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CREATIVITY CONNECTS: NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS REPORT[AUTHOR NAME] 1 SUMMARY REPORT OF CREATIVITY CONNECTS NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS FUNDED BY ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION PREPARED FOR MID-AMERICA ARTS ALLIANCE DIANE MATARAZA MATARAZA CONSULTING ST AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA DECEMBER 2017

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CREATIVITYCONNECTS:NATIONALDEMONSTRATIONPROJECTSREPORT[AUTHORNAME] 1

SUMMARY REPORT OF CREATIVITY CONNECTS NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS FUNDED BY ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION PREPARED FOR MID-AMERICA ARTS ALLIANCE DIANEMATARAZAMATARAZACONSULTINGSTAUGUSTINE,FLORIDA

DECEMBER2017

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CONTENTSINTRODUCTION 3 Overview 3 ProjectObjectives 4 Methodology 4 SUMMARYOFSHAREDLEARNING 5 AFrameworkforCross-sectorPartnerships 5 VoicesfromtheFrontLines 6 RECOMMENDATIONS 13 PARTNEREXPERIENCES-LEARNING 15 FortWayneDanceCollective,Inc. 16 Fusebox 23 TheCenterforUrbanPedagogy,Inc. 30 JudyDworinPerformanceProject,Inc. 38 DeepCenter,Inc. 48 CityofMesa/MesaArtsCenter 56 APPENDIX 64

CREATIVITY CONNECTS

NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS

SUMMARY REPORT

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INTRODUCTION

The combined investment and ingenuity of the AndrewW.MellonFoundation and Mid-America Arts Alliance have resulted ingroundbreakingtransformativework.From2016through2017,theirCreativityConnects:NationalDemonstrationProjectshaveyieldedawealthofsharedlearning,andtheresultsarethefocusofthisreport.OVERVIEWCreativity Connects: National Demonstration Projects, a one-timegrantmakingopportunityofupto$75,000,supportedandhighlightedarts organization collaborationswith non-arts sectors inwhich artsand creativity are central. Mid-America Arts Alliance designed andmanaged theprojectonbehalfof itsUSRegionalArtsOrganizationcohort,ofwhichitisamember,withArtsMidwest,MidAtlanticArtsFoundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, South Arts, andWesternStatesArtFederation(WESTAF).Creativity Connects, launched in 2016, was built upon a largerinitiative celebrating the National Endowment for the Arts’ 50thanniversary.Eachregionalartsorganizationsolicitednomineesfromwithintheirregion.Exemplaryprojectsweresentforwardtocompetefornationalrecognitionandfunding.Oneprojectwasselectedfromeachregionbyapanelofnationalexperts.1. FortWayneDanceCollectivewithParkviewHealth,nominated

by the Indiana Arts Commission and ArtsMidwest, received a$63,000awardtocreateaHealingArtistsTrainingManual.

2. FuseboxAustinwithEastsideMemorialHighSchool,nominatedby the Texas Commission on the Arts and Mid-America ArtsAlliancereceiveda$75,000awardtoconnectarts,community,andhealth.

3. The Center for Urban Pedagogy and The Bronx Defenders,nominatedbytheNewYorkStateCouncilontheArtsandMid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, received $74,915 to create a CivilLibertiesEducationalToolkit.

4. JudyDworin Performance Projectwith Community Partners inAction and the Connecticut Department of Corrections,nominated by the Connecticut Office of the Arts and NewEngland Foundation for theArts, received$75,000 for a videodocumentaryBridgingtheInsideandOut:Arts,PrisonandSocialService.

5. DeepCenterwithSavannahDevelopmentandRenewalAuthority,nominatedby theGeorgiaCouncil for theArtsandSouthArts,received$75,000fortheprojectBlockbyBlock,engagingyouthincommunitydevelopmentthroughwritingandthearts.

6. City of Mesa/Mesa Arts Center with Banner’s Alzheimer’sInstitute, nominated by the Arizona Arts Commission andWESTAF, received $72,450 to develop opportunities for olderadultslivingwithdementiaandAlzheimer’sDisease.

