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A Statewide Collaboration Between Arts Organizations Aimed at Increasing Visibility and Promoting Access to the Arts in Virginia

Written by Laura Rawlings, Executive Director of the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge in Roanoke, VA

Three years ago, the arts and culture community of Virginia embarked on a great adventure. Our state arts council convened the heads of the major arts organizations of the Commonwealth to encourage us to take more of a leadership role on behalf of the entire cultural sector. With so many challenges to face as individual agencies, some of us were less receptive to this idea than others. We all agreed, however, that we needed a high-visibility project to demonstrate the breadth, diversity, and intrinsic value of the arts to state decision-makers in Virginia.

We talked about the positive impact of existing collaborations within the arts, such as the popular gallery crawls when multiple art galleries coordinate their exhibition openings. In many communities, the art galleries have more visitors on that one day than in the whole rest of the month. We wondered if this model could be expanded statewide.

The 23 major arts organizations of Virginia agreed to take the lead in selecting a theme, picking a time period, and inviting all artists and cultural agencies of the state to create programs on the common theme during a defined time period with a statewide and regional marketing campaign. Thus was born our first endeavor: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts.

Many have asked, “Why women in the arts?” Several themes were debated, but we felt that women in the arts was the most accessible and inclusive, and that any arts organization could develop at least one program for this theme. It was further determined that the theme should not be further defined so as to allow for maximum flexibility. There are no restrictions, such as involving only Virginia women or contemporary women in the arts. A community theater producing an Agatha Christie play is equally welcome to an orchestra commissioning a major new work by a living female composer. 

We selected March 1, 2010–June 30, 2010 as the time period during which all participants would plan programs around the theme. That was then three years in the future so that prospective organizations had time to develop their women in the arts programs as part of their regular seasons. This advance notice enabled program expenses for the statewide initiative to be included within their annual budgets. The four-month window also allowed for participation by seasonal groups as well as year-round programmers.

To give ourselves a reality check, we held seven regional meetings around the state to introduce the concept to small and mid-sized arts organizations and get their reactions. Everyone who attended was enthusiastic about the idea. We were off and running. 

Through the regional meetings, local gatherings, e-mail listserves, and speeches and presentations at every possible opportunity, we invited every artist in the state, every arts organization, history museum, library, college, and university to join the statewide celebration of women in the arts. As of this writing, we have listed more than 1,700 events on our website, www.vamindswideopen.com, with additional programs coming in at a rate of more than a dozen each day.

Since we envisioned that these celebrations would occur periodically, each around a different central theme, the overarching brand was needed. A Virginia advertising firm, working on a pro bono basis, developed our brand. They recommended MINDS WIDE OPEN as representing one of the highest goals of arts participation: the open-minded embracing and appreciation of things outside of our own experience. If the statewide celebration of women in the arts is successful, we hope to have a similar celebration every two to three years using the MINDS WIDE OPEN brand and incorporating a new theme. 

The statewide marketing campaign includes a common logo; the website (which is closely linked to the state tourism website); an editorial/advertising insert in five city magazines across the state; public radio spots; billboards; and various social media including Facebook, You Tube, and Twitter. We also created a participant tool kit, available in a special section of the website. It provides pre-written media releases, program ads, and other promotional materials to assist artists and organizations alike. Significant financial contributions to the statewide marketing campaign were made by Altria, Dominion Power, SunTrust Bank, the Norfolk Southern Foundation, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the Virginia Tourism office.

What do we hope to accomplish? First and foremost, we want to raise the visibility of the arts industry in our state. Of equal importance is building more collaboration within the Virginia arts and cultural community. We hope that MINDS WIDE OPEN: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts will lead to many more partnerships and alliances within the entire cultural sector of our state.