Design / architecture

New England Builds Communities through Culture

Building Communities through Culture (BCC) fosters and encourages community-building projects in New England by linking arts and non-arts partners in select areas in the region. Established in 1995 as an initiative of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), BCC is supported by The Boston Foundation, the Fund for the Arts, and a 1997 NEA grant of $200,000 for Leadership Projects in Underserved Areas.

February 1998, appx. 40 pages, Arts International, 809 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, 212-984-5370, fax 212-984-5574, ainternational[at]iie.org

Landscape dominates Oregon. Its beaches, mountains, and rivers beckon Oregonians to spend their leisure time hiking, skiing, and fishing. Many Portland residents routinely exit the city on weekends, choosing outdoors over urban culture. It is within this enticing natural environment that Portland's arts and cultural institutions must engage their audiences and make their way as financially viable institutions.

National Arts Stabilization , 30 South Charles Street, Suite 1515, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, 410-332-1900, natarts[at[flash.net

I still remember my first sight of New York. It was really another city when I was born—where I was born. We looked down over the Park Avenue streetcar tracks. It was Park Avenue, but I didn't know what Park Avenue meant downtown. The Park Avenue I grew up on, which is still standing, is dark and dirty. No one would dream of opening up a Tiffany's on that Park Avenue, and when you go downtown you discover that you are literally in the white world. It is rich—or at least it looks rich. It is clean—because they collect the garbage downtown. There are doormen.

Wolf, Keens, and Company, 8 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

I am a fan of peer panels and have always enjoyed serving on them. Coming from a dance/theater background I view them as a performance event rich with actors and drama, text and subtext. I particularly appreciate the transformation of a group of individuals into a temporary community of purpose. Panelists are introduced, size each other up, conduct negotiations, build consensus, argue and disagree, acknowledge their differences, struggle to find a common language, reach certain compromises, and finally come to a set of conclusions.

The Conservation Company, 40 East 42nd Street, New York, New York 10017

Making Growth Work is a briefing paper from The Conservation Company. Written by senior consultants Paul Connoly and Laura Colin Klein, this paper discusses "techniques for managing growth in a way that maximizes a nonprofit's impact." Sections of the report describe brief case studies, identify "growing pains and their treatment," present "a user's manual," and, finally, list management assistance resources that will be useful to organizations considering whether and how to grow.

The following article is based on excerpts from a program examination by Arts Action Research.

Bimbo Rivas: Artist Profile

1996, 142 pages, National Endowment for the Arts, Seven Locks Press, Santa Ana, California, 800-354-5348