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CREATIVITY CONNECTS: NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECT OBJECTIVES - EstablishingthevalueofcreativityandtheartsacrossAmerican

Society;- Investigating the infrastructure models that bolster the arts,

creativity,andproductivitythroughouttheUnitedStates;- Buildingastrongcollaborativepartnershipbetweenartsandnon-

artsentities;and,- Promoting creativity in sectors such as business/industry,

education,environment,faith,finance,food,health,law,science,ortechnology.

METHODOLOGY InJuly2017,Mid-AmericaArtsAlliancecommissionedthisevaluationreport to collect and, eventually disseminate, advice and lessonslearnedfromtheexperiencesofthesesixprojects.Togetherwiththeconsultant, a 360° methodology was designed to gather as manyprojectstakeholderperspectivesaspossible.First-handinsightsweresought from leaders and staff members of each of the six artsorganizations.Evenmorecriticalwerethevoicesofnon-artspartnersinvolved in each project. Fifty-six (56) arts and non-arts projectstakeholders representing 37 different partner entities generouslyagreed to be interviewed for this report and offered responses tothesequestions:

1CenterforUrbanPedagogy’sCivilLibertiesToolkitswerestillbeingprintedatthetimeofthisreport.EvaluationmethodologyisinplaceandwillbeimplementedwithTheBronxDefendersoncetoolkitsaredistributedandusedbypartneragencies.

1. Whatwerethemostimpactfulaspectsoftheprojectandwhy?

2. Whatmighthaveimprovedtheproject?

3. What additional advicewould offer to others considering a

similarproject?Over a six-month period from July – December 2017, this report’sdevelopmentincludedthefollowing:- Reviewed all Creativity Connects: National Demonstration

Projects grantees’ project materials: nominations; applications;thenationalpanelselectionprocess;budgets;andfinalreports.

- Reviewed all partner histories and activities to understand theorganizational and community environments in which projectsoccurred.

- Reviewedgrantee-ledprojectevaluations.1- Reviewedmaterialsanddeliverablescreatedforreplication(e.g.,

thevideo,themanual,thetoolkit).- Conducted over 45 hours of one-on-one confidential phone

interviewswithpartnersstakeholders.

- Synthesizedtheinformationandpreparedthisreport.

Mid-AmericaArtsAlliance’sprojectoversightwasexcellent.Direction,responsibilities,andexpectationswereclearlyspelledoutfromtheprojectstart.Theyprovidedusampleroomforimplementationyet,whenwehadquestions,theirresponseandassistancetouswereimmediate.

NationalDemonstrationProjectExecutiveDirector

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SUMMARY OF SHARED LEARNINGBuildingstrongcollaborativepartnershipsbetweenartsandnon-artsentitiesisthesurestwaytoestablishthevalueofcreativityandtheartsacrossAmericansociety,butitisthehardestworkanonprofitartsorganizationcando.Evenwhenprojectaimsandpartnerintentmightbeperfectlyaligned,organizationalcultures, industrystandardsandregulations, operating systems, and performance metrics can bedramaticallydifferent,evencounterintuitive.Thisgrantenabledorganizationstofocusmoreintentlyondesigningand building infrastructure models that work. It provided valuableinsightsabout“why”relationshipsbetweenartsandnon-artsentitieswork(andjustasvaluable,whytheydon’t).Thoughthesixprojectsencompasseddisparatesectors(corrections,health, community development, criminal justice), lessons learnedandsharedinthisreportwillprovideencouragementandguidancetoprofessionals and organizations around the country pursuing arts+non-artspartnershipsintheircommunities.Whatemerged from the56 interviewswas a framework illustratedhereforcross-sectorpartnerships.Itiscomprisedoffivekeyelements(intheboxes)andthreeurgentlyimportantcorevaluessurroundingthem.Basedontheexperiencesandreflectionsof those interviewed, it isaccurate to posit that the stronger each value and element is, thestrongerthepartnershipwillbe.

