|
| |
|
| |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
 |
Interview with Scott Vandrick, development director[Interviewer’s note: In its 2001-2002 application deadlines, the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) made a somewhat drastic change. The general category of education was removed from the list of possible categories in which an arts organization could apply for funds, and instead a much more specific category called "Arts Learning" was put in place. With the new category come new demands for quantifiable evidence that "arts learning" has taken place. This demand for strictly quantifiable evidence seems to reflect a somewhat staunch belief on the part of the Endowment that what is gained by exposure to the arts ought to be demonstrable, and/or that art-making for youth should be kept separate from its educational impact. It is apparent that, in the Arts Learning category, education is first and artistry second. Although the grant guidelines make it clear that Arts Learning grant applications can include funding to gather that quantifiable evidence, Scott Vandrick points out that artists "are going to have to become analysts and administrators instead of artists," if they receive Arts Leaning funds. The guideline changes will affect how ensembles apply for funds. Although Cornerstone's mission is obviously educational in nature — and even though Cornerstone has more staff than most ensembles and might therefore seem better equipped to fulfill the requirements of the new Arts Learning category — the company will nonetheless not be applying for those funds, as Vandrick explains below. — F.L.] Ferdinand Lewis: How are the NEA guidelines different for 2001-2002, compared to how they've been in the past? Scott Vandrick: Well, they used to be set up in four general areas, which were Creation and Presentation; Heritage and Preservation; Access; and Education. In 2001-2002, there are only three categories: Creativity and/or Organizational Capacity (Providing Services to the Field); Arts Learning; Access, Heritage and Preservation. They've grouped a number of programs together and defined it as "Arts Learning" instead of "Education." They now have bullet-points with what they're looking for, instead of [a more general category] "education." Cornerstone has applied only in Creation and Preservation this year, 2001-2002. We applied in Access last year and got funding under the old guidelines for our Festival of Faith. This year we applied under the new guidelines for the Catholic Immigrant Project. FL: This new situation seems like part of the ongoing questions of "Is it art or is it education?" and "How can it be both?" SV: There are large funding sources for educational programs, but we have to struggle to convince funders that what we do is educational. They want to see you talking to eighth graders in class, and teaching in the schools, which we don't do. When they actually see Cornerstone's work they say, "This is so educational," but it's difficult to present it that way in a grant proposal; it doesn't show up on paper. FL: Because the effects of art and education are both so difficult to quantify? SV: You can't prove it. All of our narrative evidence is anecdotal, and funding sources now want facts, they're asking, "How did they learn?" and "What impact did the learning have on their lives?" and this is the first time we've seen that. We don't have the organizational capacity to show that, so we will not apply for the Arts Learning program, but will continue to apply under Access and Creativity. FL: Could you speculate on how this might affect young ensembles? SV: I think it's going to insist that new companies think of new and innovative ways to evaluate their programs before they apply for funding. It's going to be important for new companies to think about ways to measure the success of their programs. FL: Will it affect their art-making? SV: I think it's going to have an impact on the art because it's going to take away from the artists' time on the art, because they're going to have to become more like analysts and administrators instead of artists. We're lucky that we [at Cornerstone] have some staff to do that. Fortunately, Cornerstone received a three-year grant [not from the NEA] to understand and track our audience better. But if you have an ensemble with only six people, all of whom are artists, who's gonna implement something like that? Ferdinand Lewis is a founding member of The Ghost Road Company, an educator, writer and theater artist. He is currently at work on two books: "Ensemble Theater: An Anthology" and "Ensemble Theater: Traditions, Approaches, Strategies." He lives in Los Angeles.
|
|
||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
