In collaboration with a new ArtWeek partner, Artists for Humanity,we debuted a one-minute video about ArtWeek (click here). What do you think?

Updates
It is hard to get people to focus on spring planning when:

(1) The City of Boston has elected its first new mayor in over two decades who will be officially inaugurated in early January;

(2) December is filled with holiday shows, holiday music, and holiday merry-making; and

(3) The weather people keep repeating “arctic cold” and “snow and ice.”

But spring will come and planning hasn’t stopped. In fact, we’ve found many new friends who have been very generous with their time, interest, advice, and support in helping to grow and expand ArtWeek. And we are already looking forward to the New Year—launching the RFP process, adding new partners, and welcoming new events!

Recent Wins
So what has been happening? Here are some updates:
-- Focus Groups: Survey Monkey has claimed that Citi Performing Arts Center is one of their most enthusiastic nonprofit users. It may be because we use the Balanced Scorecard and a strategy map – and ArtWeek is an initiative that falls under our strategic theme on the strategy map of “Lead as a civic and cultural champion.” The Balanced Scorecard framework stresses evaluation and metrics; therefore, part of our organizational culture is to always ask “How do you measure success?” But surveys only provide one perspective and getting first-hand feedback is just as important. So we’ve held three focus groups this past month including fall event hosts, prospective partners, and potential new event hosts. The conversations have been inspiring, the feedback has been invaluable, and the perspectives have been diverse. We appreciated when one artist wrote afterwards “Many thanks … for taking time to hear our feedback and ideas. I’m so appreciated of having a large organization like yours supporting our efforts, in itself a means of fostering greater creativity and community in our … city.”

-- Events: We’ve had several inquiries from potential partners, hosts, sponsors, and collaborators about Spring ArtWeek in recent weeks. They are talking about bold new ideas, unique partnerships, and creative experiences. It is too early to confirm details yet – and some require months of planning. But we are greatly encouraged that ArtWeek has quickly gained a momentum that will contribute to making the Spring even more exciting.

-- Beyond Boston: Meetings with neighboring cultural councils in nearby towns, and calls with creative communities in different parts of the state are being scheduled for January. And we’ve already had a call from outside of the state from an organization intrigued by the 2014 ArtPlace Innovation Grants announcement and the ArtWeek concept. This response reinforces ArtWeek’s popular potential – and how it has captured the imagination of our creative community!

Insight/Provocation
On October 23, 2013, the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning released an important new white paper titled “Places in the Making” which proposes that creative placemaking is about more than just design and physical spaces, but also about collaboration, conversation, and community making. Quoting the press release: “ The research shows that, at the most basic level, the act of advocating for change, questioning regulations, finding funding, and mobilizing others to contribute their voices engages communities – and in engaging, leaves these communities better for it." We couldn’t agree more. While ArtWeek is about creative experiences in many physical spaces and locations, it has also emerged as an catalyst for collaboration, partnership, and communication. In essence, the process has become as important as the outcome … and the ‘making’ has become as important as the “groundstaking.”

Want to follow ArtWeek’s progress as we start planning for Spring (April 25 - May 4, 2014)? Connect with us at:
www.artweekboston.org
www.facebook.com/artweekboston
www.twitter.com/artweekboston