11 Nov 5-year anniversary post
LinkedIn helpfully reminded me that it’s been five years since I started Arts Progress, and it’s gone better than I could have imagined. In that span, we’ve had the privilege to work with a wide array of fantastic clients, including:
Ann Bancroft Foundation, Art Shanty Projects, Brownbody, Chain Reaction Theater Project, COLLIDE Theatrical Dance, Forecast Public Art, Hennepin Theatre Trust, Italian Cultural Center, Jungle Theater, Lyric Arts, Mid-Continent Oceanographic Institute, Mill City Summer Opera, Minnesota State Arts Board, Mixed Blood Theatre, Northern Spark, Park Square Theatre, Playwrights’ Center, Rosy Simas Danse, Sheldon Theatre, SOS Theater, SteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development, Sunset Gun Productions, The O’Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University, Theater Latté Da, TigerLion Arts, Young Artists Initiative
While the organizations vary widely in terms of type, budget size and needs, in each case we were able to make it easier for them to deliver on their mission. Sometimes, we helped identify the right person for a leadership opportunity, or we built a database that made their work operate more efficiently, or we strengthened board and staff structure. Other times, we helped them identify and obtain the funds, earned and contributed, that supported their work financially.
We managed the executive searches that brought new artistic directors to Park Square Theatre and the Jungle Theater; we worked on theater projects at a baseball park, an ice-skating rink, and Walden Pond; we helped write successful grants for the Minnesota State Arts Board, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, McKnight Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and many more. We’ve been to countless board meetings and rehearsals, and provided interim leadership for organizations in transition.
It’s a been a satisfying five years, and I look forward to the next five. If your nonprofit is looking to make a change for the better, we’d love to talk to you. For some ideas of how we can help, check out our services.