Maine Arts Commission Five Year Strategic Plan Executive Summary 2005-2009

Cultivating Maine's Arts and Culture for the People and Communities of Maine

Full Executive Summary
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Mission

The Maine Arts Commission shall encourage and stimulate public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and programs of our state; shall expand the state's cultural resources; and shall encourage and assist freedom of artistic expression for the well being of the arts, to meet the legitimate needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the state.

Enabling Legislation

The following is a layman’s version of the Maine Arts Commission’s enabling legislation.

The Maine Arts Commission consists of not less than 15 nor more than 21 members, each of whom shall have a “continuing interest in the fields of art and culture in the State, to be appointed by the Governor from among citizens of Maine.” In making such appointments, due consideration is given to the recommendations made by representative civic, education and professional associations and groups concerned with or engaged in artistic and cultural fields generally.

The term of office of each member shall be three years. Other than the chair, no member of the Maine Arts Commission who serves two full three-year terms is eligible for reappointment during the one-year period following the expiration of his second such term. The Governor designates a chair and vice-chair from the members of the Maine Arts Commission, to serve as such at the pleasure of the Governor. The chair is the presiding officer of the Maine Arts Commission.

The Director of the Maine Arts Commission must be qualified by training or experience and is appointed by the Maine Arts Commission. The Director serves for an indefinite term; the Maine Arts Commission fixes compensation for the Director within salary range 88.

The duties of the Maine Arts Commission are:

“Encouragement. To take such steps as may be necessary and appropriate to encourage and stimulate public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and programs of our State and to expand the State’s cultural resources; and
Freedom. To encourage and assist freedom of artistic expression essential for the well-being of the arts; and
Surveys. To make such surveys as may be deemed advisable of public and private institutions engaged within the State in artistic and cultural activities, including, but not limited to, music, theater, dance, painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, history and allied studies and pursuits, and to make recommendations concerning appropriate methods of encouraging participation in and appreciation of the foregoing to meet the legitimate needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the State; and
Works of art. To act in an advisory capacity relative to the creation, acquisition, construction or erection by the State of any work of art, to file with the Governor, within 30 days, its opinion of such proposed work of art together with such suggestions and recommendations as it may deem proper.”

The Maine Arts Commission is authorized and empowered to hold public and private hearings, to enter into contracts, within the limit of funds available, with individuals or organizations, and institutions for services furthering the educational objectives of the Maine Arts Commission’s programs; to enter into contracts, within the limit of funds available, with local and regional associations for cooperative endeavors furthering the educational objectives of the Maine Arts Commission’s programs; to establish an endowment fund; to accept gifts, contributions and bequests of funds from individuals, foundations, corporations and other organizations or institutions for the purpose of furthering the educational objectives of the Maine Arts Commission’s programs; to make and sign any agreements and to do and perform any acts that are necessary to carry out the purposes of the enabling legislation. Any funds, if given as an endowment, must be invested by the Treasurer of the State according to the laws governing the investment of trust funds. The Maine Arts Commission may request and receive from any department, division, board, bureau, Maine Arts Commission or agency of the State such assistance and data as necessary to carry out its powers and duties.

The Maine Arts Commission is the official agency of the State to receive and disburse any funds made available by the Federal Government for programs related to the purposes of the Maine Arts Commission.

Long Range Goals

Develop Maine communities through arts and culture.

Support full access to learning in and through the arts.

Encourage and support Maine artists.

Build the capacity of Maine's creative sector.

Develop art in public spaces.

Develop and sustain the Maine Arts Commission's capacity.

Why plan

The obvious reason for strategic planning is that it is simply a good idea to know the direction ahead, and to the degree possible, to build the road. Also, the agency needs to assess the progress of the past 5 years and build upon it. The National Endowment for the Arts requires the Maine Arts Commission to submit a Partnership Agreement funding request based on planning every three years.

Priorities

The Maine Arts Commission supports artists, arts organizations, arts in education and community development through arts and culture in all its programs. The Maine Arts Commission is charged by the Maine Legislature to serve all the citizens of the state and to expand support for the arts. The agency carries out theses priorities through six interdependent goals.

Planning methods

The Maine Arts Commission updates its plan annually and every three years engages constituents, Maine Arts Commissioners, committee members and staff in comprehensive assessment and planning. Over 3,000 Maine Arts Commission constituents and allies provided input and advice to inform strategic planning. Maine Arts Commission staff and committee members met approximately 1,290 constituents in 106 meetings from July 2003 through March 2004. These meetings were convened to conduct Maine Arts Commission business and to gather information for strategic planning. Another 1,500 constituents gathered in four conferences and receptions, most notably the 670 who participated and developed recommendations at the Blaine House Conference on Maine’s Creative Economy in May 2004. Another 341 constituents completed an assessment survey in February 2004. Maine Arts Commission staff summarized their observations from their constituent meetings. Strategic analyst Craig Dreeszen analyzed and reported survey results, recommendations from the Blaine House Conference on Maine’s Creative Economy and a report from a Discovery Research planning meeting. The Maine Arts Commission and committees met in a planning retreat on June 18, 2004 to discuss planning issues and frame the plan’s outline. Dreeszen and staff revised the plan that was considered by the executive committee and then approved by the Maine Arts Commission on October 15, 2004.

Maine Arts Commission Principles

The Maine Arts Commission complies with all local, state and federal laws and regulations concerning civil and human rights. Our programs, grants and employment practices are free from discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability and/or age. The Maine Arts Commission encourages Maine cultural organizations to accommodate full inclusion of all citizens and visitors to Maine.

To carry out its mission, the Maine Arts Commission will support programs and partnerships that:

Engender a cooperative environment within the arts field that results in more efficient delivery of programs and services;
Further the goals of the state as articulated by its elected leadership, advancing the arts through activities in areas such as technology, education and the economy;
Have the potential to change lives by giving people of all ages the opportunity to come into meaningful contact with artists and art-making; and
Build a broad base of support for the arts by increasing local capacity for arts making, arts presenting and by increasing local advocacy.

Guiding Principles

Value artistic quality and cultural diversity, which may be represented in many forms and achieved in many ways;
Recognize and honor premier artists and arts institutions;
Engage the public widely and deeply, recognizing that broad access to the arts and impact of the kind that changes lives are both immediate and long-term goals;
Act locally, because it is at the local level that access and impact are most readily achieved and sustained;
Work collaboratively and promote collaboration in order to increase the effect of the Maine Arts Commission's resources, and to foster relationships and commitments that build infrastructure beyond the agency's involvement;
Be flexible and adaptive in the way the agency functions in order to take advantage of opportunities, to respond to needs more effectively, and to incorporate what the agency learns from its experience; and
Demonstrate leadership in its conduct as a state agency.

In acting on these principles, the Maine Arts Commission will look for evidence that the public is a clear beneficiary; that available resources (including but not limited to money) are being used efficiently; that additional resources are being leveraged to insure success, sustainability and commitment; and that the local capacity to carry on the work begun becomes greater as a result of these efforts.