Across the United States, people are working together to create agencies that are weaving the arts into the fabric of community life. Commonly called local arts agencies, these organizations are tackling the challenge of developing more livable communities by supporting the growth and more responsive use of artistic and cultural resources. They are making decisions and planning actions that will forge a cultural vision for America's communities as we approach the next century.

 

This book offers some outlines, ideas, and starting points as tools for putting together and maintaining a local arts agency. For mayors, planning committees, or cultural task forces getting ready to plan or finalize the structure of a new local arts agency, the book is filled with step-by-step start-up in­ formation. For organizations about to change focus, the book is a sampler of new possibilities. For older, established local arts agencies, the book is an index of alternative approaches and refresher techniques.

 

In 2005 when this booklet was published by National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies (NALAA), local arts agency (LAA) was defined as "a community organization or an agency of city or county government which provides financial support, services, or other programs for a variety of arts organizations and/or individual artists and the community as a whole." Known by a variety of names-community arts council, arts center, arts commission, art association, cultural alliance, art league, or office of cultural affairs-LAAs operate in over 3,000 communities. The particular form an agency takes-not-for-profit private corporation, public agency, or department of local government-reflects the particular set of interests, resources, dynamics, needs, and dreams of each specific community.

 

Publication is available in PDF format only, downloadable from My Transactions after purchase. Publication is out of print.