impact study

Intermedia Arts | 2016 1

COMMUNITY AND CREATIVE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

Made possible thanks to the generous support of the Bush Foundation.

2 Community and Creative Leadership Institute | IMPACT STUDY


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSMany thanks to the CCLI alumni who so generously

shared their experiences and gave their time to this

effort. Thanks to Intermedia Arts Staff and the impact

study team whose thoughtfulness and commitment

shaped this initiative from its inception: William

Cleveland, Lisa Dejoras, Wendy Morris, and Lisa

Brimmer. We would also like to recognize former

Executive Director, Theresa Sweetland, former Program

Director, Julie Bates MacGillis, and co-founding faculty,

Erik Takeshita, for your contributions to this work.

Finally, thank you to the Bush Foundation, whose

support made this study possible.

– BETTY EMARITA, Lead Evaluator

– SCOTT CHAZDON, Evaluation and Research Specialist at

University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality


COMMUNITY AND CREATIVE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE: THE CONTEXT

1This framework was developed by the Center for the Study of Art & Community based on a community arts rubric conceived by Maryo Ewell.

Intermedia Arts, a multidisciplinary, multicultural arts organization

based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, commissioned this study to

assess the impact of its Creative Community Leadership Institute

(CCLI). CCLI is on the cutting edge of an emerging field that

combines arts, culture and community development. The field is

so new that its name has not yet been canonized, although it has

national and international adherents, practitioners, and a significant

body of research. In 2010 the field was framed as creative

placemaking in a white paper for The Mayors’ Institute on City

Design, a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the

Arts in partnership with the United States Conference of Mayors

and American Architectural Foundation. The field is also referred

to as community cultural development, social practice/socially-

engaged practice, cultural animation, creative community building,

community arts and arts for social change. Intermedia Arts refers

to the field as arts-based community development.

CCLI defines arts-based community development (ABCD) as arts-

centered activities that contribute to the sustained advancement

of human dignity, health and/or productivity within a community.

These include arts-based activities that:

• educate and inform us about ourselves

and the world

• inspire and mobilize individuals or groups

• nurture and heal people and/or communities

• build and improve community capacity

and/or infrastructure1

CCLI was first established by Intermedia Arts in 2002, when

the program was known as the Institute for Community Cultural

Development (ICCD). Co-created with founding faculty members

William Cleveland, Wendy Morris, and Erik Takeshita—some of

the foremost practitioners and thinkers in the field—it was one

of the first programs of its kind in the nation. CCLI provides

comprehensive training and support for leaders working at the

intersection of the arts and community change across sectors

and disciplines. Initially serving participants in the Minneapolis-St.

Paul area, CCLI expanded regionally in 2011 to pilot communities

in Fargo-Moorhead and Duluth-Superior.

The program is organized into cohorts of 14-25 participants.

Participants are activists, changemakers, and community leaders

who come from a variety of disciplines and sectors. The program

is structured as an experiential and team-based learning process,

which spans either 3, 4, or 5 months depending upon the

location. The curriculum emphasizes arts-infused learning and

critical inquiry focused around local and national exemplars of

arts-based community development.

Each cohort consists of active community artists, organizers,

and developers whose work and practice enriches organizations,

neighborhoods, and the wider community. Cohort members

engage in an intense exploration together of arts-based

community development, including reading and study, individual

self-reflection, and group-directed activities. The program’s

100-120 hours are divided equally between on-site sessions and

individual or group assignments outside of sessions. Each session

is held at a different site which exemplifies arts-based community

development and serves as a case study in the curriculum.

Based on the fundamental belief that the future health of

communities demands innovative, cross-sector leadership at

every level, the intent of the program is to build networks of

capable, innovative, cross-sector leaders and partners who can

effect change in complex environments through arts and cultural

strategies. The program is designed to leverage local action for

systemic impact; to strategically weave networks for change; and

to enhance capacity to navigate dynamics of power, rank, race,

and privilege.

Since its beginning, 231 community leaders in the Twin Cities,

Duluth-Superior, and the Fargo-Moorhead areas have completed

the program.


FIGURE 1. THEORY OF CHANGE GRAPHIC

In order to understand the impact of the CCLI program, it is

important to know how program participants were recruited

and how the cohorts were formed. During the early years of the

program, Intermedia Arts used its extensive interdisciplinary

connections, its cross-cultural networks, and community

credibility to publicize the program. Potential participants were

then nominated to apply by other practitioners, administrators,

educators and funders; potential participants could also self-

nominate. All candidates for the program completed a rigorous

application and interview process, which is still the case. Now that

the program is well established, most applicants self-nominate

after learning about the program from colleagues or through a

broad online distribution of a call for applicants.

Each cohort is formed by a selection process that is essentially

an art form in itself. The selection process considers the variety of

perspectives, qualities, and balance of its members. Applicants are

evaluated not just as individuals, but according to what they would

contribute to the cohort in the following areas:

1. Diversity (generational, experience in the field, geographic,

gender, cultural, learning style, racial, leadership type/

role, sector/field/artistic discipline): What perspectives and

networks will this applicant bring to the cohort?

2. Ripeness (readiness and potential to apply the CCLI

curriculum): How strong is this applicant’s need to access

what CCLI has to offer?

3. Agency and potential (the applicant’s potential for

community leadership through arts-based community

development): What is this applicant’s potential to influence

community change through arts and cultural strategies,

and/or to impact the regional environment for arts-based

community development?

4. Capacity to learn (receptivity to learning in a cohort setting):

Is this applicant an agile and assertive learner? How

capable is this applicant of creating meaning from disparate

sources of information?

5. Quality of engagement (the factors that the applicant brings

to the cohort interactions and discourse): How excited,

challenged, stimulated, and enthusiastic will other cohort

members be to engage with the applicant?

Participants are chosen who have leadership experience in

their respective fields, active community relations, and their

own distinct networks. They are pulled intentionally from a

broad array of sectors and disciplines, including advocacy,

community-engaged arts (including performing, literary, visual,

media, and interdisciplinary arts), community organizing, design,

economic development, education, environmental justice, faith

communities, health care, housing, public policy, public systems,

racial justice, urban planning, and youth development. They

come from a multitude of cultural communities, neighborhoods,

identities, and orientations.

Some participants are chosen whose influence stems from their

positional authority within institutions; others are chosen whose

influence stems from their skill as extraordinarily accomplished

grass-roots organizers. Elders are valued cohort members, as

well as energetic young “sparkies”. In essence, the cohorts

are containers to maximize the potential for new learning about

strengthening communities through: arts and culture, cross-

sector fertilization across networks, building and strengthening

relationships, reflection, and self-revelation.

CCLI: Creative Community Leadership Institute

ABCD: arts-based community development

CCL: creative community leadership

New ABCD training

for new groups&

A more Capable,

Healthy, EquitableCOMMUNITY

=

&New local CCL NETWORK# local effective

ABCD practitioners= →

→

+100 hoursCCLI curriculum + CCLI learning

NETWORK→

1 select group local creative comm. developers


METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSING IMPACTThis impact study was commissioned in the fall of 2014 to

document the changes in the lives of program alumni, and

the changes that alumni have created in their communities

since the program began in 2002. These communities

could be geographic, place-based, cultural, and/or based

on shared interests (CCLI defines community as groups of

people with common interests defined by place, tradition,

intention, or spirit).

