Illinois Arts Alliance

Programs: Arts education - the alliance's long-term goal is for every illinois student to benefit from a quality education that includes in-school, standards-based instruction in the arts and access to the programs of non-profit arts organizations. The alliance published a guidebook on planning, advocacy and policy for arts education stakeholders and assembled the illinois arts education advisory committee, which has identified essential goals and policy actions aimed at strengthening arts education access, equity, and quality in illinois. As a first step toward implementation of its arts education policy improvement agenda, the alliance is launching an effort to update and utilize state level arts learning standards.

advocacy and communications - arts alliance illinois engages people in arts advocacy through action alerts, letter-writing campaigns, in-district events with policymakers, trainings, and advocacy days. The alliance launched the illinois creative economy initiative, which brought leaders together from the government, private, and nonprofit sectors to determine how illinois can intentionally and strategically leverage its cultural resources to grow jobs, strengthen the workforce, and build more vibrant communities. A set of policy recommendations and directives were submitted to governor quinn for review, and a new report was released, laying out a framework for defining and developing a creative economy in illinois. The alliance also formed the chicago cultural plan stewardship committee, whose goals are to develop clearly defined outcomes that reflect the desired change and community-level impact of the 2012 chicago cultural plan; create a common set of indicators to track progress toward those outcomes; and launch a strategic, citywide communications campaign. The alliance has also created voter and candidate engagement tools and communications for the 2014 gubernatorial election.

capacity building - arts alliance illinois unites and connects the arts sector through events like the voices of a creative state benefit luncheon, the biennial members' meeting and reception, and the biennial one state together in the arts conference. The second annual voices of a creative state benefit luncheon gathered more than 400 of illinois' creative, corporate, civic, and foundation leaders for an engaging address by playwright tarell alvin mccraney and the presentation of the alliance's "citizen advocate" award to richard and susan kiphart. Expectations for the luncheon were exceeded and the event increased public awareness about the work of the alliance.

research/strategic initiatives - arts alliance illinois advances policy-relevant research that illustrates the impact, assets, and needs of the arts sector in illinois. The alliance played a lead role in creating and maintaining important data on the chicago community trust's culturalindicators. Org site, a data portal which collects comprehensive information on arts and culture in chicago.