NYS ARTS BLOG!

Getting the Word Out!! Response to Dear Kathryn!

Dear Kathryn,  Welcome to Ask Pat!!!!  I would love to be sitting across the table talking to you again.  Great that you're  making the move towards an arts center doing workshops and classes, and I am impressed that you've been doing paid advertising! What is the space like that you have now?  I remember so many times that my organizations and other organizations didn't have the wherewithall to place paid ads and this experience informs to some of my suggestions many of which I'm sure you thought of.  Utilize your stakeholders to get the word out; your board, your volunteers.  Get information out to the schools PTAs and to the libraries.  Do PSAs for public television and public radio.  They are required to give back a certain amount to the community.  Send email blasts out to your members and perhaps most importantly utilize the current students and if they are children their parents.  Nothing is better advertising than positive word of mouth.   As a parent you know that programs or places with good reputations grow like topsy.  Use testimonials and start the word of mouth game. 
All that positive spin and excitement will translate into enrollment.  Knowing you I'm sure you surveyed the community and assessed the niche you could fill. Everyone likes value added.   Make sure that your programs fill a slot unavailable...times; days of the week etc at other comparable places.  Hope this helps.  Feel free to explore this with me further in a subsequent post.  Hope the family is well...we can chat about that offline.  You can reach me on Twitter or [email protected] for the non-professional catch up.

Collaborations: Successes and Horror Stories

Martha brings up a subject that has always intrigued me.  In life there is no question that working together and conserving resources is a sane route to go, but with arts organizations does it really work?  Are we driven to collaborate because funders want and demand it?  What happens with the actual dollars?  Are they split equally between the partners?  What about the workload?  Does each group do their fair share, or is one group "lifting the water" resentfully while other groups seize the glory and the credit?  Should there be an additional administrative fee to the organization that writes, monitors and administers a grant above and beyond what the partners get? Perhaps as Martha writes, in real life collaborations work best when organizations share a different audience and a different mission.  Is this true?  I have always thought about "block booking" to reduce artist fees, joint publicity and marketing around a common theme or goal, office supply coops and even shared space and staffing make alot of sense.  As in any field of endeavor an open line of communication with a well thought out list of expectations is essential for collaborations to be successful.  I would love to hear from you about what collaborations have worked and what haven't.

Hello All, I'm Pat

I am flattered to be NYSARTS' choice to be the equivalent of Dear Abby/Pat of the Arts Community here in New York State. Whereas in most industries, the rapidly approaching summer is a time for retrenchment our organizations are ripe with activity; festivals, concerts, classes, camps, outdoor art shows.

As we face some of the most challenging economic times in decades the excellent work that is being done in our communities needs to be sustained and supported. Where are the opportunities and what are our resources? Behind the face of challenges there new and different forward progression. Please post your thoughts and questions about fundraising, membership, personnel, boards of directors, summer events. Our Rural organizations through our Listserve have been having interesting conversations which I hope will transfer to this blog.

In addition to this ASK PAT column you may follow me on Twitter if you are so inclined. Twitter is a mini social networking program founded on the basic question of "What are you doing?" I haven't made my mind up about it though...as if?! Many seem to think that twitter is only a cellphone based site. In actuality one controls it on the computer with an option to link a device like a cellphone. I chose not to do that.

I am ready willing and available to moderate any discussion that ensues and look forward to being in touch with friends old and new throughout New York State.

Pat

Do you have questions for Pat?

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Pat Berman, former Associate Director of NYS ARTS will help you out!

About Pat

PAT BERMAN was the Associate Director of the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations from 1999 until 2005.  Prior to that, she was the Director of Member Services.  Ms. Berman assumed this position after serving at East End Arts Council as Executive Director since 1994, Program Director 1986 to 1994, and Visual Arts Coordinator 1983-1986. As Executive Director at East End Arts Council, Ms. Berman began an Education Center dedicated to the instruction of music, visual arts, and theatre to students of all ages.  Since 1994 she has been the Administrator of Long Island Baroque Ensemble and since 1985, she has been a Consultant to the Special Arts Services Department of the New York State Council on the Arts.  From 1976 to 1982, Ms. Berman was the Director of the Vorpal Gallery in New York City.   Ms. Berman received a M.S. degree in anthropology at New York University and a B.S. degree in zoology, with distinction from Duke University.