community.  We create events for all to interact, it’s slowly happening.  It takes people from outside the area to create arts events.  
• The Southern Festival of Books in downtown Nashville, creates a visible, critical mass of people getting together for an event that is literature focused.  You can see thirty thousand people at once in a public space showing support for the arts, visible public component of what is usually a private activity (reading) or shared in small groups (book clubs).  Economic impact is determined by attendance (sixty percent come from outside Davidson co., for example).  It’s a free event, not ticketed.  There’s an expectation for number to grow.  We count people going to sessions, buying books and concessions.
• In Centerville in Hickman Co, we track sales tax for the day of the event, and that provides evidence to the mayor and city encouraging them to support arts events.
• Nashville Ballet reaches thirty thousand children a year through its outreach program, perform at schools, partner with schools for six residency programs reaching students not otherwise exposed to the arts to develop appreciation for dance.  There is a very small dance presence in after school and head start programs, so have started to go to Headstart programs to perform dances for, three year olds,  getting movement, arts education, cognitive skills to these young kids.
• Frist Center: Frist as an asset. OUR impact…academically, economic development. AAMD did economic impact study. Take a look at that.
• Google map – map the students 17,000 per year. Identify groups based on exhibitions. War exhibit – outreach to audiences. Put together an advisory group of veterans, etc. to help with outreach = mental health issues. 
• Native American Indian Association – huge part of our heritage. Need to incorporate American Indian art. Annual festival at Long Hunter State Park– overwhelmed by school children – 14-15,000 for 3 day weekend. Free and open to public. 12 to 15 buses. 
• Get requests for them to come to the schools…Cannon, Rutherford, Davidson…middle Tennessee area.
• We help drive a one hundred million dollar tourism industry in Cannon County.
• Represent Nashville and TN on a global stage: help setting global brand through ticket sales and recordings
• Raising Nashville creativity quotient.
• Raising quality of life by giving retires things to do: volunteers. Staying active and 
• Immeasurable impact and investment of arts experiences
• Celebrate local culture
• Offer public visibility for critical mass of readers and arts consumers
• Flatrock Arts Festival  give the neighborhood a sense of cohesiveness
• Global Education Center recently sponsored a one-person show in our area that I doubt I would have seen elsewhere
• In Nashville, there’s a significant influx of arts in the last few years
• The Frist Center has worked with several communities on special projects and with ESL communities. All ages, all ethnicities
• Quality of life, innovative thinking, jobs
• The arts and creative thinking are worthwhile. Creativity allows for strong focus and with that focus comes positive interactions
• Community involvement and sense of community ownership in public spaces – Art Crawl in Wedgewood – Houston has enjoyed and partnered with the neighborhood organization to plan events and opportunities
• A chance to express ourselves when we, as the disability community, don’t have typical ways
• The arts and creativity are an essential way to help causes and non-profits tell their story, raise funds and create experiences for people in need.
• Too many to list here, but follow facebook.com/creativity moves for a lot of local examples
• Engage the public and allows the public to take ownership/responsibility in the community (take pride in neighborhoods, etc)
• Express desire to create. Creativity is expressed
• Can create common ground, cohesion
• One participant explained that she used to live in East Nashville, where there is plenty of public art. She now lives in Antioch, where there is very little. She expressed that public art is very uplifting for a community and would like to see more of it in Antioch. Furthermore, it was expressed that public art should reflect the community’s demographics. 
• The Watermarks Public Art series was discussed at our table as public art that strongly reflects the surrounding communities. It was also noted that these pieces have been the site of community gatherings. 
• Because of accessible cultural programming racial reconciliation and religious tolerance increase significantly
• Several participants agreed that they’ve witnessed individuals develop self-expression and critical thinking as a result of exposure to and involvement in the arts. 
• I live in Antioch, which has had its share of problems. But the community is so excited that metro is renovating the Hickory Hollow shopping mall. There will be a new community center and library which will include a new piece of public art. The new public artwork will keep rejuvenate our neighborhood’s public image.
• I work with the Oasis Center here in Nashville.  When we host workshops in our art studio we hear a lot of kids say, "I can't do it" at first.  But when the kids participate in the workshops and complete the activity without giving up, kids learn to be positive and confident in their abilities. These art making activities are very therapeutic, students are forced to slow down, drown out the negative voices and focus on the task at hand.
• At my organization, we have a program where musicians create different pieces of music and then local students put the various pieces together and curate the finished product. This activity promotes an appreciation for Jazz music that students might not have otherwise.
• I live in Ryman Lofts which is part of an affordable housing initiative for artists in Nashville.  It is a great networking opportunity for residents who are looking to work with other artists or make trades for services they might not be able to afford otherwise. Whether your band needs a bass player for an upcoming show or a graphic designer to help design your website, there is always someone willing to help.