The overall assessment questions were:

1. How has the ICCD/CCLI impacted individual

participants, their interpersonal relationships, and the

communities in which they live and work

2. What elements of the program have been the most

useful, or least useful in promoting arts-based

community development

3. What insights do alumni have about future direction

for the program?

Our approach to the study was to form a team of external

consultants and Intermedia Arts staff that offered multiple

perspectives, a deep knowledge of the history and

evolution of the CCLI program, and knowledge of the

field. Led by Betty Emarita, an ideation and strategic

change organizational development consultant, the team

consisted of Scott Chazdon, program evaluator, University

of Minnesota Extension; Wendy Morris, director, Creative

Leadership programs at Intermedia Arts; Lisa Dejoras and

Lisa Brimmer, Creative Leadership programs managers; and

William Cleveland, director, Center for the Study of Art and

Community.

Our strategies for collecting data were informed by Michael

Quinn Patton’s definition of impact evaluation to include

both, ”direct and indirect program impacts, not only on

participants, but also on larger systems and the community.”2

We chose methods, and developed or adapted instruments

that could capture the varied experiences of alumni at

different levels of engagement. These included:

2Patton, M. (1997). Utilization-focused evaluation: The new century text (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.

• An online survey of all alumni, along with “heat maps”,

showing where alumni activities were most heavily

concentrated in the three metropolitan areas,

Minneapolis-St. Paul, Duluth-Superior, and

Fargo-Moorhead.

• Mapping the ripple effects of activities, ideas and

relationships for one cohor

• A social network analysis of alumn

• Interviews with a small, selected sample of alumni

This mixture of traditional and creative assessment and

evaluation methods enabled us to highlight significant and

meaningful changes for individual program participants, their

relationships with each other, and their communities. It also

revealed alumni perceptions about the most and the least

effective aspects of the program.

OUR FINDINGSONLINE PROGRAM IMPACT SURVEY

An online survey was conducted with 190 program alumni

for whom valid e-mail addresses were available. The survey,

which garnered a 44.1% response rate, included questions

on the following themes:

• Aspects of the program that had the greatest value

for participants

• A series of closed-ended questions in which participants

were asked the extent to which the program had led to

their personal growth

• A series of questions regarding the extent to which

participation in the program contributed to multi-

sectorial changes in participants’ communities


• Places in the three metropolitan areas

(Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Duluth-Superior,

and Fargo-Moorhead) in which program

participants had conducted arts-based

community development work (Heat

Map), with open-ended questions to

capture more detail about their work

• Recommendations for improving

the program

VALUABLE ASPECTS OFINTERMEDIA ARTS’ LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

As part of the online alumni survey,

respondents were asked to rank from one to

six aspects of CCLI they found most valuable,

with one being the most valuable and six

being the least valuable. As Figure 2 indicates,

47% of the respondents ranked development

of a robust network of colleagues as the most

valuable aspect of CCLI, with 68.7% ranking

it among their top three choices. Twenty-eight

percent ranked advancing their leadership

journey in the field of arts-based community

development as the most valuable, with 71.9%

ranking it among their top three.

Developing their knowledge of the field of arts-

based community development was ranked

first by 15.7%, with 49.4% ranking it among

their top three. Using arts-based approaches

for communication and learning was ranked

first by 7.2%, with 48.2%, including it in

their top three. The program aspects that

received the lowest ranking were strategies

for advancing community discourse, and

gaining skills and gaining skills and tools

for developing and sustaining productive

partnerships

Development of a robust network of colleagues

Advancing your own leadership journey (i.e., exploring your place

and future path in the field of arts-based community development

Knowledge of the field of arts-based community development

Using arts-based approaches for communication and learning

Skills and tools for developing and sustaining productive partnerships

Strategies for advancing community discourse and organizing

FIGURE 2: RANKING OF ASPECTS OF CCLI (PERCENTAGES OF RESPONDENTS)

TOP RATED 2ND 3RD 4TH 5TH 6TH

14.5 7.2 9.6 10.8 10.8

23.2 20.7 9.8 2.4 15.9

15.7 12 21.7 16.9 14.5 19.3

7.2 20.5 20.5 18.1 22.9 10.8

2.4 15.7 14.5 22.9 19.3 25.3

13.3 15.7 22.9 30.1 18.1

47

28


IMPACTS ON PERSONAL DEVELOPMENTAs part of the online program impact survey, respondents were

also asked to respond to six statements pertaining to ICCD/CCLI’s

impact on their lives. Respondents used a four-point scale where

1 meant “not at all”, 2 meant “to a slight extent”, 3 meant “to a

moderate extent”, and 4 meant “to a great extent”. Figure 2 shows

how participants responded to each personal impact statement. The

vast majority of respondents reported at least a moderate level of

impact for five of the six impact statements. Slightly more than half the

respondents reported they had not continued to be actively engaged

with their cohort members since the program.

I am likely to take part in discussion about ideas and issues I encountered during my involvement in the program.

I have been actively involved with the issues, ideas, and strategies I encountered through the program.

I have been able to apply some of the things I learned through the program to good effect in other situations.

The organization(s) I have worked with since my involvement in ICCD/CCLI has/have benefited significantly from my participation in the program.

I have increased my appreciation for the opportunities and challenges that can emerge from boundry-crossing engagement and collaboration.

I have been actively involved with people I worked with during the program

FIGURE 3: ICCD/CCLI’S IMPACTS ON PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

To Great Extent Moderate Extent Slight Extent Not at all

43.8 41.1 15.1 0

44.6 33.8 20.3 1.4

43.2 40.5 12.2 4.1

32.9 45.2 17.8 4.1

54.1 27 13.5 5.4

25.7 23 43.2 8.1

Respondents also gave examples of the impacts

CCLI has had on their personal development:

• The experience helped me to learn new

strategies for accomplishing goals I have

long been working toward. It has helped me

solidify a much broader network of potential

collaborators, though staying current with

the busy members of the network has been a

huge challenge.

• I learned how to sit in great discomfort, how

to listen, observe, be present in my body,

how to speak up and how to articulate hugely

complex ideas in a large, smart, intimidating

group. I learned that it’s okay not to know and

that being authentic and vulnerable can be

good.

• [More than four years after] completion of the

program, CCLI learnings still bubble up to the

surface. Things I may have forgotten about, or

didn’t access during my time in the program

have emerged from my toolkit, allowing me to

apply as necessary—in a real, authentic, and

in-the-moment way.

• The biggest impact was on being able to

conceive of myself as an artist, to claim the

power that comes with it and to move forward

in greater levels of confidence: both about the

importance of my voice and the value of my

potential to contribute.

Several respondents stated that the growth they

had gained from CCLI came mainly from their

interaction and work with other program fellows,

and less from the curriculum. This feedback

highlights the critical importance of the recruitment

process and the intentional way in which cohorts

are formed. Cohorts are composed of people with

rich personal and professional experience. Their

expertise is often developed across disciplines,

within and outside of the accepted cannons of a

particular field.