Also–andthisisimportant–eachelementandvaluearevital.Takeaway any one of them and the partnership will be weakened.Extraordinarystrengthinoneareawillnotmakeupforadeficiencyintheother.

A FRAMEWORK FOR CROSS-SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS

Communication

CollaborativeMessaging+Advocacy

MetricsAlignment

HumanandFinancialResources

AClear+Well-FacilitatedGame

Plan

ProjectVision&Mission

Alignment

Trust

Respect

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ADVICE FROM THE FRONT LINES Inthissectionofthereportisinvaluableevidenceilluminatingreasonseachvalueandelementintheframeworkaresocritical. First-handinsightsfromartsandnon-artspartnersgodeepinto“why.”

ü ThetitleofKevinBurk’sresearchreportonDeepsaysitbest.I’mempoweredbyabetterconnection.”[Savannah]

ü Everyprogrammuststartwithtrust.Rememberthatyouareworkingwithapopulation with no trust and with people who have difficulty trusting.[Hartford]

ü Beextremelymindfulaboutthedynamicsandrealitiesinyourcommunity(orthepeoplewhoarethefocusofyourproject).Startwithwhatisimportanttothem.[Savannah]

ü Weareguestsattheseplaces.Youhavetoshowrespecttoeveryonefromtheguardstotheincarceratesthemselves.Wecan’twearoutourwelcome.[Hartford]

ü Meeting with students on a regular basis helped build trust and therelationship between students, the community partners, and the artists.[Austin]

ü Takeatleastoneyeartobuildsupportandrelationshipswithallpartners.[Hartford]

ü NotonlyisCUPgoodatwhattheydologistically,they’regoodat“goodwill,”essentialtoourevenworkingwiththem.[NewYork]

ü ThoughwelaunchedtheHealingArtsProgramatParkview,forgingarelationshipwiththeDanceCollectivethreeyearsagowasenormouslyimportant.Theyknowtheartists,andtheirownershipoftheprogramprovidesuswithastrongcommunityadvocate.[Ft.Wayne]

•Thefuelthatdrivescross-sectorpartnershipsisauthentictrustandmutualrespectamongandbetweenallpartners.It'sfundamental.

TrustandRespect

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•Clear,concisecommunicationamongandbetweenpartnersistheoxygenincross-sectorpartnerships.Ifcommunicationisweak,theprojectwillbeweak.Ifcommunicationstops,theprojectwillstop.Becautiouswithjargonandnuance!

Communication

ü Bewillingtoexplorerepeatedquestionswithabeginner’smindtofindthebestcommunityredevelopmentsolutions.[Savannah]

ü Listentothecommunityandseethateveryaspectoftheprojectisasfullyimmersiveasyoucanpossiblygetit.[Savannah]

ü CUPhasademonstratedtrackrecordofexplainingincrediblycomplexcivicissuestocitizens(usuallymarginalizedpopulationsorpeopleinpoverty)inwaysthatareeasytocomprehend.[NewYork]

ü CUP’scommunicationwasperfect.Theyknewwhentoemail(succinctly)andwhento

pickupthephone.[NewYork]

ü Thesestudentshaveneverbeenaskedtoprovidetheirideasorinsightsaboutcommunityissuesandsolutions.Itwaslifechangingforthem–andunfamiliarterritory.Artistsweretransformativeinhowtheyhelpedeachstudentexpressandarticulatetheirideas.[Austin]

ü Mostdifficultinthesepartnershipsiscommunicationwithpartners.Infilmingthisvideo,wewereworkingwithartists,broadcastersandprisonpersonnel,allofwhomhavedifferentwaysofcommunicatingandverydifferentviews.[Hartford]

ü Asadesigner,Iwasnotcrazyabouttheideaofbeingontheteamandhavingtoattend

everymeeting…Ididn’tseethevalueofitandthoughtitwasawasteofmytime.Iwassowrong.Ilearnedthingsaboutpartners.Thesemeetingshelpedmebetterunderstandtheirperspectives…Mind-blowingformewasattendinganimmigrationbondreleasetoseewhatthesepeopleinthesystemhadtogothroughandtherolesofthoseinthejusticesystemtohelpthem.Ilearnedlessonsandgainedvaluableinsightsaboutanenvironmenttotallyforeigntome.Myproductwasbetterasaresult.[NewYork]