Question 2: What can we do beyond funding to get the arts to more children in your region?

• TAC should partner with libraries and community centers as well as schools
• There should be a network of artists and some sort of marketplace or showcase to market them to schools
• The poor community has no arts organizations, so churches and non-arts organizations pick up the slack with arts and cultural events.  However, the difficulty of grantwriting is a huge hurdle for these groups.  Our community lacks the institutional infrastructure to apply for funding.  The TAC needs to do more outreach, technical assistance, talk to them specifically about how to apply for grants.
• Teachers, children, parents love the arts, but school administrations cutting arts from the budgets, and leave teachers no time or leeway to add it.  The panic about money and testing comes from higher up, on the administration level.  As a result there is reluctance among teachers to go outside the box since they have to abide by administrative mandates.  Years ago TAC had a wonderful program with the State Board of Education, a partnership to interact with teachers and artists.  School administrators need to be convinced that the arts can impact the schools.  Perhaps TAC could talk with Dept. of Education.  Schools are under pressure from testing.  Local arts advocates needing to have voices heard by education.
• It's a curricular issue, all the emphasis is on science, math, everything is results oriented. There needs to be hard data proving that curriculum should be structured so math, science can collaborate with the arts, music, show it is a positive thing.  
• Parents put pressure on school systems?  Start with educating the PTA, get parents to support the arts.  Parents often involved in aggressive fundraisers for the schools, but the money often goes for tech, equipment, athletics, rather than the arts.  Also low income areas in the city and rural counties lack strong PTAs  or in some cases, any PTA at all.
• Art is not seen as essential or a priority by the public at large.  Other things are a priority – i.e., jobs, health.  Finding a way to bridge, to show measurable impacts of arts education, arts experiences, ON “essential priorities” – economic development – is a way to insert arts into the conversation
• Art can't be advocated by itself, has to be incorporated into math, science, language, curriculum. 
• How broaden your reach? Partnerships. Native American Indian Association is not in the system. Not considered an arts organization. 
• Target the parents. Educate them on the stats/value of arts in their schools.
• Series of 1 minute videos “art is all around you” for school kids. Frist kids.org working to reach.
• Tennessee State Museum – facility. Movement there. TSM updated 21^st Century Classroom so now have means of providing satellite education and training.  Funded by Nissan. Hoping to expand through You Tube and google offering sessions on Tennessee History. 
• Have a heavy arts focus at TSM.
• Help create markets for Native American artisans. 
• Use art to teach language skills to Native American kids through federal grant.
• Community engagement exercises: 
• Immeasurable impact and investment of arts experiences/ framing the creative process as an informal process that has definite applications and impact on students
• Helping to work with school districts to make it easier a better system to connect artist and arts organizations.
• The use of technology for greater access
• Being able to go to where the kids are or target audiences maybe 
• How the commission can help students engage the community engagement piece
• Expand your teaching artist program so TN artists can assist inside and outside the classroom. Make grants that utilize artist-teachers available to everyone with minimal restrictions.
•  Fund this category heavily (mini-grants: are orgs who receive operating support eligible for mini-grants?)
