CULTIVATING
THEARTSIN TENNESSEE
CONTENTS
1
Letter of Introduction
2
The Tennessee Arts Commission
3
Our Foundations
4
Extensive, Inclusive Planning Process
5
Our Realities
Goals, Objectives and Strategies
8
Goal 1: Thriving Tennessee Arts and Culture
10
Goal 2: Arts as Engines of Growth and Vitality
12
Goal 3: Arts Essential to Learning
14
Goal 4: A Champion for the Arts
16
Goal 5: Effective and Accountable Agency
18
Acknowledgments and Thanks
“LOTS OF THINGS CAN NOURISH THE BODY, BUT THE ARTS FEED YOUR SOUL.” - ISAAC HAYES 2005 GOVERNOR’S DISTINGUISHED ARTIST AWARDEE SINGER/SONGWRITER, ACTOR AND PRODUCER
Dear Arts Supporters, Thank you for considering the 2015-19 strategic plan of the Tennessee Arts Commission. This document reflects distilled thinking from nearly two years of research and conversation with stakeholders and the public about where we are and where we want to go, woven into our everyday ongoing work. We are grateful to every person who took time to think and talk or respond to surveys or participate in conferences, focus groups or public meetings. We are energized by a reframed mission statement “to cultivate the arts for the benefit of all Tennesseans and their communities.” Core values and leadership tools are confirmed. We streamlined goals, objectives and strategies to hone our impact and increase return on investments in the arts for Tennesseans. We see the overall plan as a compass, not a watch. We aim to continue to seek feedback to align the work of this public commission and its programs with our true north of benefiting Tennessee communities through the arts. Over the next five years, we look forward to important work with artists, nonprofit and public agencies who generate art, schools and community partners. As you see opportunities for improvement or increased impact, we welcome your thoughts. Sincerely,
Anne B. Pope Executive Director
Patsy W. Camp Chair
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The Tennessee Arts Commission All 50 states have state arts agencies whose responsibility is to increase public access to the arts and work to ensure that every community in America enjoys the cultural, civic, economic and educational benefits of a thriving arts sector. The Tennessee Arts Commission was created in 1967 by the Tennessee General Assembly with the special mandate to stimulate and encourage the presentation of the visual, literary, music and performing arts and to encourage public interest in the cultural heritage of Tennessee. The mission of the Tennessee Arts Commission is to cultivate the arts for the benefit of all Tennesseans and their communities. Through a variety of investments, the Commission encourages excellence in artistic expression through the state’s artists, arts organizations and arts activities. That commitment has expanded through the years to increase access and opportunities for all citizens to participate in the arts. The Tennessee Arts Commission builds better communities by: • Investing in Tennessee’s nonprofit arts industry to enhance cultural life • Serving citizens, artists and arts and cultural organizations • Supporting arts education to increase student outcomes • Undertaking initiatives that address public needs through the arts
STATE LAW Tennessee Code Annotated 4-20-104 & 107 provide that the duties of the Tennessee Arts Commission are to: • Stimulate and encourage throughout the state the study and presentation of the performing, visual and literary arts and public participation therein; • Encourage participation in, appreciation of, and education in the arts to meet the legitimate needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the state; • Encourage public interest in the cultural heritage of our state, to expand the state’s cultural resources and to promote the use of art in the state government’s activities and facilities; • Encourage excellence and assist freedom of artistic expression essential for the well-being of artists. • Undertake to assure equitable participation by the traditionally underserved and underrepresented ethnic minority, people with a disability, elderly and rural artists and arts organizations.
Each year, the Tennessee Arts Commission helps fund the arts activities of more than 600 organizations and artists in Tennessee. Over the past five years, more than 6,450 grants totaling more than $30 million have been invested in communities across Tennessee. Arts education is a major focus, both to support a complete and balanced education for Tennessee’s children and youth and to grow the arts audiences of the future. Arts education grants and programs enhance academic achievement and contribute to student growth and life-long learning. Through Student Ticket Subsidy grants to schools alone, more than 590,000 students have had an arts experience over the past five years. The Governor appoints the 15 volunteer members of the Tennessee Arts Commission for five-year terms, selecting from among citizens who have demonstrated a vital interest in the arts. Recommended by the Tennessee Arts Commission to the Governor for appointment, the Executive Director is the lead administrative officer, responsible for engaging a professional staff to carry out the work of the agency. 2 N CULTIVATING THE ARTS IN TENNESSEE
Our Foundations MISSION STATEMENT To cultivate the arts for the benefit of all Tennesseans and their communities
CORE VALUES Principles that will govern our actions: • Excellence – We seek artistic and operational integrity in all that we do. • Customer focus – We provide the best service at the lowest possible cost. • Access – We are inclusive and fair. • Innovation – We encourage creativity and initiative.
