2020-765-E-Arts Commission-Ackland Arts Museum

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Organizational Goals The Ackland’s mission is the art of understanding; we prov ide experiences that spark insight into ourselv es, each other, and the world. One of our three current strategic priorities is expanding and enhancing our impact on liv es by becoming a destination for v isitors, increasing our v isibility, and cultiv ating a reputation as thought leaders. Public programs are a critical component of our plan to pursue these priorities. The guiding principles of our work in that area are: to encourage people to look closely and carefully at works of art; to support material literacy and understanding of artists’ processes; to inv ite multiple perspectiv es on the meaning of works of art; and to create opportunities for v isitors to respond to works of art in v aried ways – critically, creativ ely, v erbally, v isually, and more. Salary support for our Head of Public Programs would significantly impact our ability to pursue these goals. W ith ov er ten years of experience designing and implementing high quality public programs at the Ackland, Allison has in-depth understanding of ev ery aspect of the work, from initial concept through collaborativ e planning, logistics, and ev aluation. She has professional networks extending across campus and the local community that generate interested audiences and creativ e partners. She has a successful track record of engaging with contemporary v isual and performing artists, locally and nationally. Moreov er, since the onset of the pandemic, she has dev eloped new expertise with v irtual platforms for arts programming, demonstrating her characteristic willingness to experiment, always bearing in mind our audiences’ needs, interests, and technical resources. Among our planned public programs for FY21 are artist and author talks, film screenings, art-making classes, art-related book discussions, and family programs that will focus on works of art av ailable for v iewing either in the Museum’s galleries (when we are able to be open) or in high resolution digital v ersions online. These programs will be offered in synchronous and asynchronous v ersions, both of which require considerable staff time for running v ideo presentations, editing recorded v ideos, and captioning both liv e and recorded v ideo, all skills that Allison and Lindsey hav e learned during the last fiv e months. Many of the expenses usually required for presenting public programs – trav el and lodging for artists, for example, art-making materials for in-person classes, refreshments – will be lower or nonexistent during the remaining period that the pandemic affects in- person group activ ities. Many of the technical elements required for good v irtual programming are low cost or free, thanks to our affiliation with UNC-Chapel Hill. The largest and most crucial expense for our public programs in FY21 are the creativ e, intellectual contributions of our professional staff. Support for Allison’s position will guarantee the av ailability of excellent opportunities for the Ackland’s communities to engage with art. DocuSign Envelope ID: FDB5F701-C5D2-47F7-B423-CF10418142E8