• Creating awareness
• Mobilize the art to go to the children
• Frist Center “Art Trunks”
• Help promote and create visibility for existing programs for kids that will help other funders and supporters discover them.
• Facilitate connections/collaborations between your members, doing this kind of work and seeking these kinds of programs
• Help crate and foster opportunities for arts organizations and partner with community liaison to meet people interested in working together who otherwise might not meet. Putting artists and art advocates into more non-arts meetings. What does a networking event look like if you are not mid-level, middle-class person? How to engage these? When and where and how do these events happen?
• Match artists to schools
• Identify collaborative opportunities
• Professional development for teaching artists
• Identify community liaisons
• TAC can foster dialogue between State Board of Education and the arts as a valued teaching tool and hope it trickles down to the schools, as a go-ahead for already willing teachers to bring it back into the classroom
• Educate school PTA leaders about availability of arts programs and their value. Schools use discretionary funds for technology and equipment. A small percent redirected to artist visits and events would make a big impact. They may not know how affordable it is
• Outreach to first-time applicants at non-arts organizations
• Beyond funding, it is important to develop a presence in the community. Steer people toward public arts that can be teaching tools for children. Those works already exist and can be great ways to engage children
• Use media as an educational tool for the arts. Specifically elements of art, getting moving – dance theater. Curious about reading and writing creatively
• Open doors for consistent placement of arts in school curriculums. Organizations have resources that they are willing to give, but entry is impossible. Need participation in planning for standards, curriculums, etc.
• Transportation
• Support for reaching families that have English as their second language (training)
• Be adaptive. Be inclusive. Teach teachers not to fear general disabilities. 500,000 youth with autism will lose their services in the next 10 years after graduating high school. It is at least 700K if counting all developmental disabilities. Many are innately talented artistically. We have just begun phase one workshops of the inclusive CreativeArts co-op where adults with and without disabilities create, exhibit and sell their work. This will eventually be a full-time program
• Reform education so that teachers have more time and support in incorporating the arts
• Create legislation that reflects the arts as cohesive and inextricable from our lives, which is ‘true advocacy’
• At The Nashville Jazz Workshop we find ourselves competing with kid’s busy schedules. Lots of students have numerous extracurricular hobbies taking place after-school. In order to still reach those students we are opening up dress refusals to different groups during the day.
• I think we need more visionary directors/leaders that encourage government employees to insert themselves in creative workshops for community groups that target young audiences.
•  “Trying to reach more students is difficult for non-profits but I think reaching a bigger audience is easier when your organization has presences on social media websites.”
• Government agencies could facilitate connections between schools and arts organizations through programs and workshops they are already sponsoring or hosting.  
• Making sure we are making the most of the time students spend in their art class. Teachers see every child in school, weekly. I think it is important that our local teachers have resources to curriculum and classroom activities that expose children to all the great resources our city has to offer, like public art.