ü Establishcommunicationprotocolsandacommunicationschedule(pre,midandpost

program).[Mesa]

ü Havingauthentic,concrete,unfilteredopinionsthatformalplannerswouldneverotherwiseknow,meansourplanningwas–andis–groundedonsolidrealitiesandtruths.[Savannah]

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•Theconnectivetissueincrosssectorpartnershipsisdeepcommitmenttoprojectvisionandmission.Thecommongroundinpartnershipsiswherethebestworkisaccomplished.

ProjectVision&MissionAlignment

ü Carefullyselectpartners.Totheextentpossible,seethatyouareperfectlyalignedinyourbeliefandpurpose.Itdoesn’tmeanyouwillalwaysmoveinthesamedirection,butifyoubelieveinwhatyou’redoing,noonewilldroptheball.[Hartford]

ü Communitycollaborationstartswiththecommunity,notusandourvisionofwhatcouldbe.[Austin]

ü Establishcorevaluesfortheprogramandhowtoworkinit.Includethehostsitepersonnel.Besure

everyonehasadeeppassionfortheworkandiscommittedtothecorevalues.[Mesa]

ü Workwithfacilitiesthatvaluetheclinicalbenefitsoftheprogramstopatients.RememberthatpartnershipsrequiretimetoestablishrelationshipsTheremustbeacommitmenttobuildingbridgesfortheseinitiativestofindsuccess.[Mesa]

ü Methodologyhastomeshwiththerealitiesofyourneighborhoods.[Savannah]

ü Theseprojectsarehardandrequirewill,tenacity,andcommitment.[Austin]ü Youmusthavefaithinwhatyouaredoing,orpatientswillneverbuyit.[Ft.Wayne]

ü Somedesignersmaynothavethepatienceortimeforthis.Andwe’reclearupfront,iftheycan’tthen

CUPcannotworkwiththem.[NewYork]ü This program is a calling for Judy andher staff. Their insightsand commitment to theprogram are

extraordinaryand integralto itssuccess. Judy isevenmoreof anassetoutside than inside.Shehascontinuedtoworkwithoffendersaftertheygetout.Foranoffender,thisishuge!Judybelievesinthisprogramandunderstandsitsodeeply,shehashiredex-offenderstoworkinit.[Hartford]

ü BlockbyBlockisallaboutdiversifyingrevitalizationequitably.Itmeansalltherightpeopleareatthetable,withthemostimportant(oftenleftout)beingresidentswithdeeprootstotheneighborhoods.[Savannah]

ü Dareisconstantlypiecingtogetherwisdomfromhighereducation,civicandneighborhoodleadersto

findwhatworksinpractice--andonapolicylevel--thatwillcontributetomeaningfulsystemicchange.[Savannah]

ü Whenthere’samisstepandfrustrationlevelsarerunninghigh,ourunflaggingloyaltytothecauseis

whatkeepsusalltogetheratthetable.[Savannah]

ü Writing,dance,objectmaking,storytelling,andmusicareallpowerfulformsofhealingart.Theangryelderlypatientwhowouldn’ttalk,createdanorigamibirdwithme.HekeptitandIlaterlearnedhehadaskedhisfamilytoburythebirdwithhim.Andtheydid.[Ft.Wayne]

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•Everyoneneedstobeonthesamepageandworkingfromonegameplanwithclearexpectations,roles,responsibilities,schedules,andbudgets.Atthebegininningoftheproject,determinetogetherwhowillbeonpointtofaciliateandmanagetheproject.

