Illinois Arts Council Strategic Directions 2007-2012

“The Strategic Directions constitute a blueprint for strengthening communities by building a better future for the arts in the State of Illinois. The values and objectives the Council has enumerated will ensure that our children have opportunities to participate in quality arts activities in their schools or in other community arts programs; artists are recognized who contribute to the state’s rich and diverse artistic legacy; that creative vitality will be fostered and made sustainable statewide; and that strength will be added to the State of Illinois’ creative economy.”

-- Shirley R. Madigan, Illinois Arts Council Chairman

Mission Statement

“Building a strong, creative, and connected Illinois through the engagement of all Illinoisans in the pursuit of, participation in, and enjoyment of the arts.”

Core Values

• Access is not enough; we believe in active engagement with all Illinoisans, ensuring that residents of all ages and abilities have the opportunity to participate in, and experience, the arts and culture.
• We appreciate, respect, and are committed to supporting the rich diversity of the arts and culture in Illinois.
• We are committed to the pursuit of excellence in everything we do and in the caliber of arts experiences for all Illinoisans.
• We strive to cultivate long-term sustainability in the vitality of our creative spirit and the pathways through which that creativity is channeled by and to the people of Illinois.
• Just as art is meant to be shared with others, we believe in partnership and collaboration in all aspects of our work, and we encourage collaboration between the arts and cultural community in Illinois and the broader community in our state, our country, and around the world.

Overarching Goal

• To build public will for the important role and value of the arts and creativity in building vital, prosperous, livable communities.

Objectives

• Objective A: A growing number of Illinoisans will understand and affirm the role and value of the arts and creativity to themselves, their community, and our state.
• Objective B: The arts and cultural community statewide will be stronger and better connected – to each other and to the broader community – and will use these new connections to advance a more vital and robust creative landscape for the entire state.
• Objective C: All Illinoisans – particularly children and those who are currently underserved – will experience a significant increase in their opportunities to participate in, learn from, and enjoy the arts.
• Objective D: The Illinois Arts Council will be a focused, efficient and effective organization, better equipped to anticipate and respond to the needs and opportunities of the arts and cultural community across the state.

Supporting Strategies

Objective A: A growing number of Illinoisans will understand and affirm the role and value of the arts and creativity to themselves, their communities, and our state.

Supporting strategies include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Create a new frame to advance a vision for the value of the arts and culture, to position creativity as an essential resource for individuals, communities and the state, and to illustrate the importance of the creative sector to our state’s vitality and prosperity.
• Gather information tracking cultural development progress on key existing data points, including art curriculum access, creative sector job growth, attendance at arts events, etc. to better illustrate the value of the arts to every Illinoisan and all Illinois communities. Communicate the findings with key constituents, stakeholders and policy leaders and employ the data in the development of messaging to support the new frame.
• Engage grassroots advocates statewide and arts organizations on a more proactive basis and employ technology to allow them to better connect with one another. Then work with existing and new partners and allies to provide technical assistance to artists, arts organizers, and others in extending the reach of this new frame, its key messages, and statement of value throughout the state.
• Continue to engage the Governor’s Office, state legislators, and other policy leaders throughout the state, increasing their awareness of the value of the arts and the Illinois Arts Council to their communities and to the state as a whole, and increasing support for funding for the Illinois Arts Council and for related arts and cultural aspects of other funding priorities.
• Employ media relations to disseminate messaging consistent with the new frame and encourage/facilitate dialog on the public value of the arts, positioning the Illinois Arts Council as the state arts leader and primary resource for information about arts throughout the state.

Objective B: The arts and cultural community statewide will be stronger and better connected – to each other and to the broader community – and will use these new connections to advance a more vital and robust creative landscape for the entire state.

Supporting strategies include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Explore how the grant-making function and technical assistance can be employed to build capacity, facilitate greater connectivity among the arts and cultural communities, and demonstrate the value of creativity as a resource.
• Identify partnerships and programs that engage and involve the broader creative community, including all aspects of the commercial creative sector. Work with other Illinois state agencies and statewide associations to assemble teams that partner with local communities across the state on initiatives to address local needs and opportunities in community development, economic development, and tourism.
• Convene subject-specific forums for constituents and their partners (e.g., arts and community development) around the state. Provide increased technical assistance and capacity building by increasing the availability of Illinois Arts Council staff statewide.
• Create and cultivate a peer group network of identified experts on various issues related to the arts and culture – such as technology, marketing, resource development, and universal accessibility – who can serve as advisors to individual artists, community arts programs, arts educators, and others. Provide forums for this group to serve the arts and culture community across the state through the new Illinois Arts Council website, subject-specific forums (described above), and arts conferences.
• Recreate the Illinois Arts Council website as an engaging and dynamic portal for the arts community in Illinois.

Objective C: All Illinoisans – particularly children and those who are currently underserved – will experience a significant increase in their opportunities to participate in, learn from, and enjoy the arts.

Supporting strategies include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Continue to provide strong unrestricted support at current or increased levels in the form of fellowships to artists and general operating support to arts organizations and programs.
• Refine the existing grant portfolio and/or identify new sources of funds through partnerships and other innovative strategies to do the following:
  • Promote and facilitate opportunities for the youth of Illinois to participate in and enjoy the arts and culture both in-school and out-of-school;
  • Drive best practices in community-based arts programs to maximize opportunities for engagement in the arts, particularly for underserved communities and populations;
  • Encourage major arts organizations to partner with smaller organizations and individual artists in their own communities and across the state; and
  • Support touring and presenting initiatives that encourage artists and organizations to present arts programs around the state.
• Maintain the Illinois Arts Council role as a key player in statewide planning for arts education programs in the public schools, including continuing involvement with the Illinois State Board of Education.
• Facilitate opportunities for non-arts organizations to collaborate with individual artists, arts educators, and community arts programs to increase the visibility of, and engagement in, the arts in non-traditional settings.
• Advance the interests of Illinois in the global marketplace through participation in international exchanges, programs, and partnerships.

Objective D: The Illinois Arts Council will be a focused, efficient and effective organization, better equipped to anticipate and respond to the needs and opportunities of the arts and cultural community across the state.

Supporting strategies include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Modernize the Illinois Arts Council’s technology, including hardware and the agency website, and then employ this technology to automate the grant application process and to make technical assistance and other resources available online.
• Form cross-departmental teams at the Illinois Arts Council to encourage greater internal communication and cooperation in responding to the needs and opportunities of constituents, and to ensure alignment between activities and the strategic plan.
• Explore the utilization of Illinois Arts Council staff as “circuit-riders” to provide expertise and technical assistance, and to promote connections among the arts community statewide.
• Review the existing grant program portfolio to identify opportunities for consolidation and focus, and to address, reflect, and support the strategies of this plan.
• Research statewide, national, and international advancements in best practices and develop regular and consistent board and leadership training programs to build the skills and capacity of the Illinois Arts Council.

Strategic Plan Task Force

Members of the task force hailed from all regions of Illinois and represented a broad diversity of ethnicity, experience, and discipline. A special emphasis was placed on arts education, with approximately 25% of the Task Force Members representing that community.

The Illinois Arts Council extends our most sincere thanks to the members of the 21-member Strategic Plan Task Force for their time, their experience, and their deep insight throughout this process.