The Community Engagement Training offered by ArtsEngaged is also preparing new trainers. As a culminating part of their work, they prepare a case study critiquing a project they know well. Here are the first four. To see the full case study, click on the links.
A successful, on-going project between a major symphony orchestra
and the city’s African-American communities
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Classical Roots
by Anne Cushing-Reid
Classical Roots is an uplifting concert celebrating the richly diverse African American musical experience, with the power of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Bringing together 150 singers from churches throughout the region, the Classical Roots Community Mass Choir (CRCMC) prepares over a 10-12 week period with the Classical Roots resident conductor, William Caldwell. The culminating concert takes place in Cincinnati Music Hall with the full Cincinnati Symphony & Pops Orchestra led by conductor John Morris Russell. (from CSO website) [See more]
A major performing venue partners with an Alzheimer’s support organization
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
by Jason Holland
A few years ago, my organization launched a new, discrete Community Engagement department and placed me at the helm. One of the first programs I was assigned to launch was our Center Without Boundaries program – aka community partnerships. Center Without Boundaries establishes civic partnerships with local non-arts organizations working in communities we want to engage and helps them address their specific goals. “Where do we start?” was a common first question from colleagues and board members. I decided to focus in two areas: organizations in the health services sector and organizations primarily serving the Hispanic community in our County. (currently constitutes 34% of our County’s population and largely underserved)
By noting some of the health services organizations with whom we shared board members, Alzheimer’s Orange County came to my attention. Knowing what benefits the arts can provide individuals living in various stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s, I requested a meeting with the CEO of the organization. We discussed at length the goals of his organization and found many ways that we, as an arts organization, could support and deepen the impact of the work they were doing. That was the beginning of our partnership work with Alzheimer’s Orange County. [See more]
A growing partnership: Cincinnati Arts Association and the Urban Appalachian Community Coalition
Urban Appalachian Showcase
by Kathleen Riemenschneider
The project was to assist in providing two performances (one for schools and another for the public) in association with the Appalachian Studies Association’s (ASA) annual conference, which was held in Cincinnati April 5-8, 2018. The 2018 ASA conference was the first time the conference had been held at a location outside of the Appalachian region. Cincinnati was selected because it has cultural ties to the Appalachian region through immigration and a community organization that supports the Appalachian culture in the Greater Cincinnati area—Urban Appalachian Community Coalition (UACC). UACC wanted to showcase local talent at the conference and for the community. Since most of the musicians who played in the performances would also be attending the conference, the school performance was scheduled a few weeks before the conference on February 21, 2018. The public performance was incorporated into the schedule of the conference on Saturday, April 7. [See more]
A productive partnership: Sidewalk Film Festival and Shout LGBTQ Film Festival–Brimingham, AL
Shout LGBTQ Film Festival: Birmingham, AL
by Webb Robertson
The subject of this case study is the Shout LGBTQ Film Festival in Birmingham, Alabama. Shout features films that are thematically of interest to the LGBTQ community. Shout began in 2006 as a stand-alone event, coordinated and managed by the Sidewalk Film Festival. In 2010, Shout became a sub-festival under the umbrella of the Sidewalk Film Festival. Shout takes place during the Sidewalk Film Festival. [See more]
Engage!
Doug
Photo: 
Some rights reserved by amysept