LEADERSHIP TOOLS • Grant making that strategically responds to constituent needs and maximizes public benefit • Technical assistance to build organizational knowledge and skills by sharing best practices • Convening, facilitating and network building to make connections for mutual benefit, to advance the field and to create public value • Partnerships to expand capacity and leverage resources • Technological solutions to increase efficiency and accessibility • Research to inform effective decision making, operations and advocacy • Communications to magnify understanding and impact • Public recognition for artists and organizations • Best practice modeling to lead by example
GOALS • Thriving Tennessee Arts and Culture • Arts as Engines of Growth and Vitality • Arts Essential to Learning • A Champion for the Arts • Effective and Accountable Agency
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Extensive, Inclusive Planning Process The 2014-2019 strategic plan builds on extensive input from stakeholders and the public and includes mission, values, tools and five major goals for a long range future. Strategies reflect a more immediate timeframe and will be updated over the years as conditions change and new opportunities emerge. The official period for the plan is November 1, 2014 through September 30, 2019.
Planning methods • Weekly planning meetings over the course of 18 months • Listening tour, including meetings in Memphis, Jackson, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Tri-Cities • Stakeholder conversations with the Governor and First Lady, arts constituents, foundations, local officials, community leaders, and state agencies for education, health, tourism and economic and community development and film and music • Legislator conversations with the Lt. Governor, House Speaker, finance and transportation committee chairs, Arts Caucus chairman and all members of the Tennessee Arts Caucus • Planning process development with Center for Nonprofit Management • Alignment review with key partner missions and goals • Tennessee Arts Commission planning sessions with National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) • Survey of 1,450 artists, arts educators and arts and cultural organizations with strong response rate • Tennessee Arts Commission member interviews with local business and community leaders • More than 30 focus groups with educators, arts constituents and non-arts groups • Four regional public meetings with participation of more than 450 citizens: - November 20, 2013 – General Shale Brick Natural History Museum Visitor Center and Fossil Site, Gray, TN - November 21, 2013 – Bessie Smith Cultural Center, Chattanooga, TN - December 4, 2013 – Nashville Children’s Theatre, Nashville, TN - January 13, 2014 – STAX Museum of American Soul Music, Memphis, TN • Multiple internal meetings to assimilate feedback and draft goals, objectives and strategies • Public review and comments on 2014-2019 plan draft • Rollout at statewide conference on October 28-30, 2014 at Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, TN • Public meeting data and survey results available at the agency website
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Our Realities Great Arts Assets Tennessee’s artistic heritage and cultural assets are among the richest in the nation. Tennessee’s artists—representing performing arts, music, visual arts, literary arts and folk arts—help define who we are as a state. The creative sector is an important part of Tennessee’s economy. Tennessee’s nationally recognized arts education models increase student outcomes. Tennessee’s specialty license plate program in support of the arts is an important factor because it currently funds the majority of the Tennessee Arts Commission’s arts investments and programming for schools and communities.
Music is an area of special strength From Bristol’s Birthplace of Country Music to Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame to Memphis’ Blues Foundation, Tennessee lays claim to a remarkable creative bedrock of American traditional and popular music. Tennessee boasts nearly two dozen legendary National Heritage Fellowship Awardees from Bill Monroe to the Fairfield Four and Earl Scruggs. National Medal of Arts music winners from Tennessee include the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Dolly Parton, George Jones, Johnny Cash, Minnie Pearl, B.B. King and Roy Acuff. Tennessee is the only state to choose “Musical Heritage” as its U.S. Mint icon.
Arts Benefit Tennessee Arts benefit individuals, communities, neighborhoods, and the economic development of cities and regions. Arts play a role in improved student attendance, academic achievement and 21st century skills, in the development of individual self-expression and self-confidence, and in the overall quality of life for people of all ages. At the local level, the arts enhance community pride, identity and connectedness while contributing to real estate development, increased sales and property tax revenues and improved public facilities. The arts build tolerance and understanding among diverse groups of people. On a larger scale, the arts have a major impact on cities and their regions in Tennessee. The arts help attract retirees, recruit employees and grow and retain talented people for the long term.
