Artists and Cultural Institutions Take Stage in Disaster Planning and Response

I’ve just returned from a two-day trip to Philadelphia where I attended the Grantmakers in the Arts conference and served on a panel entitled “What Will Your Sandy be? Using Disaster-Related Philanthropy to Strengthen Communities.”

My fellow panelists included Felicia Shaw, Director of Arts and Culture Analysis and Strategy at the San Diego Foundation; and Kerry McCarthy a Program Officer for Arts and Historic Preservation at the New York Community Trust. Our aim was clear – encourage session participants to realize that it isn’t “IF” a disaster will happen in their community, but rather, “WHEN” it will take place.

Our goal was to elevate the discussion among arts funders in attendance at this national conference. As stated in our session flyer: The scope and frequency of large-scale disasters and emergencies suggests that our sector must newly embrace preparedness as a basic competency of management, and that funders should examine ways to adapt programs and services to promote preparedness.