Orange County
Arts Education Center
Business Plan
Executive Summary
April 2007
Prepared by
Mary Palmer, Ed.D.
Lawrie Platt Hall
Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Council
Education & Community Resources Committee
Orange County Arts Education Center Business Plan
Executive Summary
Introduction
To assist Orange County in its quest to become a “world class community for the arts,” the Mary Palmer & Associates Research Team of Mary Palmer, Ed.D. and Lawrie Platt Hall was selected and charged by the Education & Community Resources Committee (ECRC) of the Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Council and the Orange County Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Terry Olson, Administrator, with the development of a business plan to support the creation of the Orange County Arts Education Center (OCAEC or Center). The research and analysis in this report is based on surveys of both arts organizations and individual artists; on a community dialogue; on 24 personal interviews with members of the public, private, and independent sectors, and on a web-based review of arts education centers across the United States. The plan is built not only upon the findings of this research, but also upon findings in the 2004 research carried out by the Research Team and published in the Status
Review of Arts Education in Orange County.
The interpretations of the research reported herein and the recommendations in this business plan are those of the Research Team.
Background
In February 2004, the Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Committee completed a Status Review of Arts Education in Orange County. This
comprehensive study of education in Music, Drama, Dance and Visual Arts offered by educational and non-educational entities; nonprofit and for-profit organizations; and governmental and social service agencies, to Orange County residents of all ages formed the basis for subsequent research and development. In 2004, the general public clearly indicated that a focal point for information on arts education opportunities was needed in Orange County.
The varied findings from the Status Review led to the development of a strategic plan for Arts Education in Orange County by the ECRC; the plan, published in 2005, is entitled Arts Access for All, with “Equitable Access for all to meaningful and sustained arts education opportunities” as its Vision.
The Mission is “To build connectivity, collaboration and support among Orange County’s leaders, citizens, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and
businesses to make high-quality arts education accessible and a source of pride to all.”
Among its Goals is to “Make information on arts educational opportunities for all age groups easily accessible to all citizens in Orange County.”
Approach and Methodology
Arts organizations, artists, educators, business and community leaders, and parents were included in the background research for the Center. Online surveys were completed by 80 arts organizations and 104 individual artists. A Community Dialogue with educators and parents was conducted. Web-based research on arts education resource centers across America was undertaken.
Personal interviews of 24 community leaders were completed. Key questions in the surveys, personal interviews, and focus group meeting with parents and educators related to the target audience for the Center; the program and service content of the Center, and the location of the proposed Center.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Center should encompass building access and quality in all arts education programs within Orange County and serve as an umbrella for the various arts education programs now in existence and to be developed in the future.
By building capacity and quality in arts education providers, citizens of all ages, interests, and needs benefit.
Target Audience
The target audiences for direct Center services are: • Arts organizations;
• Teachers and other school personnel; • Artists;
• Local governments and social service agencies that do or might provide programming to children, youth and senior citizens;
• General public, and
• Foundations, government funding sources, and corporations.
In addition, Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 students, families, senior citizens and others would benefit from the work of the Center in enhancing arts education programs to make them accessible and of high quality.
Collaboration
The work of the Center is collaborative in nature and requires the cooperation and involvement of the entire arts education community, including schools, arts organizations, artists and interested others as it seeks to realize the power of the arts in the life of our community and its people.
A key purpose of the Center is to link resources to needs. Establishing
collaborative relationships among arts organizations, artists, local governments, social service agencies, schools (both public and private), foundations,
corporations and government funding sources should be an early priority for the Center.
The Center should begin the process of building partnerships and affiliations as its first priority. Establishment of a national affiliation with a recognized and respected arts education provider is recommended as a means of adding credibility, strength and national visibility to the Center.
To amplify and augment the work of the Center, volunteers should be engaged. Volunteers may be involved as artists, teachers, sharers of information and in myriad other tasks.
Personnel
An arts education professional of high stature should be hired to provide
leadership to the Center as the Arts Education Coordinator. This should be a full-time position with the primary responsibility for building affiliations and
partnerships; brokering and coordinating programming; coordinating fundraising, including grant writing, and increasing public awareness of arts education by speaking to and writing for local audiences.
Support staff with primary responsibility for tracking projects, providing public information, maintaining the Center’s Website and coordinating Center volunteers should also be hired.
Specialized needs, such as Website development and grant writing, should be outsourced.
Location
The Center should have both a physical and a virtual location. The Center should be housed in the Teaching Institute of the University of Central Florida College of Education.
A multi-year agreement with the UCF College of Education should be developed and executed.
Ongoing dialogue with the Dr. P. Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center (DPAC) Board in order to align the potential for synergy between the Center and DPAC should be undertaken.
Further, the development of a formal Memorandum of Understanding to outline the relationship between the Center and DPAC is recommended.
Programming ACCESS
Public Awareness (Advocacy)
The public awareness program of the Center should focus on the value of arts education and public support for the arts and arts education. The program should include a planned media schedule, Website information, special information programs and research on arts education.