Uneven Spread With Tennessee’s sprawling geography, urban/rural differences and regional distinctions within the three grand divisions, the arts organizational infrastructure is spread unevenly across the state and across communities. Many Tennesseans have fewer arts opportunities because of where they live, their socio-economic or disability status, ethnicity or age. Local and area arts networks also vary in capacity and reach.
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“WHAT CHILD DOESN’T LIGHT UP AT THE PICKING OF A BANJO, THE COLORS OF A PAINTING OR THE STORIES WOVEN ON A STAGE? THE MAGIC OF ART—WHAT A GREAT GIFT TO THE IMAGINATION OF A CHILD.” - DOLLY PARTON 2003 GOVERNOR’S LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDEE SINGER/SONGWRITER, PHILANTHROPIST, ACTRESS AND AUTHOR
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Population Shifts By 2040, the state’s population is projected to increase by 25% and, like the rest of the nation, is both rapidly aging and becoming more diverse. Tennessee currently has the 3rd fastest growing Latino population in the nation. By 2040, Nashville will be the most ethnically diverse city in the South, with a Latino population of 33% in addition to Lao, Kurdish (the largest in the nation) and Sudanese communities, among other groups (Nashville Next). This demographic influx is changing the state’s historic mix of Native American, African American and European American cultural expression.
Public Environment Tennessee’s state leaders value low taxes and a business-friendly environment to foster continued job growth. State government weathered the economic downturn better than many states through conservative fiscal management. Even so, the drop in consumer spending, not yet rebounded to pre-recession levels, has hurt a state reliant on sales tax, and austerity measures continue in spite of recent economic gains. Tennessee communities face compelling needs related to jobs, education, health and public safety. These are the overall priorities of state government.
Education Environment Bipartisan determination to improve the state’s rating in K-12 achievement drives Tennessee’s First to the Top, Common Core, and Tennessee Arts Commission initiatives, which include two U.S. Department of Education funded arts integration programs, statewide teacher training, an annual arts education conference and incentive grants. Arts education is an area of great challenges, great accomplishments and great opportunities.
Arts Environment While participation and interest in the arts is on the rise, the financial environment for most artists and arts organizations continues to be challenging, especially for smaller and newer organizations. Fundraising, advocacy and audience development are the biggest challenges for arts organizations. Many local leaders still consider the arts separate from the economic, business and civic life of their communities. The arts are often an under-utilized public strategy to meet critical community needs.
State Arts Agency The Tennessee Arts Commission has an engaged volunteer governing board, a professional staff and an approach that includes brokering partner relationships and strategic leveraging of assets, including technology. Current revenues are stagnant or decreasing. The grants process needs streamlining and the agency brand needs updating. The challenge and great opportunity of these times is to reposition the arts and the Tennessee Arts Commission as highly valued partners for strong Tennessee communities. The following goals, objectives and strategies were developed toward that end.
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“I AM A FIRM BELIEVER THAT MUSIC IS THE GLUE TO A WELL-ROUNDED CHILD.” - DEANIE PARKER SONGWRITER, STAX MUSEUM AND SOULSVILLE FOUNDATION FOUNDER, MEMPHIS
CULTIVATE INNOVATION
CULTIVATE INCLUSION
CULTIVATE HERITAGE Having lived his entire life in the Cumberland Plateau, Clyde Davenport is a storehouse of traditional music. He preserves a body of music remarkable for its breadth and historical importance. He is master of both fiddle and banjo, the two main instruments of the region’s music legacy. In 1992, the National Endowment for the Arts bestowed upon Clyde the National Heritage Fellowship, our country’s highest award in the traditional arts. He received the Tennessee Folklife Heritage Award in 2007. Clyde, now 93, has continued to perform regularly in programs hosted by Jubilee Community Arts and Cumberland Trail State Park.
CULTIVATE CREATIVITY
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CULTIVATE EXCELLENCE
GOAL 1 Thriving Tennessee Arts and Culture Tennesseans make art. That art helps us understand who we are, how we experience our lives and what we want to pass along to generations to come. Thriving Tennessee arts and culture means diverse arts and cultural activities, widespread participation, and ongoing sustained support for arts and culture infrastructures, as well as preservation of our unique heritage and traditions. Flourishing communities include a variety of opportunities for citizens of all ages and walks of life to take part in arts and cultural activities.
