Grantee Learning Communities: Theories, Innovations and New Practices for Arts Funders
Monday, October 13, 11:10am – 12:40pm
Organized and moderated by Amy Fitterer, Executive Director, Dance/USA.
Presented by Suzanne Callahan, Consultant and Project Manager, Dance/USA’s Engaging Dance Audiences, and Jeremy Williams, Consultant, Dance/USA’s Engaging Dance Audiences.
Grantees are often required to form learning communities. By declaring the environment “safe”, the hope is that they will share their range of experiences when, in reality, they worry about public scrutiny and future funding. After grappling with this challenge, Dance/USA pursued new, replicable approaches to building Communities of Practice (CoPs). Our funding program, Engaging Dance Audiences, found ways to increase the sharing and relationship building among grantees and improve practice. The session will introduce social learning theory and allow attendees to experience a CoP in action by sharing laptops and simulating a social learning exchange. The session will end with a tour of the online Dance Audience Engagement database.