Local Arts Agency Roles in Reopening

This is the third article in a series on reopening arts and cultural organizations across Tennessee. As Tennessee continues to open up in this ever-changing environment, new opportunities and challenges appear as we come back together in person. In addition, arts and cultural organizations are essential to the recovery of Tennessee’s economy. In recognition of the very challenging circumstances facing arts and cultural organizations, these articles aim to bring us together as a community by sharing how different organizations find opportunities and solutions to moving the arts forward in our state.

By Shannon Ford, Director of Community Arts Development

Across Tennessee, local arts agencies (better known as arts council, arts commissions, and united arts funds) of all shapes and sizes devote considerable time and energy to enhancing the quality of life in their communities through the arts. Driven by the long-term goals of broadening citizens’ access to the arts and enlarging the arts’ role in economic and community development, local arts agencies offer essential support to artists, arts programs, and cultural organizations through a range of services and incentives. In addition, they monitor national trends in the arts, take the pulse of their cultural communities, and provide a unified voice and message to public officials and community leaders about the benefits of arts participation and investment.

When COVID-19 pandemic restrictions necessitated the shuttering of cultural institutions and the suspension of live public programming, local arts agencies sprang into action. Among the many strategies employed to help their communities, many agencies surveyed their constituents about their needs, convened meetings virtually to share information and resources, and leveraged influence with donors and contributors to provide relief to organizations, workers, and artists.

As restrictions have lifted, local arts agencies have shifted their efforts from relief to recovery. The Arts and Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville, for example, has engaged Robert Swaney Consulting, Inc. to provide comprehensive and specific fundraising coaching services to small-to-mid-sized arts and cultural organizations in the greater Knoxville area. In addition, nine organizations are participating in a more intensive 1.5-day online workshop on fundraising growth, as well as a three-month coaching program that ties strategic planning, Board development, and fundraising growth together. As Alliance Executive Director Liza Zenni stated, “The Alliance is a taking a fundamentals approach to helping our member organizations refocus their efforts.”

ArtsMemphis has increased its convening role significantly since March of 2020. The organization hosted a wide range of Zoom conversations with arts organizations throughout the pandemic, including discussions about shutting down, virtual programming, Small Business Administration opportunities, and more recently budgeting during the emerging recovery and health and safety protocols for in-person attendees. These convenings continue and are being led by local arts organizations. As ArtsMemphis Executive Director observed, “This has been an important way for organizations to learn from one another and build stronger relationships. It’s also enabled the arts sector to coordinate on protocols and work to be as unified as possible.”

Chattanooga’s ArtsBuild set up a Grassroots Recovery Fund in March 2021 to help ease the financial burden of the startup, grassroots, and small arts and culture organizations with annual budgets up to $50,000 in Hamilton County. This fund was supported by donations from the Footprint Foundation, Benwood Foundation, McKenzie Foundation, and the Sankofa Fund for Civic Engagement. Applicants were eligible to apply for monthly awards through June 2021 or until the funds were depleted. “I’m so appreciative of the local foundations who contributed to ArtsBuild’s Grassroots Recovery Fund; because of their generosity, we have been able to grant more than twenty awards since March. Chattanooga’s small, startup, grassroots arts organizations now are the large cultural institutions of tomorrow,” expressed ArtsBuild President James McKissic.

At the Athens Area Council for the Arts, Executive Director Lauren Shepherd has been focused on reopening the Council’s Arts Center, a venue for cultural programming in its own right. The Center has reopened with standard office hours and is hosting an exhibition. They will host a theatre camp in July 2021 with limited capacity with performance outside at Athens’ Pocket Park, and they plan to resume classes in July or August. Live programming will resume in their Black Box Theater at 75% capacity in October.

The Council for the Arts was also able to forge a partnership with another local nonprofit to sustain a summer concert series. Sounds of Summer is a free concert series in historic downtown Athens, TN, created by a volunteer promoter nine summers ago. The founder was ready to step aside for summer 2021, which presented AACA an opportunity to lend its human capital and financial resources as co-presenters of the event.

Connect with your local arts agencies:

Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville

https://abcnashville.org

Arts & Cultural Alliance of Greater Knoxville

http://www.knoxalliance.com

Clarksville-Montgomery County Arts & Heritage Development Council

http://www.artsandheritage.us

Arts Council of Oak Ridge

https://www.artscouncilortn.org/

Arts Council of Williamson County

http://artscouncilwc.org

Arts in McNairy