What We've Learned about Arts Marketing Collaboratives

Session Designer: Gary Burger, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Panelists: Thomas E. Backer, Ph.D., Human Interaction Research Institute; Larry C. Coppard, Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan; Janet Sarbaugh, The Heinz Endowments

This session will delve into lessons learned from an eight-year effort to help communities build capacity through cooperative marketing that includes both large and small arts organizations. These arts marketing collaboratives “grew from the ground up,” with participating communities asking to become involved after learning of successes in the first community. The initial results of these cooperative marketing plans were published after six years in 1999 in “Marketing the Arts.” In 2000 a peer "learning community" was formed that brings together the nine groups, involving a number of cultural organizations for an annual meeting, the second of which is scheduled for July 2001. This session will also share findings about what works and what doesn't work in creating community-wide arts partnerships—and addresses readiness issues for building marketing capacity. This innovative approach is now in various stages of development in nine communities across the country.

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