IMPACTS ON COMMUNITIES The alumni survey included several types

of questions about the ways the program

led participants to make changes in their

communities. One series of questions asked

about changes that participants had made since

participating in ICCD or CCLI, and was organized

around the community capitals framework3, with

items on human, social, cultural, civic, financial,

built, and natural capitals. Figure 4 displays the

average responses among the program alumni to

these questions.

The greatest impacts reported tended to be on

items related to human, civic, and social capital.

The top item, “I’ve taken on new informal or formal

leadership positions,” is an example of both human

and civic capital built by the program. The next

two items, “I’ve helped strengthen networks” and

“I’ve built trust” are both representative of social

capital. Even the lowest scored items such as

“I’ve helped conserve or protect natural resources

in my community,” or “I’ve strengthened or

helped improve the physical infrastructure of my

community” had over three-fourths of respondents

reporting at least a slight extent of impact.

I’ve built trust among people and organizations in my community (social capital).

I’ve helped strengthen networks among people and organizations in my community (social capital).

I’ve promoted cultural equity in my organization or community (social capital).

I’m more likely to take part in discussions about difficult community or social issues (civic capital).

I’ve taken on new informal or formal leadership posotions within my organization or community (human and civic capital).

I’ve promoted efforts to engage broader participation in community and public life (civic capital).

I’ve strengthened collaboration among organizations to work on challenging issues facing my community (social capital).

I’ve strengthened cultural events in my community (social capital).

I’ve become more comfortable voicing my opinion to public or political leaders (civic capital).

I’ve strengthened efforts to promote mental or physical health in my organization or community (human capital).

I’ve strengthened the financial condition of my organization or my community (financial capital).

I’ve helped conserve or protect natural resources in my community (natural capital).

I’ve strengthened or helped improve the physical infrastructure of my organization or community (built capital).

FIGURE 4: ICCD/CCLI ORGANIZATIONAL AND COMMUNITY IMPACTS

To Great Extent Moderate Extent Slight Extent Not at all

45.7 31.4 17.1 5.7

57.1 24.3 14.3 4.3

34.8 40.6 20.3 4.3

39.4 39.4 18.3 2.8

38.6 48.6 11.4 1.4

38.2 50.7 11.6 1.4

26.9 16.4 32.8 23.9

19.7 27.3 30.38 22.7

29.4 26.5 25 19.1

21.2 39.4 25.8 13.6

25 41.2 23.5 10.3

29.4 39.7 25 5.7

37.1 28.6 24.3 10

3Flora, C., Flora, J., & Fey, S. (2004). Rural Communities: Legacy and Change (2nd ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview Press; Emery, M. and Flora, C. (2006). “Spiraling-Up: Mapping Community Transformation and Community Capitals Framework.” Community Development 37, 1: 19-35.


Perhaps even more interesting than the numeric responses to

these items were the open-ended comments that respondents

typed when asked for examples of the ways their work had led

to organizational and community impacts:

• Our work, grounded in equitable food access, specifically

organic/whole foods, absolutely had a positive impact on

the physical and mental health of those engaged in our

programs!

• Within the Collaborative for a Culturally Diverse Economy,

I intentionally built a strong and diverse team of leaders

of color, bringing them to the table in a way that had not

been previously accomplished.

• Connected community art organizations to higher

education resources.

• Through Arts on Chicago, I have (with my partners) striven

to build connections to the local businesses, education

centers, neighbors through the arts.

• Growing a forest and eliminating invasive species in my

neighborhood

Most participants felt the program had spurred them to

higher levels of community engagement. For example, 57%

reported they had taken on new leadership roles within

their organizations and communities “to a great extent.”

Some participants (see the percentages in purple in Figure

4) commented the program did not necessarily add to their

strengths or abilities to influence some of these areas of

community capital, often because they were already making a

difference in these areas before participating in the program.

IMPACTS ON NETWORK DEVELOPMENTONLINE SOCIAL NETWORK SURVEY

As part of the social network survey, respondents were

asked to identify fellow alumni whom they had met, known

or collaborated with before, during and after the program.

Out of the 195 alumni contacted, 72 responded—a response

rate of 37% Figure 5 shows the evolution of this network

over the years. Each graduate of the program is represented

by a colored square. The color is based upon the cohort the

graduate is from. The squares also vary in size. The size of

the square indicates the number of connections that each

graduate of the program reported, e.g. the bigger the square,

the more connections reported. The lines represent the

specific connections among the alumni.

The maps show a tightly knit network of alumni across many

alumni. Many alumni reported knowing and having worked

with people from both within and outside their cohorts. This

trend is especially evident among those whose training

happened in the Twin Cities. It is less so among alumni from

the two cohorts in Duluth-Superior and Fargo-Moorhead

(See figure 5). Their connections appeared to be more limited

to their respective regions.

FIGURE 5: OVERALL ICCD/CCLI ALUMNI NETWORK

2002 Cohort

2002-2003 Cohorts (2003 cohort ADDED – BLUE SQUARES)


2002-2004 Cohorts (2004 cohort added – yellow squares)

2002-2006 Cohorts (2006 cohort added – green squares)

2002-2010 Cohorts (2010 cohort added – magenta squares)

2002-2011 Cohorts (2011 cohort added – purple squares)

2002-2012 cohorts (2011 Fargo-Moorhead cohort added – dark blue squares at left)

2002-2013 cohorts (2013 Duluth-Superior cohort added – light blue squares upper left)


2002-2013 cohorts (2013 Minneapolis-St. Paul cohort added – light green squares)

2002-2014 cohorts (2014 cohort added – teal squares)

While the network maps are based on many types of connections (alumni who had met before the program, alumni who met

during the program, alumni who have collaborated since the program), it is powerful to focus on just the network of those who

reported collaborating since participating in the program. As Figure 6 illustrates, the overall alumni collaboration network was

dense and extensive, branching across cohorts. In general, there were at least one or two individuals from each cohort who

played bridging roles in this process. These core actors are the social influencers who are making a difference in the density of

the collaboration network.

FIGURE 6: OVERALL ICCD/CCLI ALUMNI COLLABORATION NETWORK


IMPACT HEAT MAPSBased on the volume of clicks on particular areas, the

survey software produced “heat maps” that graphically

display the areas of most intense activities by ICCD/

CCLI alumni. Figures 7, 8, and 9 show the heat maps

of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Duluth-Superior, and Fargo-

Moorhead. The brightest red shows areas where close to

30 alumni clicked on the map. The color legend underneath

the maps show the colors associated with the frequency

of clicks. For example, in Figure 7 significant impacts

appeared to center primarily within the downtown areas

of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and along the light rail line

connecting the two cities. Many CCLI alumni were core

to Irrigate, a three-year creative placemaking initiative,

designed in response to the disruption by a major

construction project through the heart of Saint Paul. Irrigate,

created in partnership with Springboard for the Arts, the

City of Saint Paul, and Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support

Corporation (LISC), with funding provided by ArtPlace, held

placemaking workshops for artists, facilitated partnerships

between artists and businesses, and funded small scale

community arts projects that spanned the six miles of the

Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line in St. Paul during the

years of its construction.

