Americans for the Arts Has Selected Angela R. Godin & RJ Thompson of the Community Arts Center of Cambria County for Pennsylvania Arts Marketing Initiative
Second Cohort of Initiative to Commence in June 2018
Johnstown, PA, June 11, 2018—Americans for the Arts is pleased to announce that Angela R. Godin and RJ Thompson of the Community Arts Center of Cambria County has been selected to take part in the second cohort of the Arts Marketing and Audience Engagement in the 21st Century: Building the Capacity of Pennsylvania’s Cultural Sector, a new, five-year initiative to strengthen and advance the arts marketing and audience engagement skills of Pennsylvania-based arts and cultural professionals. The second cohort of participants will start in June 2018.
“This is an exciting opportunity to be selected as a participating team for the arts marketing and audience engagement. The Community Arts Center has continued to grow drastically over its 50 years of history in Cambria County. Because of capacity building initiatives like this it will further the Center’s ability to serve the general public and enhance us as a longstanding culture hub of Johnstown.” -Angela R. Godin, Executive Director
“I’m honored to be selected as a member of the second cohort of the Arts Marketing and Audience Engagement in the 21st Century initiative! Being able to utilize the skills learned through this critical experience will allow Angela and I to enhance the transformative power of art and design programming within the Community Arts Center and the City of Johnstown.” – R.J. Thompson, Art & Design Consultant for Community Arts Center of Cambria County
Developed by Americans for the Arts in partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the initiative is designed to tackle the issue of declining arts participation in Pennsylvania through skill-building in the areas of arts marketing and audience engagement. The training aims to assist and strengthen Pennsylvania arts and cultural organizations—particularly those within diverse communities—in attracting and retaining expanded audiences.
Following an intensive three-day boot camp on June 28-30 at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council in Pittsburgh, PA, all Cohort 2 participants will be required to participate in four in-person trainings and five virtual trainings, as well a special preconference event at the annual National Arts Marketing Project (NAMP) Conference. While the bulk of training will take place in the first year, in the second year all Cohort 2 participants will shift from trainees to mentors for the next cohort.
This year’s cohort includes arts leaders and marketing professionals from The Westmoreland Museum of American Art; Attack Theatre; BLOOM Collaborative, City Theatre Company, Rivers of Steel, 1Hood Media, Arts & Education at the Hoyt, Barrio Alegria, Bottle Works on Third Avenue, Casey Droege Cultural Productions, City of Asylum, Community Arts Center of Cambria County, Erie Dance Consortium, George Junior Republic in Pennsylvania, Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Lively Arts, Mattress Factory, Office of Public Art, Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance, Quantum Theatre and Texture Contemporary Ballet
“The arts today are more important than ever, whether as a contributor to the development of well-rounded youth, as a partner in community development, or as an economic driver,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “Arts organizations thrive in today’s constant state of evolution when they have the marketing tools and skills to reach both the broad audiences—which bring purchasing power and income—or the targeted audiences that become partners in positive community change. This landmark program will prepare Pennsylvania arts organizations to compete and prosper in our 21st century.”
“We are excited to see the program continuing to build as cohort 2 begins,” said Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Executive Director Karl Blischke. “AMAE21 aims to help Pennsylvania arts and cultural organizations adeptly strengthen and sustain themselves, and to equip them with the ability to quantify and illustrate their contributions to their communities and the economy.”
Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 55 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.