ConsensusonaClearGame

Plan&Facilitation

ü Makea clearplan togetherwithpartners.Be sure itreflectsall needsandexpectations.Don’t forget thecommunity.Writeitdownsoeveryoneisonthesamepage.[Savannah]

ü Inprogramslikethis,“amiddle-manorganization”tofacilitateworkingbetweenartistsandcriminaljusticeorganizationsisaverysmartidea.WithoutCUPtoguideandstreamlinetheprocess,Iwouldnevertakeonaprojectlikethis.Itwouldbewaytootimeconsuming.[NewYork]

ü CUP’smethodology–interfacewithallpartnersandsetaclearcontextfortheproject-enablesustodoourvery bestwork. CUP is on point, facilitatingat every step. CUP is anenabler of each project’s success. Iexperiencedthatonthetoolkitproject,andfrankly,oneveryCUPprojectI’veeverbeeninvolvedin.[NewYork]

ü Thisprojecttookus18monthsbecausewespent3monthsonplanningtocorrectlysetthestage.Weelectednot to launch the project untilwe andTheBronxDefenderswere clear and in agreementon all projectelementsandhowwewouldapproachthem.[NewYork]

ü Be clearaboutwhat you need and only proceedwhenyou have formaland eye-to-eye commitment to

proceed.[Austin]

ü Understandandrespectallthemechanicsbehindeveryone’ssystems,intentions,andrealities.WesatdownandtalkedabouttheCommunityCaféeventaweekbeforehand.MoretimewouldhavehelpedtheartistsandGabeplanforit.[Austin]

ü Hospitalpaceandintensityrunhighallthetime.Itmeansartistswhoworkwithourpatientsmustbewell-

oriented,trainedinprotocols,knowledgeableaboutandcomfortablewithregulationsbeforetheyevenwalkinthedoor.[Ft.Wayne]

ü Publicdefendersarecrazedwithourownschedules.CUPwasclearaboutthetimecommitmentneededformeetings.It’simportantattheprojectoutsettobeclearthatifpeoplecan’tcommitthetime,theyshouldsuggestsomeoneintheirofficewhocan.[NewYork]

ü Projectmethodologyisclearlyspelledout(inwriting)andreviewedtogetherattheprojectstart:schedule,thetimes,thelogistics,eachpartner’srole,responsibilities.Overtime,CUPhas learnedthatitskey,mostcriticalroleiseffectiveprojectfacilitation.Andthesharperandmoreefficienttheyareinfacilitationandcommunications,thehappierandmoreengagedtheirpartnersare!Themethodologyworkswellbecausetheprojectprincipal’srepresentationisconsistent.Corepartnershavetocommittoallmeetingsandtobetheprimarycontactperson.Inthisway,thereisnoconfusionortimewastedbringingsomeonenewuptospeedandnosecondguessinganearlierprojectdecision.[NewYork]

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•Knowwhatwillberequiredofeachpartnerfromtheoutset.Makesurekeytalent,expertise,andresourcesareinplace.Don’tlaunchtheprojectuntiltheyare.

Human&FinancialResources

ü Recruitathrough-linepersontobeyourpartneradvocate.Thisindividualwillserveasyourguideandprovideavitalroleofhavinganinsideconnection.Peopleatthetopchange.[Hartford]

ü Seek influential funding partners able toboth supportand leverage sustained commitments to these kinds of projects.

[Austin]

ü Expertpartnersandexperttrainingofthoseinvolvedarecritical.ThiswascentraltoDeep’ssuccess.Veryhighqualityisamilliontimesbetterthanworkingwithmediocre.[Savannah]

ü CUPhasakeensenseandtheabilitytocapitalizeonresource-sharingacrossagencies.[NewYork]

ü Parkviewstaffmetmonthlywiththeartiststoensure that the talentandresourcestheartistsneededto complete themanualwereavailable.[Ft.Wayne]

ü Iwishwehadhaddeeperinterestandattentionfromtheschoolboard,anti-povertygroups,andRegionalYMCA,attheoutset.Iwishwehadbetterleveragedfunding.Programslikethisneedmultiplefundingpartners.[Savannah]

ü Don’tmoveforwarduntilyouhavealltherightpartnersandclarityonacollectiveapproach.Bringingcriticalpartnerstothetableaftertheprogramisunderwaymeansyoumayneedtodeconstructandbackup,andthatwillsapmomentumandwastetime.[Savannah]