FIGURE 7: IMPACT HEAT MAP FOR MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL

FIGURE 8: IMPACT HEAT MAP FOR DULUTH-SUPERIOR

FIGURE 9: IMPACT HEAT MAP FOR FARGO-MOORHEAD

As Figure 10 shows, alumni activities were not limited to Minnesota. Participants reported having projects in 20 states since

completing the program, representing every region of the mainland.

FIGURE 10: NATIONAL LOCATIONS WHERE ALUMNI HAVE CONDUCTED WORK OR PROJECTS

In addition, program participants reported having conducted projects in a total of 20 countries across six continents since

completing the program. They include: Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Caribbean Islands, Czech Republic, Denmark, France,

Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Thailand, and the

United Kingdom.

FIGURE 11: COUNTRIES WHERE ALUMNI HAVE CONDUCTED WORK OR PROJECTS



CASE STUDY: RIPPLE MAPPING OF THE 2010 COHORT To focus on the range of impacts produced within a single cohort,

the evaluation team conducted a Ripple Effect Mapping (REM)

session with a portion of the 2010 CCLI cohort. REM is a participatory

group method for evaluating the impact of complex programs or

collaboratives. The method engages program stakeholders to visually

map the performance story resulting from a program or complex

collaboration. It combines elements of appreciative inquiry, mind

mapping, group interviewing, and qualitative data analysis in its

process. The evaluation team invited a dozen members of the 2010

CCLI cohort, who were given the option of bringing a guest who was

familiar with the impacts of their work. The invitation was to participate

in a structured group discussion and mapping process. More

information about the process can be found at

http://blog-ripple-effect-mapping.extension.umn.edu/.

RIPPLE MAP INTERVIEWS

Participants in the session were asked to interview each other using

two questions. The questions asked of the alumni were slightly

different from the questions asked of the invited guests.

Questions for Program Alumni:

• What is a community-based highlight, achievement, or success

you had based on your involvement with the CCLI?

• What connections in the community – new and/or deepened –

have you made as a result of the CCLI?

Questions for Invited Guests:

• What is a highlight, achievement, or

success of former CCLI participants in your

community or with your organization?

• What connections in the community – new

and/or deepened – have you observed as a

result of the CCLI?

After participants had interviewed each other,

they were asked to report some of the items they

had heard. Their reports were captured using a

mind mapping software program and projected

onto a screen. The evaluator then worked with

the group to identify core themes for the different

types of “community impacts” they were reporting.

Through follow-up questions from the evaluator,

participants brought forward more detail on some

of the effects and how they had been catalyzed

by the program. After the Ripple Effect Mapping

session, the evaluator conducted supplemental

interviews with some of the participants to capture

additional details.

The core themes of the Ripple Effect Map provided

richer context and echoed many of the themes

that emerged from the online survey and the data

from the social network analysis (See Appendices

16A-E - Sample of Creative Community

Leadership Institute 2010 cohort). Four themes

emerged from the process regarding the impact

the CCLI program had on participants:

• Promoted deep connections which

generated new forms of collaboration

(APPENDIX 16A) During the reflection

discussion after appreciative inquiry

interviews, the group suggested a core effect

of the program was the sense of solidarity

and trust created among members of the

cohort. This section of the ripple map ended

up with the most detail. For the group,

the theme represented the core meaning

of participation in the program. Several

participants asserted that they wanted to

see the word “love” placed on the map. One


participant commented that these deep connections

generated new forms of collaboration, and this section

of the mind maps shows some examples: the Bedlam

Theater becoming open to new audiences, collaboration

among alumni to write and act in an original play, a

pop-up theater, and the creation of YO MAMA’s Art of

Mothering Workshops in north Minneapolis.

• Deepened commitment to racial equity work

(APPENDIX 16B) Several participants described

a deepened commitment to racial equity work, with

examples ranging from work in philanthropy to increased

funding support for equity-focused artistic work to cross-

cultural sharing between Hmong and Native American

youth. Participants also mentioned cross-cultural sharing

efforts in neighborhood organizations in Minneapolis and

St. Paul. One important branch in this part of the ripple

map focuses on the Bedlam Theatre, which linked to East

African audiences in its West Bank location, opened a

second theater in St. Paul, and engaged program alumni

in its Ten Minute Playfest.

• Strengthened leadership skills for community building

(APPENDIX 16C) Participants described how they

strengthened a wide range of leadership skills as a result

of the program. These ranged from increasing conflict

management skills and network building to incorporating

specific activities from the curriculum, like “the stick

exercise,” into their own leadership development

practices. Several participants reported an increase in

their own confidence when in community settings and an

increased ability to feel comfortable when speaking hard

truths—the absence of which can threaten community

building work.

• Generated personal and professional growth

(APPENDIX 16D) Participants described a range of

ways they had strengthened their voices as practitioners

of arts-based community development and/or as artists

as a result of the program. One participant reported how

much she appreciated having opportunities to speak and

be heard, which led her to gain confidence in community

building work. Another participant highlighted how the

program gave her the opportunity to showcase her work

as well as continue as a guest presenter in later cohorts

of the program.

• During the mapping discussion, participants were asked

what, if any, aspects of the program were in need of

improvement. An additional branch of the ripple map

focused on these challenges (APPENDIX 16E).

The comments participants gave focused on the desire

for more resources, racial dynamics, and the lab group

experience (an aspect of CCLI in which small groups

of participants collaboratively design an arts-based

community development project). Comments included:

concerns that the training should be delivered more by

participants and less by outside experts, that raising funds

is a crucial barrier, that group projects were not always

structured well, and that conversations about race need to

be more complex.

There should not be a division between “experts” and [CCLI]

“participants.”

[Labs] could have been more practical and formatted in a less

rigid format.

[I would be] curious to know how to create learning that isn’t

just white people learning from people of color.

[Lab] Activity should have led to something that can be

implemented, instead of purely imaginary.

Individual artists are not nonprofits, so it’s hard for them to get

any funds for their highly engaged work.

ALUMNI INTERVIEWSThirty-minute interviews were conducted with a subset of CCLI

participants. The interviewee list was compiled by program staff

to reflect different perspectives. Potential interviewees came

from a variety of cohorts, regions, and cultural communities.

They included alumni with positional authority within established

institutions as well as alumni with grassroots and community

credibility. Forty participants were contacted, and 10 agreed to

be interviewed, a response rate of 25%.


The interviews supported the data generated by the online

survey and the network map. Interviewees stressed the

value of the networks that they were introduced to

through CCLI.

I need community. It feels hard to be alone...not knowing

if the work is effective or not. We have to make ongoing

efforts to know about each other’s work.

I’ve built real connections with some people [in the cohorts],

one moved to the Maryland area. It turned into real

friendship.

It’s given me another community of people...A radical and

diverse community that I greatly value, and a great place to

build the network.

Interviewees felt more affirmed and supported in their work

by being introduced to frameworks and vocabulary used by

other practitioners in the field.

During the program, the revelation was that other people

are also doing this work.

[CCLI] gave me a home base in a new way and was very

grounding for my work. It helped me to name what I do a

little more.

CCLI gave us a common frame of reference!

…Seeing other people bridging and moving through

different ways of doing and being, across sectors that didn’t

overlap. This was an interdisciplinary process where that

was the norm.

It was helpful to think of the intangibles of what I’m doing as

real work, not as prelude to the real work.