OBJECTIVE Invest in arts and cultural assets as an integral part of everyday life for Tennesseans. STRATEGIES • Leverage investments in operating support for eligible arts organizations to increase opportunities for all. • Promote the professional development of artists. • Support arts activities for community benefit.
OBJECTIVE Preserve and promote Tennessee’s heritage, cultural diversity and folk arts. STRATEGIES • Identify, document and promote Tennessee folk artists, community traditions, folklife practices and traditional arts, including both older rooted traditions and those of more recent ethnic and immigrant communities. • Increase public awareness of and scholarly access to the wealth of Tennessee folklife program archival records.
OBJECTIVE Expand accessibility, participation, and inclusion in the arts for all Tennesseans. STRATEGIES • Define opportunities and target support for underserved communities. • Research and share best practices for audience development, including underserved communities. • Increase arts participation opportunities, including for persons with disabilities.
OBJECTIVE Foster innovation and excellence. STRATEGIES • Share and propel best practices to strengthen the arts and artists in Tennessee. • Encourage and incentivize resilience and adaptability to changes in the environment.
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“THE ARTS ARE IMPORTANT TO TENNESSEE. THE ARTS IMPACT COMMUNITIES IN MANY POSITIVE WAYS: QUALITY OF LIFE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, TOURISM AS WELL AS PROVIDING A MORE BALANCED EDUCATION FOR OUR CHILDREN. ” - SENATOR DOUG OVERBEY STATE SENATOR IN TENNESSEE REPRESENTING DISTRICT 8, TENNESSEE ARTS CAUCUS CHAIR
CULTIVATE COMMUNITY
CULTIVATE AUTHENTICITY
CULTIVATE ECONOMY
CULTIVATE DOWNTOWNS
CULTIVATE PLACEMAKING Arts and cultural assets can be used to help stimulate economic and community development. Playhouse on The Square, whose drive to build a new state-of-the-art facility helped cement Overton Square in midtown Memphis as a cultural destination, also stimulated commercial and residential development in the process. Today Overton Square is home to thriving restaurants and businesses anchored by three live performance theaters, (Circuit Playhouse, Hattiloo Theatre and Playhouse on the Square) plus a multi-screen movie theater. Local surveys indicate that 80-85% of those attending a theater will dine out before or after the performance. Overton Square is a new kind of arts and entertainment district that attracts locals and visitors alike.
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GOAL 2 Arts as Engines of Growth and Vitality Tennessee’s creative people, institutions and businesses help define our communities as vibrant places to live and work. Definitions of the creative economy vary, but together, our creative enterprises and workforce add significant value to the state’s economy and Tennessee communities. The Tennessee Arts Commission has a unique relationship with nonprofit arts and cultural organizations that make up a key sector of Tennessee’s creative economy. The 2012 National Governors Association report “New Engines of Growth: Arts, Culture and Design” describes five ways the arts can contribute to economic growth, including: 1. Provide a fast-growth, dynamic industry cluster; 2. Help mature industries become more competitive; 3. Provide the critical ingredients for innovative places; 4. Catalyze community revitalization; and 5. Deliver a better-prepared workforce. Creative placemaking is an area of special opportunity for Tennessee communities. In creative placemaking, partners from public, private, nonprofit, and community sectors strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, city, or region around arts and cultural activities. Creative placemaking animates public and private spaces, rejuvenates structures and streetscapes, improves local business viability and public safety, and brings diverse people together to build shared understanding of culture and community. The national nonpartisan Urban Institute states that “a healthy place to live includes opportunities for the arts, culture and creative expression.” In addition to economic benefits, the Tennessee Arts Commission can highlight the everyday role of the arts in generating other public benefits for communities including community cohesion and pride, increased public health and safety, successful strategies to address tough community problems, and celebration of the essential virtues and values that make us who we are as Tennesseans.
Advance the arts as a driver of the creative economy and creative placemaking. OBJECTIVE • Document the impact of Tennessee’s creative economy. STRATEGIES • Be a catalyst for creative placemaking initiatives in Tennessee communities. • Support arts and cultural assets as part of Tennessee’s brand as an international tourism destination. • Continue to invest in arts and cultural assets that draw visitors to Tennessee communities.
Strengthen civic engagement and community vitality through the arts. OBJECTIVE • Incentivize social transformation and community sustainability through the arts. STRATEGIES • Recognize the importance of community-driven amateur and informal arts-making for community vitality.