ü Nothingismoreimportantatthestartofaprojectthanpollinganddiscussingtheextenttowhicheachpartnerisvestedinthework.Ifthecommitmentisnot100%,findanotherpartner.Findanotherartist.Thesameistrueforyourboardandstaff.Besureeveryoneisclearonexpectations,demands,timecommitment,andwhathealingartsrequires.[Ft.Wayne]

ü CUPcompensationisveryfair.Allpartnersoneveryprojecttheydo.Notjusttheartistsbuttherepresentativesfrompartner

organizations.[NewYork}

ü Workinginothersectorsoftenrequiresskillsandcapacitiesthatareastretchbeyondone’snormsorcomfortlevels.Noteveryartistissuitedtobeinthisenvironment.[Ft.Wayne]

ü Theelephantintheroomishowtofundprojectreplication?What’sthestrategyforcontinuedsupport?ThemoneyfortheseprogramsislimitedandwearerealisticaboutourlimitedabilitytoreachinfluencersoutsidetheMesaregion.Here’swhereMid-America,theNEA,andnationalprojectfunderscouldplayarole.Mid-America’sgranthasbeenfantastic.Buthowdowefollowit?Whatisthenationalfundingconversation?[Mesa]

ü Anartsorganization,onitsown,willlikelynotbeabletoreachthenumberofparticipantstosustaintheprogram,sobringinginothersocialserviceorganizations,medicalproviders,faithcommunities,supportgroups,etc.willbenecessary.[Mesa]

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ü Be sure you are clear from the outset what the goals of eachpartnerare,whatitwilltaketoachievethosegoals,andhowandwhowillmeasureimpacts.Co-optingpartnersforaone-timeeventhassomevaluebutitwillnotforgethekindofcredibleconnectionneededtoachievetheoutcomeswe’vetalkedabout.[Austin]

ü Ponder results. Don’t be quick to analyze research findings andcreate actions to address them.Really understandwhat findingsmean.Ittakesalongertimeforustounderstandwhatweseeandwhatwedon’tsee.[Savannah]

ü In the medical field, evidence is everything. Qualitative andanecdotalinformationhelpstellthestory,butempiricalevidenceonhowprojectslikethiswillcontributetoinstitutionalgoalshastobesolid.[Austin]

ü Evidence-based data is critically important to us. Hospitaladministratorsandboardsneeddatatoconvincethemofprogramvalue.[Ft.Wayne]

ü 12healingartistsparticipatedin10meetingstocreatethetrainingmanual.Wewereexcitedabouttheprojectandweeachreceivedstipendsforwhichwe’reextremelygrateful.However,thewholeprojectmighthavebeenmoreproductive ifwehadbeenbetterinformed about the manual purpose, the intent for the manualafter it was created, who it was written for, and how it mightbenefitothers.Thatwasneverclear.[Ft.Wayne]

•Beforetheprojectstarts,definewhatsuccesswilllooklike.Justascritical,determinewhatconstitutessuccessforeachpartner.Agreeuponhowoutcomeswillbemeasuredandwhowillbetakingresponsibilityforthat.

PerformanceMetrics

Alignment

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Two stellar examples of collaborative advocacy and messaging were theDworinandCUPprojects.BridgingtheInsideandOut:Arts,PrisonandSocialServiceviewershiponnationalpublictelevisionwilllikelyexceed15,000bythe end of 2017. In addition to the offenders and artists, it includescommentarybytheGovernorandtheDept.ofCorrectionsCommissioner.

CUP’sCivilLibertiesToolkitwillbeseenandusedbythousandsinboththejudicialsystemandamongthegeneralpublic.

•Establishingthevalueoftheartsandpromotingcreativityinnon-artssectorswillrequireacommitmenttoconsistentmessagingandongoingadvocacy.