Through partnerships, the interviewees were inspired

to take on larger, more impactful projects that had the

potential to change a community, an organization, or

a region.

I’m used to working in open ended groups. This expanded

that. Even getting rid of the word “art”. It made me think

about how we came together to collaborate, because the

outcome isn’t necessarily the product, but the process.


Creative CityMaking…definitely impacted the City of Minneapolis

and the community. We brought youth into planning and political

processes. We had interns with the historic society, studying the

history of Minneapolis through the art. Their studies informed the

plan on what the city should prioritize for historic preservation.

[We’re] examining historical injustices and provocative ideas.

We’re trying to swing the door open, and whoever comes

through is welcome. We’re trying to plan for a summer of new

theatrical work. Not just open the door, but to reach out across

the state. We want the final selection to look like the diversity of

the state.

I was successful in getting the arts council to look at the

programming and the ecosystem… Looking at what the artists

and the creative economy look like.

The presence of the CCLI activity in town and media coverage

helped give some impetus…There has been a lot of talk about

art and economic development. Not many people deny it now.

Politicians and the business community don’t question it. CCLI

pushed this in a variety of different fields.

There is more interest in Native art. Mill City now includes

a Native piece and in places around the river front, and in

Northern Spark.

Interviewees gave specific suggestions for how they would like

to see the field of arts-based community development evolve.

More access to long-term funding and more consistent funding.

[In Duluth] We have the people and the expertise, the public

sector, and the Chamber willing to work with us. We have

the pieces, and we need to pay people to make it a full time

commitment. It will lead to its own economic engine.

Make the case for localization. What’s sort of neat about the

arts are the jobs that can’t be outsourced. It’s locally based,

and dollars circulate more within the community…where arts

and economic development can come together to build local

economies and build a sense of place.

Building on what people value and not having them pushed

out…That conversation doesn’t happen nationally and

internationally. Bringing in best thinkers and leaders in the

community regarding diversity, and figuring out systems that will

work for the majority of people.

Interviewees also gave a more nuanced interpretation of the

kinds of skills they would value moving forward. Most were

entrepreneurial—even when based in institutions. They were

greatly concerned about the need to raise resources to realize

their vision, to implement projects, and for their own wellbeing.

If I were creating a document or product there could be

funding, but making more social capital across differences is not

supported…I have to work as an unpaid contribution.

There are clear categories of funding for artists, but no sustained

funding for community organizing or community building.

How do we sustain and resource the community side of

community development?

I’d just say [I need] some time and capital…money and time.

Information on how to balance fundraising and programming.

You have to grow both hand in hand. When you work so hard

to raise the money, it’s hard to do the programming. [When

there are] no accounting department, or technical writers…No

support…It gets really hard…Helping people to know how to

raise funds and what that means for programming, and how to

get boards engaged in fund raising.

We need to grow in [knowing] how to manage projects

successfully, how to scale projects into programs, and how

to replicate.

WHY ARE THESE FINDINGS IMPORTANT? The focus of CCLI is to foster healthier, more capable, and

equitable communities through arts and cultural strategies.

As expressed by William Cleveland, a CCLI co-founder, at

a presentation for Animating Democracy (https://prezi.com/

kss2k2gcowa1/copy-of-animating-democracy-abcd-ecosystem/),

“Humans must cooperate to survive….Art-making has evolved as

a primary stimulus for human cooperation.” By their nature, arts-

based approaches to community transformation help develop

and/or unleash the very skills that are most needed at this time.

The structure of CCLI is designed to cultivate those skills while

cultivating authentic relationships.

Arts-based community development, as a field, is expanding

on the crest of a wave of unprecedented change in the national


landscape. Locally, regionally, and nationally, structural economic

changes, geo-political shifts, and profound demographic

changes are making visible the inadequacies of conventional

decision-making processes. The technology that connects

us also divides us into narrower interest groups. There is a

compelling need for better ways to make progress on the

issues people care about, to work more productively across

our differences, and to foster healthier, more capable and more

equitable communities.

Much of our procedural infrastructure for decision-making,

however, is rooted in the late 1940s and 1950s when Minnesota,

the United States, and the world in general looked quite different.

The health of federal, state, and local economies—as well as

families and communities—now depend upon how effectively

decision-makers can work across differences to respond to new

economic and demographic realities:

• Today, the United States’ economic growth is highly

interconnected, global in nature, and being driven, to

a great extent, by new ethnic markets and emerging

international markets.

• A large and growing percentage of the nation’s population

are people of color whose cultural roots are not

predominantly European or Euro-American.

• In Minnesota, millennials outnumber baby boomers, and 1

in 5 millennials is a person of color.

• The income of Minnesota millennials age 16-24 in 2012 is

over 20% lower than the income of baby boomers in that

age group in 1980.

• By 2030, for every retirement-age Minnesotan, it is likely

that there will only be 2.5 working-aged adults, with 2

actually employed in the paid workforce.

In order for government agencies, institutions, and businesses to

address these economic and demographic realities, they will need

different ways to engage people and the communities in which

they live and work. New and more inclusive narratives, concepts,

and strategies will have to be developed. The ability to navigate

across large divides, find common ground, and move forward

together will be essential skills. These are the skills that at the

center of CCLI training and programs.

5 Helmsletter and Tigan, Six Surprising Trends about Minnesota’s Millennials. Compass Project, March 1,2014. http://www.mncompass.org/trends/insights/ 2014-03-01-minnesota-millennial-trends. 6 Ibid.7 Helsmsletter, Craig. Minnesota’s Aging Population: Prepare for Lift Off. Community Matters, Wilder Blog, Aug 26, 2014.


TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACTExamples of the transformative impact CCLI has had upon

individuals, organizations, and institutions were found at

several levels: neighborhood, city, national, and international.

INDIVIDUAL TRANSFORMATION

YO MAMA’S Art of Mothering Workshop

Amoke Kubat, a member of the 2010 cohort, created YO

MAMA’S Art of Mothering Workshop for mothers of all ages.

Located in north Minneapolis, it is not, by Amoke’s insistence,

a nonprofit organization. In fact, it defies categories and

description. YO MAMA exists as a creative space in which

Amoke invites other mothers to support one another as sisters.

This intergenerational group of elders and younger mothers

nurture each other, heal, and transform themselves while

making art in a 10-week workshop.

One of the participants, Raelene Ethel Ashe, began her healing

journey from poverty and homelessness. After attending a

workshop and becoming part of the circle of mothers, Raelene

credits YO MAMA for her transformation. She is now the

co-owner of The Art Shoppe at the Midtown Global Market.

Amoke related that through participation in CCLI she herself

gained confidence as an artist, which led her to act with more

power and impact in her art, as well as in other realms.

TRANSFORMING SYSTEMS

Creative CityMaking Minneapolis

Many CCLI alumni play key roles in Creative CityMaking, a

collaboration between Intermedia Arts and the Arts, Culture

and the Creative Economy program of the City of Minneapolis.