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“WE TOLD ANITA THAT IF SHE WORKED REALLY HARD, SHE WOULD EXPERIENCE SUCCESS. HER PARTICIPATION IN POETRY OUT LOUD HAS GIVEN HER A NEW-SENSE OF CONFIDENCE MOTIVATING US AS PARENTS TO CONTINUE ENCOURAGING OUR CHILDREN TO DISCOVER THEIR PASSIONS.” - EDWARD NORMAN FATHER OF THE 2014 NATIONAL AND TENNESSEE STATE POETRY OUT LOUD CHAMPION, ANITA NORMAN, ARLINGTON, TN
CULTIVATE SUCCESS
CULTIVATE EXPRESSION
GOAL 3 Arts Essential to Learning The 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress reported that Tennessee is the fastest growing state in the country for academic improvement. The Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education identifies priorities to continue this growth, including the transition to Common Core State Standards, effective school leadership and great teaching, an increased focus on career education and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and increased use of technology. Arts education can contribute to this growth by supporting learning both in and through the arts. Dance, media arts, music, theater, and visual arts are academic subjects with rigorous state and national achievement standards. National studies show that arts education builds creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving skills—preparing students for 21st century success in school, work and life. Learning through the arts is equally beneficial when the arts are integrated into other subject areas, encouraging classroom teachers, arts specialists, and teaching artists to develop collaborative lesson plans that infuse creativity into learning. A national sample of 25,000 students showed that those with high levels of arts learning earned higher grades and scored better on standardized tests than others, regardless of their socioeconomic status. The Tennessee Arts Commission’s Arts360 and Value Plus Schools arts integration programs have shown that students not only score higher on tests, but the entire school culture changes to support growth. Current state law includes instructional requirements for arts education, a fine arts requirement for high school graduation, and licensure requirements for arts teachers. However, teachers report that competing priorities, decreased instructional time, insufficient personnel, and budget and/or space constraints are challenges for arts education in schools. The Tennessee Arts Commission seeks to address these challenges through strategies that bring together educators, artists, and community partners to recognize the arts as essential to learning in a variety of instructional settings from the classroom to the community and beyond. 12 N CULTIVATING THE ARTS IN TENNESSEE
CULTIVATE LEARNING Bradley Academy, a year-round arts integrated school that offers arts instruction to all K-6 students, was named a Rewards School by the Tennessee Department of Education for the 2011-2012 school year. Located in Murfreesboro, academic growth demonstrated by the students places Bradley in the top 5% of schools in the state. And as one of the original Value Plus Schools funded by a US Department of Education grant, Bradley continues to place the arts at the forefront of curriculum. Principal Dr. Kim Fowler allows faculty time for collaborative planning sessions and to team teach arts infused lessons. These lessons allow for deliberate arts integrated instruction with arts and non-arts educators offering authentic teaching in both content areas. Dr. Linda Gilbert, the Director of Schools, is a former music educator and has consistently supported a full-time drama/movement teacher.
OBJECTIVE Foster arts education for all Tennessee children and youth. STRATEGIES • Work to assure that every public school student has access to high quality arts education in school. • Strengthen alliances of arts, education and community leaders to address arts education policy and practice. • Support arts specialists and teaching artists as integral to arts learning.
OBJECTIVE Increase capacity of educators and artists to engage the arts to boost student outcomes. STRATEGIES • Support and promote arts integration initiatives. • Foster 21st century learning skills through the arts. • Facilitate professional development for teachers and artists.
OBJECTIVE Facilitate innovative community arts learning for life-long learners, PK-12 out-ofschool time and underserved populations. STRATEGIES • Foster targeted community education initiatives and partnerships to reach diverse populations. • Cultivate high quality arts education in Tennessee’s arts and cultural organizations.
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“I’M CONTINUING THE WORK OF MY MOTHER. WHAT SHE PLANTED MUST BE HARVESTED.” - CELIA GARDUÑO MEXICAN EMBROIDERER, CHATTANOOGA
CULTIVATE IMPACT
CULTIVATE COLLABORATION
CULTIVATE COMMUNICATIONS The Tennessee Specialty License Plate Program was created in the 1980s to provide a dedicated revenue source for arts and cultural activities in the state. When citizens purchase certain specialty license plates, a portion of the proceeds directly fund local arts programing for children and communities, distributed through the Tennessee Arts Commission. In 2013, over $6.3 million was invested in nonprofit organizations, K-12 public schools and artists across the state. Of that $6.3 million, $4.5 million was generated through the sale of specialty license plates. The Tennessee Arts Commission has four license plates of its own with the 2014 addition of the new Arts plate, pictured in the photo on the top right.
