Professional Development &
Leadership

ALLIANCE OF NEW YORK STATE ARTS ORGANIZATIONS
COMMUNITY E-INSTITUTE

Senator Tarky Lombardi and Assemblyman Byron Brown with Alliance Executive Director Judith Weiner after a session on "Mobilizing Government Support" in Buffalo, NY in December.

The Community E-Institute a partnership of the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations and Cornell University, School of Industrial & Labor Relations took place in the Fall of 2004 and concluded in Early December. It was built upon the tremendous three year success of the pioneering mixed modality learning program the E-Institute for Leadership.

Community E-Institute instructors were drawn from distinguished Cornell University faculty and highly respected arts industry trainers and consultants. The Cornell Lead instructor and Program Coordinator was Nancy Lampen. Notable others included: Ann Martin, Ted Baumhauer, Terry Flynn, Sally Klingel, John McCann, Robert Prescott, Susan Woods, Philip Morris, Raona Roy and Robert Rich.

The Community E-Institute was designed for arts administrators to help them gain new perspectives and strategies for community organizing. The Community E-Institute provided participants with a unique combination of mixed modes of content delivery. Conventional instructional techniques were combined with e-learning technologies including:
* web based learning modules
* threaded discussion boards
* real-time meetings utilizing "online-live" web based technology
* instructor moderated real time chat rooms.

This new program was made available on a competitive basis to arts leaders seeking an innovative and unique learning community. The E-Institute provided arts leaders a high quality professional development program which offered the opportunity for them to gain the skills and insight necessary to effectively galvanize their own communities. Participants came from communities all over New York State from Harlem to Buffalo and from Narrowsburg to Westport in the Northern Adirondacks. Their artistic disciplines ranged from literary to needle arts, through urban museums to Native American Service agencies. Their communities were disparate, their goals were similar.

E-Institute participant Joseph Flaherty receives his certificate from Judith Weiner, Alliance Executive Director, and Nancy Lampen from Cornell University.

The Community E-Institute began in the Fall of 2004. It began with an in person meeting on the Cornell University Campus October 4-6, 2004 with all participants in attendance, along with Alliance Personnel and the Technology Manager Beth Kanter. Sessions included:

* Live Case Presentations on Building Cultural Districts: Raona Roy, Arts Center of the Capital Region and Philip Morris, Proctors Theater
* Understanding Ourselves Using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator: Nancy Lampen
* Developing Leadership Competencies: Ted Baumhauer
* Building Community: Ann Martin
* Action-Reflection Learning: Ann Martin
* Computer Session (training and building personal pages): Beth Kanter
* Community Mapping: Michelle Thompson

The first meetings were followed by 6 virtual experiences:

* Motivating Self and Others: Terry Flynn
* Managing Change: Sally Klingel
* Influencing Skills: Robert Prescott
* Negotiating for Mutual Gains: Susan Wood
* Creativity, The Conscious Effort to See Things Differently: John McCann
* Mobilizing Government Support: Judith Weiner

It concluded with another face to face training and evaluative session in Buffalo December 1-3 at the Cornell University Conference Center with all in attendance.
These sessions included:

* Working Effectively With Your Board: Frank Polkowski
* Leading Through Play: Michael Pitek
* Mobilizing Government Support: Senator Tarky Lombardi and Assemblyman Byron Brown
* Action Reflection Learning: Ann Martin
* Logic Models and Measurement: Robert Rich

Participants worked in small groups during a session on
Logic Models in Buffalo, NY in December.

Throughout the program participants analyzed strategic challenges based on the needs and assets of their communities. They learned to motivate and mobilize others to realize goals and objectives, influence strategies, evaluate human and financial resources, negotiate for mutual gain, and build coalitions and partnerships. Specifically they:

* learned how 2 arts professionals have created successful cultural districts
* discovered the skills necessary for leading and managing a community arts project
* assessed and analyzed their own leadership skills and competencies
* built skills in developing and leading alliances and partnerships
* developed online learning support groups for feedback and mentoring
* gained skill and experience in using web based learning tools
* learned strategies for branding and marketing their project
* learned strategies for managing capital projects
* discovered mechanisms and strategies for harnessing government funding
* determined methods for effective assessment and evaluation

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The Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations has a 28-year history as New York's primary service association for community based arts and cultural organizations. The Alliance provides leadership and vision, and delivers services, resources and tools that strengthen community cultural organizations. The Alliance monitors, informs and mobilizes the field on statewide and national issues affecting the arts and assists local arts agencies in building community support and developing effective grassroots public policy.ing community support and developing effective grassroots public policy.

245 Love Lane, P.O. Box 96
Mattituck, NY 11952-0096
Phone (631) 298-1234 / Fax (631) 298-1101