Monday, March 2, 2009

Cultural Blueprints Info Offers Insight for Mohawk Valley

As we begin 2009, now is a good time to revisit the New York State Council on the Arts Cultural Blueprints blog. Cultural Blueprints was a statewide series of public forums initiated by the New York State Council on the Arts to identify regional and statewide strategies and opportunities for the arts to serve as a catalyst for cultural, economic and community development. A session was held in the Mohawk Valley, and the notes available here, outline the discussions that took place. Participants explored five themes: Infrastructure, Intellectual Capital and Workforce Development, International and Global Thinking, Investment and Financial Models, and Image and Identity. Explore the key themes of these breakout sessions as well as some of the potential action steps proposed by participants.

As you take a look at the results, there are many commonalities with recent discussions amongst the ED Group. Four primary areas to consider are: economic impact; collaborations/partnerships; improved communication; and cost sharing/resource sharing. There is a clear opportunity for area nonprofits to capitalize on these efforts as the ED Group moves forward with their "Economics of Nonprofits" focus for 2009.

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