The Center should work with the Advocacy Committee of the Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Council to mount the public awareness campaign.
Programs
The Community/Awareness Action Team will become a Committee of the Orange County Arts Education Center and its programs, including the Arts Education Job Fair and the Arts Summer Camp Fair, a summer camp opportunity for children, will become the work of the Center.
QUALITY
Professional Development
Professional development in arts education for arts organizations, artists, educators and interested others is viewed as critical to achieving the status of “world class community for the arts.” In professional development programs to enhance arts education in varied settings, educators, social service workers, local government employees providing arts education, artists and others learn from one another about the arts, about teaching, and about the art of teaching.
The Center should work with existing community resources to broker resources and services to build quality and comprehensiveness in arts education programming. To this end, it is essential that the Center build
strong alliances with arts organizations, local government and social service entities, the Orange County Public Schools and interested others.
School-based Programs
Principals’ Appreciation Breakfast
The Schools Action Team will become a Committee of the Orange County Arts Education Center and its school-based programs, including the
Principals’ Appreciation Breakfast, will be part of the work of the Center.
Programs that are school-based, such as the Arts Integration program, need to be firmly established.
Arts Integration Program
The program is under development as a pilot in one Title I elementary school in 2006-07. The purpose of the program is to implement strategies for integrating the arts throughout the school curriculum in order to
increase student success in school.
This program should be implemented in collaboration with the Orange County Public Schools system in several schools, with the Center
providing Arts Integration professional development for the teachers. The impact of the program should be tracked through ongoing data-collection and research. According to these findings, the program should be
evaluated for possible expansion over the next several years.
Arts Education Convener
The Center is positioned to take a leadership role in advocacy for the support of transformative arts education for all in our community. Further, the Center has a powerful role in brokering and enhancing services to meet community needs in arts education.
The Center should assume its leadership potential through the convening of local arts providers, educators and citizens to provide information, build the arts education community and ensure high-quality offerings.
Arts Education Research
In order for the Center to achieve its goals, it must engage in ongoing research and development activities. To assume its leadership role, the Center must seek, process and deliver research findings related to best practices in arts education and exemplars in arts education.
Further, the Center must undertake ongoing assessment of its own programs and other offerings. Since the Center will be a conveyor of information, all such research should be made available to the public
through the Center’s Website, a lecture series, and other available means.
Governance
Governance for the Center should be a Trusted Model public/private partnership. The ECRC should serve as the program sponsor for the Center, the Administrator of the Orange County Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs serve as the program agent, and United Arts of Central Florida serve as the 501(c)(3) organization receiving the funds.
To ensure consistent and ongoing funding for the Center, it is recommended that an endowment fund for the Center should be
established under the auspices of the Community Foundation of Central Florida.
Five Year Plan
Year One: July, 2007 – June, 2008 • Building Infrastructure
o Relationships
Arts organizations and artists Orange County Public Schools Other public and private schools Higher education
Orange County Library System o Partnerships
The Dr. P. Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center National arts education affiliate
University of Central Florida o Fundraising Develop sources Grant writing o Personnel Staff Coordinate search/hire
• Access
o Website
Red Chair Project
Online portal to local arts education opportunities o Public Awareness
Determine locally available resources and expertise Assess community needs in arts education
Develop public awareness campaign o Arts Summer Camp Fair
• Quality
o Principals’ Appreciation Breakfast
o Arts Integration School-based Program (pilot program) o Arts Education Job Fair
Year Two: July, 2008 – June, 2009 • Building Infrastructure
o Continue work of Year One
o Collaborate with United Arts to expand its capacity-building offerings in arts education
• Access
o Continue work of Year One
o Launch public awareness program o Website
Share national and international arts education research and program information
• Quality
o Continue work of Year One Year Three: July, 2009 – June, 2010
• Building Infrastructure
o Continue work of Year Two
o Build collection of resource materials
Partnerships with Orange County Public Library System and appropriate others
• Access
o Continue work of Year Two
o Work with and through Social Service agencies
o Work with and through local government youth program providers o Public Awareness
Hold public forums with nationally known speakers • Quality
o Expand Arts Integration School-based Program to 5-7 schools o Artists-in-Schools Program
Explore opportunity as a component of the school-based arts integration program
Broker and Artists Showcase to link school needs and community resources
Year Four: July, 2010 – June, 2011 • Access
o Continue work of Year Three
o Social service agencies and governmental entities Quality-building programming
• Quality
o Continue work of Year Three
o Continue with and through Website and Public Awareness o Artists-in-Schools Program
o Social Service and Governmental Agencies Quality-building programming
o Artist Roster
Programs for varied ages and setting Year Five: July, 2011 – June, 2012
• Infrastructure
o Develop Strategic Plan for Years Six through Ten • Access
o Continue work of Year Four o Promote Artist Roster • Quality
o Continue work of Year Four
Thank you for the opportunity to work with you on this important step for the improvement and enhancement of arts education in Orange County. We look forward to positive and long-lasting results in the community and beyond.
Mary Palmer, Ed.D. Lawrie Platt Hall May 5, 2007