CULTIVATE INFORMATION
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CULTIVATE CONVERSATION
GOAL 4 A Champion for the Arts In public meetings across the state, business and civic leaders, developers, and philanthropists described how the arts have been essential strategies to moving their communities forward. Even so, only 33% of Tennessee artists and arts organizations perceive that the arts “have a seat at the table” for major community initiatives. The focus of this goal is to increase understanding so that state and local leaders routinely engage the arts to address priority issues and arts organizations and artists across Tennessee become highly valued partners for building strong communities.
OBJECTIVE Communicate the impact of the arts. STRATEGIES • Cultivate data and information collection to document public value of arts organizations, activities and experiences. • Create communication tools that build awareness of the public benefits of the arts.
OBJECTIVE Build understanding of the importance of public funding for the arts, including the state’s specialty license plate program. STRATEGIES • Articulate the role and significance of public funding for the arts and culture in Tennessee. • Develop and implement specialty license plate marketing campaigns that will build awareness of the program and increase growth, including a gift voucher program.
OBJECTIVE Inform public policy development relative to the arts. STRATEGIES
• Support Tennesseans for the Arts and other statewide, regional and local arts service organizations. • Increase understanding of the value and role the arts can play in building sustainable communities.
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“I THINK SCIENCE PLUS ART EQUALS INNOVATION.” - JIM MARTIN ARTS PATRON, MARY B. MARTIN SCHOOL OF THE ARTS, ETSU, JOHNSON CITY. 2013 GOVERNOR’S ARTS LEADERSHIP AWARDEE
CULTIVATE VISION
CULTIVATE CUSTOMER FOCUS
CULTIVATE LEADERSHIP The Governor’s Arts Awards was established in 1971 by the Tennessee Arts Commission to recognize individuals and organizations that make outstanding contributions to the cultural life of Tennessee. As Tennessee’s highest honor in the arts, awards are made to recognize achievements to artists and arts leaders, arts and private-sector organizations, in arts education, community involvement or for a unique accomplishment. In 2013, Governor and First Lady Haslam honored recipients during a ceremony at Conservation Hall and are pictured on the right with the winners; Donald Fann, Rev. Keith Norman (representing Bobby “Blue” Bland), Polly Page, Anita D’Angelis (representing James C. Martin), Jim Sherraden, Tony Lawson (representing WDVX), Ann Patchett, David Porter and Knox Phillips.
CULTIVATE INVESTMENTS
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CULTIVATE STEWARDSHIP
GOAL 5 Effective and Accountable Agency In step with other Tennessee state agencies, the Tennessee Arts Commission shares a commitment to Customer Focused Government. The objective is to provide the best service at the lowest possible cost. The Tennessee Arts Commission, governed by a body of 15 members, operates within the complex environment of state and federal laws, rules, policies and procedures. The Commission seeks to fulfill its responsibilities and enhance systems for empowering arts and cultural organizations to implement both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Accomplishing tasks properly and on time, no matter how big or small, requires well-designed systems, organizational agility and skilled staff. An effective agency must attract, develop and retain qualified professionals to lead the field.
OBJECTIVE Enhance customer focus, efficiency and stewardship. STRATEGIES • Reduce the cost of doing business, including streamlining the grants process. • Support good stewardship of agency resources.
OBJECTIVE Maximize return on public investment. STRATEGIES • Develop partnerships to leverage resources, including with other state agencies. • Review and redesign agency evaluation methods to capture benefit of investments and to make strategic and process improvements.
