More Client Services:

• Marketing Communication

• Branding Strategy

• Public Relations

• Media Production

• Public Engagement

• Program Planning

• Strategic Partnerships

Chicago Cultural Alliance — ASA facilitated the planning process and helped to create the Chicago Cultural Alliance, a consortium of Chicago’s ethnic museums, cultural centers, and historical societies whose mission is to effect social change and public understanding of cultural diversity through first voice perspectives. The Alliance connects its diverse member organizations to flagship arts and cultural institutions, universities, schools, businesses and government agencies. Continue reading →

ASA worked closely with Columbia College Chicago’s Institutional Advancement office and various academic departments to design and build new programs that helped the College expand its footprint and engage strategic audiences. These include initial planning, program design and funding strategy for: Center for Community Arts Partnerships, Center for Asian Arts and Media, Center for Arts Policy, Urban Missions Program.

Additionally ASA helped revamp the strategic positioning and designed programs for: Chicago Jazz Ensemble and The Center for Black Music Research. Continue reading →

ASA worked with Grantmakers in the Arts leadership to conceive, plan and manage an unusual 2-1/2 day Art Under 21 conference focusing grantmakers’ attention on the impact of arts on community and youth development. The 1998 annual conference included over 45 professional artists, 19 youth serving arts organizations, and 250 funders.

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ASA developed “Be The Cure”, a public education program to broaden access to medical professions for those who have been historically excluded. “Be The Cure” trains health professionals of color to mentor middle school youth, and organizes school-wide assemblies for parents and teachers. A PR strategy amplifies the message through the media. Continue reading →

Urban Network: Museums Embracing Communities — The Urban Network is a consortium of 10 major metropolitan museums in five U.S. cities. Members work together to share strategies for increasing civic engagement and enhancing access to museum learning. ASA developed the Urban Network with The Field Museum in 2002, and edited a book about civic engagement strategies in 2003. Continue reading →

ASA developed the Arts Marketing Center at the Arts and Business Council of Chicago to help nonprofit arts organizations increase their audiences and earned income. The model and its four program components have been replicated in six cities nationwide. Continue reading →

ASA developed the business plan and pro forma for the Duncan YMCA Chernin Center for the Arts, the first YMCA in the nation dedicated completely to the arts, set within the traditional YMCA structure. This planning project included market research and constituency building with community organizations, local youth, YMCA board members and artists. Continue reading →

The Small Schools Workshop provides several levels of technical assistance to schools and school districts that want to create more intimate learning environments and restructure into smaller schools. ASA extrapolated universal technical assistance solutions from the work done in several small schools in Chicago to help the Small Schools Workshop package and market these programs of assistance nationally. Continue reading →

ASA developed program plans to establish the Center for Asian Arts and Media, the Center for Arts Policy, and the Center for Community Arts Partnerships at Columbia. Additionally, ASA worked with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble and the Center for Black Music Research on strategic planning and fundraising. ASA also facilitated a year-long planning process for a partnership between five community arts organizations and Columbia College. Continue reading →

The renown Field museum hired ASA to build a consortium of 8-10 internationally leading natural history museums from other urban areas to address the many and complex issues related to audience diversification. ASA leads the consortium as it explores strategies and shares best practices. ASA identified and convenes consortium members, defines paths of shared learning, publishes various materials, and disseminates the findings broadly. Continue reading →

ASA designed the CAP Institute and manages the four-year program in-house. This Institute provides technical assistance to a consortium of seven arts colleges and universities nationally that are working in partnership with community organizations to provide educational arts programs to low-income youth. ASA documents and disseminates the work of CAPs and provides leadership in positioning CAPs within allied fields. Begun in 1999, CAP Institute is funded by the Wallace Funds. Continue reading →