CollaborativeAdvocacyandMessaging

ü Public Broadcasting’s willingness to partner with us on this project wasenormouslyimpactfultotheproject.Distributionofthevideowaseverything.[Hartford]

ü The impactofadocumentarythatnarratesandshowcasesthetransformationalandlong-lastinghealingimpacttheartscanhaveontheincarceratedindividual,aswellastheirchildrenandfamilies,isenormous[Hartford]

ü Watchingthevideoispowerfulinandofitself.HearingtheGovernor,hearingtheCommissionerfromtheDept.ofCorrections,bringsattentiontocorrectionsthatisseriouslyneededinorderforthepublictounderstandthatourgoalsarenottopunish, but to reduce recidivism, helping thesemenandwomenmanage theirangerandremovethestigmas.Thevideowasawindowforthepublictoseethatinmatesarehuman.Andthathealingispossible.[Hartford]

ü Newresearchisdistinguishingarts-basedapproaches.Howdowecapitalizeonthis?Howdowegetarts-in-agingprogramsonthenationalpublichealthagenda?Howdowebetterpromoteintergenerationalexchange,sowe’renotstuckinthe“agingsilo?”Howdowefindprojectconnectors?AARPhasbeencommunicatingwithus,buttheywillnotprovidesupport.[Mesa]

ü Whiletheprojectwaschallengingtotheartistsintermsoftheprojectlengthandtimeandeffortrequired,creatingthemanualtogetherbenefitedeachoneofus.This shared experience (because we always work solo)was deeply impactful,successful,andsignificantlystrengthenedcamaraderieamongartists.[Ft.Wayne]

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RECOMMENDATIONS

1. AdvocatefornationalpolicyCreativityConnects:NationalDemonstrationProjectfundersandadvocates coulduse the tools and information createdfor:

§ Healingartscurriculum(in integrativemedicine) forhealth care professionals, doctors, nurses, hospitalcare special workers, and hospital administrationprograms. Healing arts are cost effective becausetheyexpeditehealing.

§ Arts-in-Prison Reform curriculum in the trainingprogramsofworkersinthejusticesystem.

2. Createbestpracticeguides

Sharing lessons learnedwould save others time, resources,and energy by building on Creativity Connects: NationalDemonstrationProject’slearningaswellasitsmistakes.

§ Create “How-to” resources including information aboutlegalrequirements,consentforms,insuranceandliability,Citypermitting, resourcesavailable,plusprotocolssuchasconsentformsforhealthscreenings.

§ CUP,Deep,andDworinareexpertspositionedtowriteahandbook sharing theirmethodologies and approachesforothersacrossthecountry.

3. Develop a national marketing strategy to better promotetheseprogramsandtheresearch,givingthemcredibility.OneexampleistheresearchofAnnD.Cohen,PhD,DepartmentofPsychiatryattheUniversityofPittsburgh,regardingtheuseofbiomarkersinthedetectionofearlyAlzheimer’sDiseaseandcognitive impairment. These researchers are exploringchanges in brain function from normal aging to milddegenerative impairment to Alzheimer’s Disease, evidencethatisenormouslyinstructiveforthepublictoknow.

4. RaiseAwareness

§ PerhapsRegionalArtsOrganizationsandtheMellonFoundationcouldhelpCreativityConnects:NationalDemonstrationProjectexpertleaderstobeonpanelsatnationalconferencesandinthemediaoftheseandotherassociations:o AmericanPlanningAssociationo NationalGovernorsAssociationo GrantmakersintheArtsandGrantmakersinAgingo NationalConferenceonAgingo AssociationofStateCorrectionalAdministratorso NationalLegalAid&DefenderAssociationo AmericanHospitalAssociationo NationalAssociationforHealthCareQuality

Andmanymore

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§ CreatemorevideodocumentariesandhelpnationallydistributethroughnationalPublicTelevision,CollegeandUniversitymedia,LocalGovernmentnetworksandthetopDocumentaryFilmFestivalsintheworld.

5. FormulateaCapitalizationStrategy

§ Createastrategyforcontinuedsupport.BuildonandleveragethegenerosityoftheMellonFoundation,ArohaPhilanthropies,theNEA,andotherinvestors.

§ ForgeconnectionswiththesphereofcorporationsinpartnershipwithAARPwhosemarketisthe65+.

§ CreateastrategytoreachBigPharma.