Making Exact Change: How U.S. arts-based programs have made a significant and sustained impact on their communities

A Report from the Community Arts Network
Published by Art in the Public Interest, 2005

• Table of Contents
• Part One: Introduction
• Part Two: Case Studies
• Part Three: Findings
• Part Four: Recommendations

Part One: Introduction

Introduction

In 1976, U.S. Department of Labor analysts realized that their CETA program (Comp­rehensive Education and Training Act) was becoming a major funding vehicle for artists working in communities. They also became aware that a good number of these arts programs were in over their heads and needed help. In response, they established a special unit to document the best practices in the field and share that information with artists, arts administrators and community agencies involved. Although it was done in a hurry, the effort paid off and CETA’s arts projects eventually became the program’s the most effective component.[1]

Since that time, many of the finest artists and arts organizations in the U.S. have quietly established a remarkable record of innovation and success in institutional and community settings. These unlikely community/arts partnerships have been established in factories, jails, condominiums, probation departments, senior centers, special schools and many other non­traditional sites. This work has challenged traditional ideas about the arts in America. It has also created successful models from which those concerned with the health and vitality of American communities can learn a great deal.

But, as the field has grown, much has changed. Twenty-five years ago, advocates for community arts used terms like beautification, quality of life and community animation to describe their work. These days, it is not uncommon to hear conflict resolution, public safety, economic development and community revitalization expressed to describe the work. These are not necessarily spurious assertions, but setting goals like these greatly alters the nature of the work. In fact, linking improved economic or social health with art making signals the emergence of an entirely new field — a field that differs greatly from its mainstream counterparts operating in studios and on stages. Those who work in this realm regard public participation and artistic creation as mutually interdependent. It also asserts that there are significant and tangible community benefits, beyond the aesthetic realm, that naturally accrue from these endeavors.

Many of these U.S. community arts programs are succeeding in ways that were unimaginable back in the CETA days. But they have not yet fulfilled their potential. The persistent pattern, even among some of the best of these programs, is for short-term community engagement. This is driven, first, by uneven support for community arts in general and, second, the tendency for short-term, project-based investment by many funders. Despite a growing body of evidence that effective community development must be regular and sustained, these trends persist.

There are, however, a number of community arts programs that have managed to make significant and sustained contributions to their communities. At a community arts summit convened in the spring of 2004 by Art in the Public Interest (API) and the Rockefeller Foundation, leaders in the field felt it was time to take a deeper look at the ecology of effectiveness and sustainability for community cultural development. There was a strong feeling that the field could not advance without a deeper investigation of the best practices and survival strategies used by those who have succeeded in these difficult and complex environments. Others articulated a desire to share this information with the many nonarts organizations that take considerable risks to join in these cultural partnerships.

The Study Scope

In the fall of 2004, API approached the Center for the Study of Art & Community (CSA&C) for assistance with the proposed research. This study was undertaken to help the growing but largely disconnected community arts field learn from its most venerable and successful colleagues. Its focus is exemplary arts-based programs that have had a significant and sustained positive impact on their communities. For the purposes of this inquiry “significant and sustained positive impact” is defined as change leading to the long-term advancement of human dignity, health and/or productivity. “Long-term” in this context is defined as a minimum of ten years.

Given the above definitions, the major questions posed in this inquiry are:

1. As they have evolved over time, how have these programs defined success?
2. What ideas, values, standards, assumptions and expectations have influenced the design, policies and delivery of these programs?
3. What kinds of leadership and organizational practices characterize these efforts?
4. What support strategies (funding, technical assistance, training, etc.) have most contributed to the success of these programs?
5. How have these programs defined, measured and learned from their successes and failures?
6. What persistent issues, conditions or problems confronted by these programs have constrained their ability to fulfill their missions?

The Research Process

Approach: CSA&C’s responsibility in this endeavor has been to gather information that accurately reflects the range of voices and perspectives represented by the programs studied. Particular attention was paid to soliciting new information and innovative ideas that could contribute to API’s efforts to advance the field of community arts.

Methodology: The gathering and analysis of information for this study took place over a three-month period from January through May of 2005. Our data were collected from a broad cross-section of artists, administrators, participants and funders involved in arts-based community development work. Specific methods of inquiry were:

1.  A review of previous research on best practices in the field of community arts: This included a review of relevant material identified in the API compendium of community arts research and in the CSA&C database.

2. Field survey: The focus of the survey portion of the study was the identification of organizations whose work is representative of the range of programmatic approaches and philosophies that have emerged in the community arts arena over the past three decades. To do this, we contacted community arts funders, researchers and practitioners to ask for recommendations of potential study subjects. Our inquiry included:

• Agencies with demonstrated success in developing and providing funds, evaluation and technical support for community arts programs
• Other public and private funders with a history of successful investment in the field
• Successful institutionally based community arts programs operating under both arts and nonarts auspices
• Exemplary individual artists from the community arts field
• Researchers and evaluators with experience documenting and assessing the field

3. Site Research: The ten study sites listed in the chart at the end of this introduction were selected from a list of more than 100 organizations compiled from the field survey.

Data were collected from each site using a written survey, phone interviews and a review of program materials. The interview protocols and survey questionnaire were developed to elicit information relevant to each program’s community impact and sustained effort. (See Appendix A.)

4. The Case Studies: The consultants collected and compared information gathered and summarized from ten programs selected as case studies. Each case study includes following:

• Basic Facts: Program title, contact information, main focus, arts disciplines, beneficiaries, funding, etc.
• Snapshot: Stories about critical events that reveal something about the character, impact and values represented by the program
• Description: A brief summary of the organization’s history, mission and values, with a focus on the standards and practices that have contributed to the program’s capacity to achieve significant and sustained community impact
• Success and Change: How each program defines and determines whether or not it is fulfilling its mission. This section includes a description of the program characteristics each organization identifies as critical to its effectiveness and examples of successful outcomes.
• Nuts and Bolts: A full description, including environment, leadership, resources, governance, partnerships and training
• Constraints: A discussion of obstacles and challenges encountered by the program and a description of responses
• Advice to funders: Feedback on funder behaviors and practices that advanced or limited the success of the program — provided by study sites

Report Format: The purpose of this report is to summarize the consultants’ findings and present recommendations for short- and long-term responses to the issues, ideas and opportunities identified. The report is divided into several parts:

1. This section, the introduction, is provided as Part One.
2. The case studies are presented in Part Two.
3. The consultant’s key findings are shared in Part Three
4. The recommendations are offered in Part Four.

[Next: Part Two: Case Studies]  [Table of Contents]

Notes

1. Green, Earnest L., Foreward to "The Partnership of CETA and the Arts" (U.S. Department of Labor, 1978 )

Original CAN/API publication: November 2005