OBJECTIVE Strengthen the agency as a leader for innovation and excellence. STRATEGIES • Help staff excel through professional development opportunities. • Translate research and emerging trends into innovative programming for the arts.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND THANKS Governor Bill Haslam and First Lady Crissy Haslam
Tennessee Arts Commission Members Patsy W. Camp, Chair Stephanie B. Conner, Vice-Chair Strategic Planning Committee Chair Ann C. Smith, Secretary Lisa Bobango, Memphis Dr. Leo McGee, Cookeville Ritche Bowden, Memphis Chancellor Carol L. McCoy, Nashville Donna Chase, Knoxville Jan Ramsey, Chattanooga Ed Gerace, Johnson City Waymon L. Hickman, Columbia Connie S. Weathers, Chattanooga Lee D. Yeiser, Savannah
Special Thanks To The Arts Caucus of the Tennessee General Assembly Senator Doug Overbey, R-Blount, Chairman of the Arts Caucus Kelly Barsdate, Chief Program and Planning Officer National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) Tennesseans for The Arts (TFTA), Bonnie McDonald, Chair and Liza Zenni, Past Chair Rhea Condra, Tennessee Arts Commission FY2013-14 Chair National Endowment for the Arts
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Public Meeting Partners and Sponsors ArtsBuild, Chattanooga ArtsMemphis, Memphis Bessie Smith Cultural Center, Chattanooga Dr. Ted Brown, President, Martin Methodist College, Pulaski Patsy W. Camp, TN Arts Commission Member, West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation Member and Jackson Arts Council Past President City of Johnson City, Johnson City Economic Development Council of Washington County, Johnson City Dr. Jean Heise, Humanities Supervisor, Knox County Schools, Knox County Dr. Barbara Hodges, Executive Director, Kids for the Creative Arts, Murfreesboro Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts, Kingsport Knoxville Arts & Culture Alliance Jill Levine, Principal, Normal Park Museum Magnet School, Hamilton County Robert Loeb, President Loeb Properties Inc., Memphis Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City Lonnell Matthews, Metro Councilman, Operations Executive, Davidson County School Age Services, YMCA of Middle Tennessee Metro Arts, Nashville Nashville Children’s Theatre, Nashville Natural History Museum at Gray Fossil Site Scott Niswonger, President of Niswonger Foundation, Chairman Emeritus Forward Air Corporation, majority shareholder Landair Transport, Inc. Dennis R. Phillips, Mayor of City of Kingsport Phil Pindzola, Director of the Public Works Administration at the City of Johnson City Richard Rose, Producing Artistic Director, Barter Theatre, Abingdon, VA Tim Sampson, Communications Director, Soulsville Foundation, Memphis Bo Spessard, Chief Executive Officer, and in-house attorney, Emma, Nashville Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Memphis Tennessee Craft, Nashville Tom White, Sr. Vice President, Investor Relations, Unum, Chattanooga Gretchen Wollert McLennon, Program Director, Authentic Assets and Communications, Hyde Foundation, Memphis
Planning Consultants Anne Coulter, A. Coulter Consulting Center for Nonprofit Management Maren Brown Associates National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA)
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Photo Credits Cover, left to right, top to bottom: Students from Kingsport Ballet; Arts license plate production, photo courtesy of TRICOR Marketing Communications; Beale Street, Memphis; Nashville Symphony, photo by Bill Steber; chairmaker Dallas Newberry, Red Boiling Springs, photo by Dr. Robert Cogswell; volunteer working on the Kingsport Carousel, photo courtesy of Kingsport Arts; Annie performed at the Ned, Jackson, photo by Sidney Burngasser; Spamalot at Clarence Brown Theatre, Knoxville; Voices of Triumph, Mt. Canaan Baptist Church performing at Gospel on Glass, Chattanooga, photo by Dr. Dana Everts-Boehm; Mariachi Viva México performing at Cumberland Hispanic Festival, photo by Dr. Dana Everts-Boehm; sculpture student at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, photo courtesy of Arrowmont; Student from Joy of Music, Nashville, photo courtesy of Joy of Music. Page 6, left to right, top to bottom: Native American TBC Drum group, Native American Indian Association of Tennessee’s annual Powwow at Long Hunter State Park, photo by Dr. Dana EvertsBoehm; Whipping Man performed at Clarence Brown Theatre, UT Knoxville, photo by Brynn Yeager; Carmen Deedy, International Storytelling Center, Jonesborough, photo by Fresh Air Photographics; work by Marilee Hall, photo courtesy of Tennessee Craft; Shawn Pody and friend singing, Music for