News and Background
The Arts Learning Xchange is a four-year program designed to foster growth in public arts attendance and to identify, develop, and share useful lessons to help arts organizations reach more people. Funded by The Wallace Foundation and in collaboration with Minnesota Community Foundation, Arts Midwest will create a learning network for all Twin Cities metro area arts organizations and foster arts engagement region-wide.
This project is strengthening arts participation and engagement by encouraging leading Minneapolis/Saint Paul arts organizations to broaden and deepen their relationships with arts patrons and supporters to meet the demands of a changing social and economic climate.
The Arts Learning Xchange is also bolstering the region’s arts “eco-system” by adding knowledge-sharing resources and a small pool of project grant funds for local arts organizations. The collaboration will promote the effective exchange of knowledge—extending the benefits of this work to many other organizations beyond those that receive individual awards.
Read the press release.
Arts Learning Xchange contracted with Cincinnatus, Inc. to explore the issues facing Twin Cities arts organizations as they strive to build arts participation. In January 2009, Cincinnatus conducted focus groups of metro area arts professionals to discuss these issues. The summary of the focus group report is available.
Read a summary of the key findings.
The Twin Cities is one of six metropolitan areas selected by The Wallace Foundation (a national, New York-based foundation) for investment in our arts community.