Creative CityMaking is a multi-year initiative that pairs staff in

City of Minneapolis government departments with experienced

community artists to advance the City’s goal of eliminating

economic and racial disparities. This “One Minneapolis” goal

is focused on ensuring that all residents can participate and

prosper. Creative CityMaking develops new arts-based, field-

tested approaches that engage traditionally underrepresented

communities and stimulate innovative thinking and practices

for more responsive government. This work is increasing

the capacity of the City to address inequities in political

representation, housing, transportation, income, and race.

Creative CityMaking began in 2013 with support from ArtPlace,

a 10-year collaboration among a number of foundations,

federal agencies, and financial institutions. The collaborative

works to position arts and culture as a core sector of

comprehensive community planning and development in order

to help strengthen the social, physical, and economic fabric

of communities. Following a highly successful demonstration

year, Creative CityMaking drew over $1 million of investment

from private, federal, and municipal sources including the

Kresge Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and

the City of Minneapolis. The program has expanded from one

department in 2013 to five departments across the

City in 2015.

CCLI alumni currently serve on artist-City project teams,

in program direction, program management, project

management, and documentation roles. They are support staff

and trainers/facilitators for the Creative CityMaking Institute,

a year-long series of cross-departmental learning events for

systems change through arts-based community development.

Through Creative CityMaking, Intermedia Arts has adapted

elements of the CCLI curriculum and put them into practice

in a carefully considered, highly productive interface between

City departments and communities.

THE VIRAL SPREAD OF CCLI CONCEPTS NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY

CCLI alumni are spreading arts-based community development

concepts and ideas virally in their work nationally and

internationally. While analyzing the impact of those ideas

was beyond the scope of this work, alumni credited CCLI

with helping them apply and share arts-based community

development approaches to community development

and training.

Examples:

• A graduate of the program uses ICCD/CCLI concepts

and tools in arts-based civic engagement with an

organization that is active in East Africa and the

Caribbean.

• ICCD/CCLI concepts and tools have been useful to a

graduate of the program who works with an international

group of scholars, practitioners, community leaders, and

artists to map the pasts of traumatized communities and


contested lands, and their impact on present-day relations.

Projects have been carried out in the United States, the

United Kingdom, and Europe.

• A graduate of the program who coordinates major

national and international conferences on organizing, and

coordinates communities of practice in Europe and the

United States, uses facilitation and organizing techniques

learned at ICCD/CCLI.

• A graduate of the program uses the ICCD/CCLI training

concepts as a global scholar participating with a multi-

campus initiative to prepare the next generation of globally

competent citizens. The initiative is sponsored by an

association of state colleges and universities.

• Tools learned at ICCD/CCLI were useful to a graduate of

the program while coordinating an exchange program for

educators from a European country, between its museums

and American museums. The program featured projects in

both countries.

• Case studies from ICCD/CCLI were useful to a graduate of

the program working in southern Africa. The alumni used

these examples as part of a master’s degree thesis on the

use of arts and creative strategies as a tool for community

development.

NOW WHAT? Clearly CCLI is breaking new ground. It has built significant

capacity in the Twin Cities, affecting opportunities for CCLI

alumni. Its impact is also spreading in Moorhead-Fargo and

Duluth-Superior. There is a growing awareness of its presence

in expanding and shaping the arts-based community develop-

ment field locally, nationally, and internationally. Regarding local

impact, one graduate of the program observed:

…in the Twin Cities I see how Intermedia Arts has changed

minds and CCLI communities [are] embracing [that]—this [arts

and cultural approach] is central to community development.

The data and analysis in this study are a snapshot of the

experiences of alumni which can help CCLI program staff,

designers and faciliators determine what aspects of CCLI are

working well, what can be improved, what could be eliminated,

and what could be added. To guide CCLI’s future direction, data

from the survey, network assessment, interviews, the Ripple

Effect Mapping, and comments made by participants provide

specific and insightful responses to the three questions on

which this study focused:

1. How has the ICCD/CCLI impacted individual participants,

their interpersonal relationships, and the communities in

which they live and work?

Brief: ICCD/CCLI has had significant impact on alumni, par-

ticularly in their ability to work across boundaries, continue

involvement with issues and strategies they encountered in the

program, and in their capacity to apply things they learned in

the program to other situations. ICCD/CCLI alumni have been

engaged in projects in their home communities, in 20 states, 20

countries, and six continents.

2. What elements of the program have been the most useful,

or least useful in promoting arts-based community

development?

Brief: The aspects of the program alumni ranked highest were:

creating a robust network of colleagues; advancing their own

leadership journey in arts-based community development; in-

creased knowledge of the arts-based community development

field; and using arts-based approaches for communication and

learning. The aspects of the program alumni ranked lowest

were: skills and tools for developing and sustaining productive

partnerships, and strategies for advancing community dis-

course and organizing. The aspects of the program that were

rated lowest seemed to be those areas in which the participants

themselves already had the most knowledge and experience.

3. What insights do alumni have about future direction for

the program?

Brief: Suggestions from program participants addressed both

program content and structure, with implications for CCLI’s fu-

ture direction. The comments highlight tensions between formal

structures, required outcomes, and a discovery process that is

driven by participants. Suggestions included:


• Supporting continued connection to the contacts and

networks developed through CCLI/ICCD, as well as further

professional development trainings.

• Creating funding and fundraising opportunities.

• Having a common space at Intermedia Arts where alumni

can meet regularly for in-depth discussion and to catch up

with one another.

• Creating a mentorship program.

• Updating and diversifying program content; and better

connecting the program content to participants’ needs and

backgrounds.

• Highlighting profiles and stories about alumni and their

work in a newsletter or on the website.

• Developing neighborhood-based cohorts.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

As Intermedia Arts designs the next iteration of the CCLI

program, it has to balance the needs of alumni, current program

participants, staff capacity, and the demands of building

the field. While there is currently an increasing amount of

philanthropic support, arts-based community development will

not be sustainable as a field until it is integrated into the broader

marketplace, with a variety of other sectors paying for the skills,

services, products and results that the approach generates.

Critical questions include:

• What kind of infrastructure can be developed and

sustained by CCLI that will support the ongoing

development and interaction of alumni networks?

• Given the well-developed expertise participants bring, how

can CCLI determine which skills and information are best

demonstrated and shared by participants and which are

best demonstrated and delivered by CCLI staff?

• How might CCLI define and unleash the knowledge and

skills of participants for the financial benefit of both the

participants and CCLI, to consciously build the field?

• How can CCLI develop and utilize resources to step more

boldly into its leadership position in the field, prime key

sectors to recognize and value its contributions, and create

a larger marketplace for its alumni?

EVALUATORS’ RECOMMENDATIONS

Based upon the data and the analysis as well as formal and

informal conversations with CCLI staff and participants,

the authors of this impact study make the following

recommendations:

• Develop a flexible infrastructure that can support continued

interactions between alumni. The infrastructure could

include: a website with an alumni directory, updates on

programs, funding, and partnership opportunities; individual

alumni activities; as well as information on the field.

• Support a quarterly convening of alumni, rotating between

invitations to all CCLI alumni and a city and/or regional

convening. Create more opportunities for people in

targeted sectors to attend—particularly from the corporate

community and the public policy arena.

• Provide platforms for highlighting participant generated

inquiries and solutions. The development of an archive that

can be promoted to help build the field.

• Promote the effective tools and procedures developed

through Creative CityMaking for use with other public

agencies.

