arts & business council

MetLife Foundation National Arts Forums Series

Iowa Arts Council
http://www.iowaartscouncil.org/ Des Moines, Iowa

Leadership: New Frameworks for the Changing Face of America
08/18/2008

Moderator: Moderator: Eric Sickler, Forum Series Co-Coordinator and Principal Consultant of Stamats, Inc.

Mr. Sickler began the forum by presenting a brief overview of the first session to the room of business and arts leaders from the Des Moines area. The consensus at the first forum is that Des Moines’ arts and business communities need a mechanism that will identify those offering opportunities and those who want to seize opportunities. The objective of the second forum was to develop a plan of action for a program or initiative that will fill this need.

Following Mr. Sickler’s overview was an open discussion where participants were asked to share their perspectives on the objective. Panelists discussed the mutually beneficial partnerships; state funding; creativity in the workplace; and needs of small organizations, businesses, and individuals.

The attendees spoke of the need for collaborative partnerships between businesses and arts organization to be mutually beneficial. Mary Sundet Jones, Division Administrator of the Iowa Arts Council said connections between the business and arts should not be focused on “what you can do for me” but rather “how we can help each other.” She said that since there is a growing awareness of what the arts bring to Des Moines, programs and initiatives should be reciprocal.

The topic of funding for cultural organizations and support for smaller organizations and individual artists were also major focuses of discussion. Lauren Burke, Event Coordinator, Iowa Lieutenant Governor’s Office, said several initiatives are already underway to develop more partnerships between businesses and arts organizations. She believes the next step is to get the legislature to buy into the importance of these partnerships as funding from the state continues to be cut. BRAVO, an arts advocacy organization, works to secure and also provides funding for cultural organizations. MD Isley of BRAVO Greater Des Moines said that they are experiencing substantial growth and believes they have the potential to play a major role in any initiative that is developed.

Traci Levine, Executive Director of Metro Arts Alliance, expressed concern about the lack of representation and support for lesser known artists and start up businesses. Most support is put towards distinguished artists and larger businesses are more often approached for collaborations. Everyone needs to be involved if this initiative is going to work.

After much discussion, the audience moved their focus to the structure of a program or initiative that would bring the arts and business together in Des Moines. They agreed that there are a number of successful models that can be tailored to Des Moines’ needs such as Business Volunteers for the Arts (BVA). BVA is a volunteer program designed to recruit and utilize the services of business people who are passionate about the arts. Once the program is more defined, BVA will be consulted to determine whether or not a partnership is the next best step.

The co-coordinators of the forum have agreed to create a program proposal. The proposed program will then be turned over to the Young Professionals Connection (YPC) acting as program facilitators. By the end of the year the YPC plans on presenting a formal proposal, including program structure, staffing, and funding to their board.