Seniors, Nashville, photo by David Findley; Jim Sherraden, printer, Hatch Show Print Shop, Nashville. Page 8, left to right, top to bottom: The Ben Folds Project, Nashville Ballet, photo by Anthony Matula; George Dennehy, photo courtesy of VSA Tennessee; Clyde Davenport of Jamestown, photo by Dr. Robert Cogswell; “Artist’s Hands,” photo courtesy of Tennessee Craft; Fred Davis and Gabrielle Salvatto, Dance Theatre of Harlem, photo by Christopher Duggan. Page 10, left to right, top to bottom: Wizard of Oz performed at Arts in McNairy, photo by Bryan Huff; Stax Museum of Soul Music, Memphis; Kevin Burge, left and Jim Masterson, right forging at the National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis; Pops on the River, Chattanooga, photo by Sam Burns; Playhouse on The Square, Memphis, photo courtesy of Playhouse on The Square. Page 12, left to right, top to bottom: Anita Norman, 2014 National Poetry Out Loud Champion; Grammy winner, Daniel de los Reyes, percussionist for the Zac Brown Band, with Joy of Music School students, Nashville, photo courtesy of Joy of Music. Page 13: Students from Bradley Academy Musical Theatre, Murfreesboro, photo courtesy of Bradley Academy. Page 14, left to right, top to bottom: Destellos Culturales performing at Hola Hora Latina’s annual Hola Festival, Knoxville, photo by Dr. Dana Everts-Boehm; Arts plate press conference 2014, Nashville, from left to right: Liza Zenni, Brian Salesky, Representative Curtis Halford, Senator Becky Duncan Massey, Bonnie Macdonald and Senator Doug Overbey; First Lady Crissy Haslam, Arts Advocacy Day 2011; panelists Lonnell Matthews, Metro Councilman and Bo Spessard, Emma, at the December 2013 Nashville public meeting; local arts supporters during the round-table portion of the December 2013 Nashville public meeting. Page 16, left to right, top to bottom: Anne B. Pope, Executive Director, Tennessee Arts Commission; teaching artist Antoine Williamson at the 2014 Create Conference; Governor and First Lady Haslam with the 2013 Governor’s Arts Award Recipients, left to right, top to bottom: Donald Fann, Rev. Keith Norman (representing Bobby “Blue” Bland), Polly Page, Anita D’Angelis (representing James C. Martin), Jim Sherraden, Tony Lawson (representing WDVX), Ann Patchett, David Porter and Knox Phillips; students participating in an Arts Corps class funded by a Funds-for-At-Risk-Youth Grant, Johnson City Area Arts Council; Juliet Lang, Fairview High School and 3rd runner-up at the 2014 State Poetry Out Loud competition with 2014 Tennessee Arts Commission Chair, Rhea Condra and 2015 Tennessee Arts Commission Chair, Patsy Camp.
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Staff Anne B. Pope, Executive Director Hal Partlow, Associate Director, Grants Carol White, Associate Director, Operations Suzanne Lynch, Director of Marketing & Development Lee Baird Grants Analyst/Director of Literary Arts
Shannon Ford Director of Community Arts Development
Dr. Dana Everts-Boehm Folklife Program Assistant
Michelle McEwen Account Technician
Ann Brown Director of Arts Education
Vickie McPherson Arts Program Administrative Assistant
Mike Chambers Information Technology Director
Jared Morrison Director of Performing Arts
Dr. Robert Cogswell Director of Folklife
James Wells Arts Education Special Projects Coordinator
William Coleman Director of Arts Access
Diane Williams Director of Grants Management
The Tennessee Arts Commission welcomes feedback at any time on this plan. Please call or email Suzanne Lynch, Director of Marketing and Development 615-741-1703, suzanne.lynch@tn.gov. Visit us online at tn.gov/arts. No person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, religion, or gender shall be excluded from participation in or otherwise be subjected to discrimination of services, programs and/or employment provided by the Tennessee Arts Commission and its contracting agencies. For ADA inquiries, please contact William Coleman at 615-532-9797 or Tennessee Relay Center 1-800-848-0298 (TTY) or 1-800-848-0299 (voice). Para ayuda en espa単ol, llame a: 615-532-0169. Published in 2014 by Tennessee Arts Commission. Publication Number: 316656 The Tennessee Arts Commission is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts
“I REALIZED WHAT I WAS DOING WAS OF INTEREST TO OTHER PEOPLE. ONE OF THEM HADN’T HEARD NOTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE, AND HE TOOK HIS HAT OFF, THREW IT ON THE GROUND, AND DANCED ON IT. THAT’S HARD ON A HAT.” - EARL SCRUGGS BLUEGRASS BANJO PLAYER, MADISON. RECIPIENT OF THE NATIONAL HERITAGE FELLOWSHIP 1994 GOVERNOR’S OUTSTANDING ARTIST AWARDEE
401 Charlotte Avenue Nashville, TN 37243-0780 tn.gov/arts