• Explore new business models that align with the

equity goals and values of the arts-based community

development field and that participants can use in their

entrepreneurial work. These models could include case

studies of successful social enterprises and Benefit

Corporations, and for-profit entities that include public

and environmental benefits as part of their mission. These

types of Benefit Corporations are now legal in 30 states,

including Minnesota.

• Plan presentations and discussions with leaders of local

ethical business associations and technical assistance

providers regarding ways in which particular business

structures and processes can be useful to program

participants and alumni.


SUMMARYIntermedia Arts’ Creative Community Leadership Institute is clearly having an impact in the lives of

its alumni and creating community ripples through their work. The impacts can be seen in the lives of

individuals, initiatives sparked within communities, and changes generated in institutions and agencies.

The growing network of alumni has created a relational infrastructure that is showing itself to be flexible,

adaptable, and enduring. The activities of this network are taking place in Minneapolis-St. Paul,

Duluth-Superior, Fargo-Moorhead, in other regions of the country, and internationally—

wherever CCLI alumni move and engage.

The CCLI program has generated these impacts in part by creating “containers” for sharing expertise,

while developing and deepening relationships in a highly intentional way. Those containers include

many resources: a well-balanced cohort of experts on their individual journeys, a curriculum,

a place to meet, and an agreement to reflect and co-create across significant differences with

a commitment to equity.

These shared journeys of passion, courage, vision, and imagination are full of risk and uncertainties.

Their discoveries may well hold the answers many other sectors are seeking in order to thrive in this

century of unprecedented change.


APPENDIXFIGURE 12. ICCD/CCLI ORGANIZATIONAL AND COMMUNITY IMPACTS

I’ve taken on new information or formal leadership

positions within my organization or community

(human and civic capital).

I’ve help strengthen networks among people and

organizations in my community (social civic).

I’ve built trust among people and organizations in

my community (social capital).

I’ve promoted efforts to engage broader participation

in community and public life (civic capital).

I’ve promoted cultural equity in my organization or

community (cultural capital).

I’m more likely to take part in dicussions about

difficult community or social issues (civic capital).

I’ve strengthened cultural events in my community

(cultural capital).

I’ve strengthened collaboration among organizations

to work on challenging issues facing my country

(social capital).

I’ve become more comfortable voicing my opinion

to public or politcal leaders (civic capital).

I’ve strengthened efforts to promote mental or physical

health in my organization or community (human capital).

I’ve strengthened the financial condition of my

organization or my community (financial civics).

I’ve strengthened or helped improve the physcial

infrastructure of my organization or community

(built civics).

I’ve helped conserve or protect natural resources

in my community (natural civics).

0 2.0 3.0 4.0

Average reponses on a scale of 1 = not at all, 2 = to a slight extent, 3 = to a moderate extent, 4 = to a great extent


FIGURE 13. SOME EXAMPLES OF ICCD/CCLI ALUMNI PLACE-BASED IMPACTS IN MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL

QUOTES FROM ALUMNII work with 100 public libraries in the 7 county areas, supporting

library staff in implementing thousands of free public programs

funded by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund in the areas of

literary programs, creative writing, author visits, book clubs,

all-community-read events, history programs, live performances,

hands-on art making, public art, archival preservation, exhibitions,

cultural activities and other projects.

I served as consultant to Northside Arts Collective, and publish

the Northeaster and NorthNews newspapers. The newspapers

put me in a position to attend a lot of meetings and sometimes to

advise people who want to know more about our coverage areas.

The appreciation for ABCD informs my coverage of the arts.

Model Cities Sustainable Spaces: working with two public artists

(Roger Cummings & Marjorie Pitz) to bring to life the stories of

African-American railroad workers.

Forecast Public Art: consulting on arts and culture planning in

Saint Paul, Eagan, Hopkins, Duluth and Grand Forks.

Mixed Blood Theatre: board member working with staff to realize

vision of the theatre as a community center for its majority Somali

neighborhood.

Farmhouse, Longfellow: I’ve been able to weave tools of

partnership development, funding strategies, and community

development in my work leading yearlong urban farming

programs that continue to produce leaders in the local food

movement.

I was, for a time, involved in the Native American-Somali

Friendship Committee (NSFC) and some of the community-

building activities they were holding in conjunction with Bedlam

Theater and New Native Theater. I tried to make sure there

were Native perspectives and people present. I tried to involve

students in the NASFC and link the committee to resources at my

then-employer and the church we were housed in.

I clicked South and North Minneapolis because of my involvement

with arts and community organizing with Remember 1934 and

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater. I started

attending the Remember 1934 All-volunteer Initiative in January

2014. As a group, we were able to plan a few things: 1) a street

festival in the Warehouse District, 2) a picnic at Wabun park, and

3) helped to get the Remember 1934 theme--and people--in the

2014 MayDay parade.

I and another CCLI alum (one that I told about CCLI to, and

encouraged to apply) hosted a spoken word/literary event

remembering the 150th anniversary of the US Dakota War, in

2012. We organized and participated in one in 2013, as well as

held a session at the Overcoming Racism conference. We will be

hosting another event with the Saint Paul Almanac this December

26th, the 3rds annual Dakota Writers Speak to Presence on the

anniversary of the hanging of the Dakota warriors in Mankato.

I got very involved in the hands-on work the Family Life Education

staff did at two schools in North Minneapolis--Lucy Craft Laney

K-8 and North High School. At Lucy Laney, we initiated an After-

school Moves Program that was experiential and utilized art,

movement, dance, rock climbing, group initiatives, games, etc.

We collaborated with the Stuart Pimsler Dance Company to do

some of the dance/movement portions.

I worked as Interim Executive Director at Inter-tribal Elder

Services. The programs which were part of Inter-tribal Elder

Services (ITES) were layered and culturally relevant and included

Circles of Tobacco Wisdom, Wisdom Steps, Grandparents Raising

Grandchildren, Access and Outreach, and Nutrition Assistance

Program. We ran an Elders Sewing Circle, collaborated with

Dream of Wild Health, Native American Community Clinic, Indian

Health Board, Kinship Care Program, MN Board on Aging,

University of Minnesota, Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging,

Little Earth, Elders Lodge, Minneapolis American Indian Center, as

well as all of the Urban Tribal Offices. The layers of relationships

that I experienced were rich and complex.

Social Media Coordination for the Irrigate Arts project - with

Springboard for the Arts, project runs all along University

Avenue and the Green Line Light Rail Line from the West Bank

of Minneapolis into Lowertown Saint Paul. Artist Organizing with

the Friendly Streets Initiative - projects and events in St. Paul on

Fairview Avenue, Charles Avenue, Victoria & University, Pelham

Boulevard, Raymond Avenue & University, and a demonstration

event in Prospect Park for Green 4th. These included


neighborhood block parties with community visioning for

transforming public space, life sized demonstrations, and artist

activities and performances. I have also taught preschool in

St. Paul.

I’m integrating the arts into a capacity-building project at a

senior low-income hi-rise. I have also facilitated civic dialogue

and storytelling at a public library, and have done story

coaching for numerous people.

I’ve also collaborated with CCLI alum (Bedlam Theater) to

produce community art projects where I live (Saint Paul).

