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OSP Site Visits Encourage Valuable Connections
The Iowa Arts Council has been on the road since November 2005, visiting 10 of the arts organizations that receive general operational support from IAC. The visits are part of the Operational Support Partnership (OSP) Program that began in 2004, establishing a new relationship with arts and cultural organizations.
IAC made a commitment to visit each OSP organization every 3-4 years to nurture the partner relationship – so both IAC and the organizations can learn about each other’s activities, identify critical needs and issues each is facing, identify what is going well and/or what could be better, strengthen communication and networking and discuss arts leadership and advocacy.
The site visit is not evaluative – rather, it is intended to be an opportunity for conversation, networking and learning. Each visit occurs over one or two days and is conducted by a team that includes Anita Walker, one or two IAC board members, and one or two arts professionals (usually at least one executive director of a similar organization). Depending on the type of organization, the schedule includes a tour of the facility and/or attendance at a performance or exhibition.
Most importantly, each visit includes conversations with the partner organization’s staff and community stakeholders. Stakeholders may include volunteers, local elected officials, business leaders, funding partners, community foundation representatives, artists and other representative of local arts or cultural organization and current or former members of their board/foundation/staff. Often, the site visits provide IAC the opportunity to meet employees and community stakeholders for the first time. Likewise, the group of community stakeholders may have never met one another or had an opportunity to talk together about the value of the organization in the community and the critical needs and issues of the organization. It is valuable for both IAC and these partner organizations to know about and hear from these stakeholders who are leaders and advocates for the arts in their communities.
Consistent trends and issues are beginning to emerge from the first 10
visits. Download the full report, “What We’re Hearing”
by clicking here.