Question 3: What could we do to help the arts get “a seat at the table” in all Tennessee communities?

• The Metro council member on the panel has the right idea. Find out what the agenda at the table is and come with what the arts can do to advance that agenda.
• We need to foster a new generation of arts allies outside the arts community.
• TAC could email constituents statistical studies showing how the arts affect test scores, economic development, how to access that information. (Note:  some of this info available on TAC website under ARTS ED)  Look at jobs for TN graduates, show that the arts produce jobs.  Does Americans for the Arts, TFTA have statistics proving to administrators? Show me the numbers.
• It's about personalities. The presence of a sympathetic ear.  Find those people! Work them.  People come and go, when your champion is gone, you rebuild.  
• Strategies are different in different areas.  We don’t have arts groups in all TN counties or city neighborhoods.  TFTA is taking responsibility for lobbying for the arts to protect the license plate revenue stream and provide online materials for arts constituents to advocate for the arts.  
• Defending “the formula” (arts income from license plates) is a real priority.  
• The parents, the people who live in communities, they are the people who elect the legislators.  Political action, community forums, inviting people into community centers, educating about the arts, what lack of the arts would mean.
• Planning and development, communicate with elected officials
• Grassroots action is important.  If it's happening down on the street, the elected officials have to notice.  We can do a lot because we’re not in their way.  Before there was anything, there was the public library.  If there were two people who wanted to do someone thing, the librarian said yes.  Trickle down to all kinds of arts events
• Public partnership model.  TAC could partner with neighborhood associations and groups, neighborhood resource centers.  Gov’t organizations partnering with local entities. Do more than just offer a grant. Communication, contacts, addresses, access to the community. 
• Do research:  Creative peacemaking book.  Rise of the creative class.  William Cleveland, speaker at conference, valuable insight.
• Support seats that are already there/ Advocacy.  Target the parents. Educate them on the stats/value of arts in their schools.
• Need for private and public sectors and arts sector need to speak the same language/communicate better. Arts seen as separate, independent, an ancillary thing to support and enjoy.
• People in the arts can't be afraid can't be afraid to be political/ being strategic And critical in garnering support
• Leveraging political connections of arts legislators and arts supporters
• Raising awareness of art issues: the arts commission playing a role to highlight what table they need to have a seat at.
• Being involved with the chamber in your community / partnering
• Advocacy for relationship 
• Economic impact studies case. Looking at MTSU or other partner to hell with economic impact studies,
• What is being said is not being reflective in the funding.
• Find out civic/political agenda and goals and find connection point with arts
• Boot camp to train mid-level artists and organizations to join civic organizations and committees; create incentives by making in an honor to participate; encourage them to walk with their leadership to get plugged in
• Access to staff of legislators
• Critical thinking
• A shift in the culture and an understanding of what’s offered through the arts. We currently see a shift in Nashville that is bringing arts to the forefront
• Partner with neighborhood resources or community centers to educational forums
• Provide arts advocates with clear measurable data on benefits of arts in communities and schools: economic, social and cultural
• Provide easily accessible list of statistics, resources, planning tools that can be used by grass roots organization to convince of value of the arts in the economic , educational, cultural, tourism levels
• Specific arts orientation for council leadership class with arts focus
• Widen the vocabulary of how we talk about creativity in communities. Specific and clear ways the arts impact a group/place; Use past examples relevant to that community and shown to them through methods they use and find relevant.
• How to make parents advocate? Give them tools and opportunities to know value of arts
• Tie into the concept of “creativity and the creative community” which is broader and includes entrepreneurs, science, design, marketing, business, leadership, etc
• Change the vocabulary to engage a broader audience
• Help our arts organizations be strong and help us articulate our various and common voices, in all way you can.
• Every bit of communication is actually advocacy. And everyone should be invited to the table of planning and recognition
• Advocacy is expanding the community’s awareness of the arts
• Integrating the number of ways that people can access funding is advocacy
• There’s only so much that can be done in schools if the arts are not supported in the home. We need more programming incorporating the whole family
• Advocacy is related to access—people who directly experience the arts will begin to invest in the arts, including electing officials who support them
• When I think of ‘advocacy,’ I think of making a case. So the question is, to whom are we making the case for the arts? Funders? Politicians? And what are our tools in the making of this case? Can the TAC help provide the tools – the time and resources – that we can use in making the case?

• We need research literature that is more accessible and readable, like an index of the last five years’ worth of research

• Nashville needs people to advocate for the fair payment of art and artist’s services. We need non-profit leaders to help remove the stigma associated with non-profits paying for services. Even if you’re a non-profit organization, that doesn’t mean you can’t pay and artist competitive wages. Organizations should be proud to fairly compensate our creative class.

• There needs to be a change within the culture of craft fairs. As a craft artist, it is difficult to pay a fee for a booth and still make a profit when customers feel like they can haggle or demand a cheaper price. Craft fairs are a great way to get your art out there but customers just don’t value the product, they just want to find a deal even if it is at the expense of a local artist.

• Increasing the number of communal performance and exhibit spaces, more affordable housing for artists and finding a way to make studio space more affordable for young, local artists would help.

4.  Other comments

• TAC needs to be more supportive of individual artists, not just organizations.  Artists are asked to perform for free.  I.e., TAC grants going to organizations who then do not pay the artists.  The poorer we get, the louder we have to get.  Individual artists must be considered to be important stakeholders. 
• Kudos for Arts Education Program’s conference team!  Create2013 was a fabulous conference.
• The TAC website is very difficult to navigate