Most recently, I’ve been awarded a Knight Arts St. Paul

grant to organize and produce community arts work in my

neighborhood Dayton’s Bluff. This, I expect and endeavor to

ensure, will become the deepest and longest lasting impact I’ve

had the opportunity to effect.

Took Organizing Classes from Hope Community and began to

develop a long-term working relationship, program/practice

group called Intersections. I am currently working on my first

large-scale public art project/process - out of Intersections -

Soundtrack of Phillips.

I was the original co-founder of Form and Content Gallery, an

artist’s cooperative that is thriving and now 8 years old. Some

of my major works include the Presence of Loss, on which I

collaborated with fellow ICCD alum Juliet Petersen, and the I

AM WATER project. I also co-produced the MN Creates Project

which brought the work of contemporary MN artists to the State

Capital in a first of its kind exhibition.

I work at an arts program serving artists with disabilities. We

have been in the Warehouse District/North Loop in Minneapolis,

but I have recently moved to the Midway neighborhood in

St. Paul. The artists participating in our program come from

throughout the Metro. In my own creative work, I have created

a touring project called the Picnic Operetta that performs in

community gardens and sites of urban agriculture and food

production. We have ongoing relationships with communities

and partners in East St. Paul, West St. Paul, North Minneapolis,

St. Louis Park, Whittier neighborhood, Falcon Heights and

Hastings.

Bdotememorymap.org, which is a partnership project with the

Minnesota Humanities Center, is being used in classrooms at all

levels. As a result of the project, there is now more recognition

that the Metro area/the bdote area is Dakota homeland. A

permanent installation of Dakota voices (Cloudy Waters) is now

available in the Mill City Ruins Courtyard. The same audio/

along with primary video from the exhibition/installation at

Minnesota History Center in St. Paul is being installed in an

exhibit at the Science Museum in St. Paul.

My training in the CCLI prepared me well for helping to

develop a statewide initiative to increase graduation rates

for African-American and American Indian students in

Minnesota, and especially in urban school districts. It also

helped me forge meaningful connections with others working

specifically for resiliency of Native American youth at the

American Indian Family Center in St. Paul, the indigenous arts

education organization Ce Tempoxcalli in St Paul’s West Side

Neighborhood, and the Twin Cities Native American

Lacrosse Club.

Midwest World Fest: fostering cross-cultural understanding

through an international music program in small communities

across the Midwest Somali Documentary Project: working with

partners, including Intermedia, Somali community across

metro area.

FIGURE 14. SOME EXAMPLES OF ICCD/CCLI ALUMNI PLACE-BASED IMPACTS IN DULUTH-SUPERIOR

QUOTES FROM ALUMNIConsulting with Forecast Public Art, I developed a public master

plan and assisted with artist selection and implementation for

three projects in Saint Louis County’s Government Services

Center.

I have performed, exhibited, taught and served as support

person/ advisory board member in downtown Duluth (at the

Prøve Gallery, at Gimaajii Community Center, and at Zeitgeist

Arts). I have also exhibited in Wrenshall and at the Duluth Art

Institute and frequently support events/ projects of other artists

and community organizations.

I’m consulting with the Design Duluth Collaborative with LISC,

the St Louis River Alliance, and the University of Minnesota.


Recently I participated in community organizing around the

Chester Park development issues (in Duluth).

I was and am a part of the Nibi Walk project, which walked the

St Louis River this year.

The map does not include the entire City of Duluth- it’s missing

several River Corridor neighborhoods where we have taken on an

increased role in revitalization activities. One of our main areas of

focus is to drive greater parity for the western neighborhoods’ low-

income neighborhoods. We are also working on some citywide

initiatives, so placed a marker at City Hall.

FIGURE 15. SOME EXAMPLES OF ICCD/CCLI ALUMNI PLACE-BASED IMPACTS IN FARGO-MOORHEAD

QUOTES FROM ALUMNIOur CCLI lab group has created an installation that will appear

at the Plains Art Museum in 2015. We will be a part of a group

show called: “The Bakken Boom: Artists Respond to the North

Dakota Oil Rush.” This opportunity grew out of the connection

we had with our CCLI project mentor, Karis Thompson.

Leading strategy and a Board for a community foundation

(ex: integration of a non-designated endowed art fund into the

long-term strategy as well as one for uplifting out of poverty,

education and community building; building community

dialogue platform for downtown Moorhead); strategy and board

leadership for a major arts org; continued integration of regional

art into our business.

We ran the 6th Annual F-M LGBT Film Fest in 2014 at the Fargo

Theatre. Previously, I also hosted FTM Dinners at my home in

Moorhead, and held FTM Brotherhood meetings at Grove Park.

Helped design and leverage the Plains Art Museum’s socially-

engaged art initiatives - development of three Defiant Gardens,

a Living as Form exhibition with 10 weeks of artist residencies

and the symposium Central Time Centric: Art and Social

Practice in the Midwest - as relationship-building platforms.

I have increased my involvement with West Acres, a local,

privately owned mall, in terms of helping them think about how

to further engage the larger community with and through art.

Our office is near downtown, and many conversations have

been held there that have helped shift the conversation to

find ways to incorporate the arts and arts-based learning into

a variety of businesses, ideas, Cities, etc. Downtown has

continued to grow and thrive since CCLI, in part because of the

work I am doing with artists.

I did some work in the Fargo-Moorhead area with a small

theater company that is devoted to heightening community

conversations to create social justice, Act Up Theatre.

Specifically I played a role in creating partnerships with

social service agencies within the area, as well as facilitating

post show conversations between audience, artistic team,

performers, and mental health specialists. I also worked with

them to develop a fundraising plan.

Connections built for a for-profit coffee shop and events space.

Collaborative work with the Moorhead Public Library.


APPENDIX A

Promoted Deep Connections


APPENDIX B

Deepened Commitment to Racial Equity Work


APPENDIX C

Strengthened Leadership Skills for Community Building


APPENDIX D

Generated Personal and Professional Growth


APPENDIX E

Challenges

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Intermedia Arts is a premier multidisciplinary, multicultural arts organization

in Minneapolis, Minnesota whose mission is to be a catalyst that builds

understanding among people through art.

The Creative Community Leadership Institute (CCLI) is a program of Intermedia Arts that

fosters healthy, capable and equitable communities by building the skills and network of

leaders working at the intersection of the arts and community change. CCLI is rooted

in the belief that communities facing rapid change and complex issues can make real

progress when people come together across disciplines, sectors and boundaries to

collaborate, innovate, think big, and act artfully for community-driven change. For

communities to thrive, we need creative leaders who can engage people across large

divides and establish enough common ground to develop cooperative and just solutions.

These are the skills the Creative Community Leadership Institute builds. This study was

commissioned by Intermedia Arts to inform the ongoing improvement of the

organization’s creative leadership programs. It was prepared by lead evaluator

Betty Emarita, with Scott Chazdon from the University of Minnesota Extension Center

for Community Vitality.

The Creative Community Leadership Institute, and this study have been made possible

through the generous support of the Bush Foundation.

IntermediaArts.org

612.871.4444 // [email protected]

2822 Lyndale Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55408

WENDY MORRIS

Director of Creative Leadership

impact study

Documents