The PIE Program criteria for FY 2005 define the characteristics
that distinguish PIE grantees and define the program as recognizing organizations
that bring access to high standards of arts activities in diverse communities
throughout Illinois. The criteria also recognize that access to arts activities
and to the resources that support those activities varies widely in different
regions of the state. The Partners in Excellence Program places priority on
access to arts programs for rural, underserved, and multi-cultural audiences.
The Illinois Arts Council views organizations designated
as Partners in Excellence as key collaborators in realizing the values and vision
stated in the agency’s Strategic Plan for 2001 – 2006. The program
criteria incorporate components of the values and vision. The organizations
that receive support through the PIE Program demonstrate the highest level of:
significance to audiences, including those that are
underserved;
significance to Illinois artists;
artistic quality and regional or statewide impact;
efforts to promote life-long learning in the arts;
sustained history of year-round service to communities;
management and financial stability and;
efforts to promote increased public support for
the arts.
The following descriptions of the PIE Program criteria for
FY 2005 provide guidelines for information that applicants should address in
their proposal narratives and that the PIE panel will consider when reviewing
applications.
Significance to audiences, including
those that are underserved
This criterion indicates that organizations designated in
the PIE Program should demonstrate a distinctive significance to their audiences
and should seek to include underserved populations as well as traditional arts
audiences. This significance should be defined in the context of the regions
of the state that each organization serves. Significance to audiences addresses
the IAC values stated in its strategic plan: “the centrality of the arts
to the vitality of our society, the affirmation and support of diversity and
the accessibility of public arts activities to all people.” This criterion
also expresses the IAC vision that it “provides opportunities to encourage
greater participation by underserved populations.”
Significance to Illinois artists
Organizations in the PIE Program from all regions should
have a high level of significance to Illinois artists by supporting opportunities
for them to practice and present their work, to learn from and exchange creative
ideas with other artists and to connect with diverse populations. Grantees should
employ artists in professional capacities and compensate them fairly. They should
offer artists opportunities to view each other’s work and make efforts
to educate their audiences about the work of Illinois artists and the resources
they represent to the communities of the state. This addresses the IAC value
that “the importance of the individual artist (is) fundamental to the
growth of the arts.” Significance to artists also assists in realizing
the vision that “the IAC seeks out and adopts innovative approaches to
assisting artists and arts programming organizations to help them address new
challenges.”
Artistic quality and regional
or statewide impact
PIE applicants should exemplify the IAC values of “the
commitment to excellence and quality in the arts experience and the encouragement
of the highest aspirations in all art endeavors.” The regional and statewide
impact of these organizations is enhanced by the pursuit of the best possible
artistic experiences for all participants in their programs. Efforts to deliver
this quality to their audiences should be apparent and implicit in designated
PIE’s significance. The importance of organizations’ ability to
plan for and deliver experiences of high artistic quality is emphasized by making
this a separate PIE criterion.
Efforts to promote life-long learning
in the arts
In addition to reaching audiences through presenting arts
programs and services, PIE applicants should further promote arts participation
with opportunities for all ages to learn through or about the arts. This reflects
the IAC value that “the arts (are) an integral part of life-long learning.”
Organizations may address this criterion through direct arts education programs
serving diverse ages and segments of their communities and through partnerships
with schools and community organizations to reach younger audiences and those
who may have less direct experience with arts programs.
Sustained history of year-round
service to communities
Sustainability should be one of the benchmark characteristics
of organizations designated in the PIE Program. Organiza-tions should indicate
a history of building access to quality arts experiences in diverse communities
and applicants should demonstrate this long-term commitment. Important to organizations’
impact is providing a consistent level of access to arts programming throughout
the year. Sustained service to communities provides the foundation for ongoing
significance to audiences and artists in the regions represented in the PIE
Program and is a factor that distinguishes the designated organizations.
Management and financial stability
Critical to the sustainability of all arts organizations,
management and financial stability should be particularly strong in those that
are designated in the PIE Program category. Organizations should demonstrate
that they have achieved a sustainable scale and practice sound financial planning
to support their proposed programs. Financial statements should reveal appropriate
management of assets and a stable financial position. Changes in management
structure or personnel should be addressed through planning for continuity and
sustained quality.
Efforts to promote increased public
support for the arts
PIE designated organizations should represent the IAC’s
best advocates and closest partners in all areas of the state for educating
the public and the Illinois legislature about the importance and impact of arts
support. In these efforts, they should exemplify another of the IAC values:
“the need for ardent advocacy for the arts.” They also address the
vision statement: “the IAC helps the arts further the goals of the state
as articulated by its elected leadership in such areas as cultural heritage,
education, community building, the economy, and technology.” The PIE Program
represents a major investment by the IAC in organizations that have been identified
as distinctively important. Part of the return on this investment should be
a group of “ardent advocates” for increased IAC budget appropriations.
