By Lucia Mauro
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Arts Bridge embodies the familiar adage, "If you give a man a fish, he’ll have food for a day; if you teach him how to fish, he’ll have food for a lifetime." Of course, the 15-year-old arts "incubator" provides emerging and underserved arts groups with nourishment of the fiscally sound kind. And it incorporates men and women into its precedent-setting philosophy of giving non-profit arts organizations the tools to become healthy, self-sufficient entities.
Originally based in the Uptown National Bank, Arts Bridge moved to the Athenaeum Theatre four years ago to be more centrally located in an arts-heavy area. Here a diverse group of participants are housed under one roof, where they work toward gaining the business prowess necessary to survive in the competitive arts market.
"I see the passion of these artists," says executive director Sharon A. Danhoff, who joined Arts Bridge in October. "These are not people who say, 'I want to create;’ they say, 'I must create.’ We’re talking about the arts as a piece of their soul. We have to nurture that. Our goal is to help them succeed in the business world without eliminating their passion and creative vision."
Arts Bridge’s trademark "Incubator Program" offers technical assistance in key management areas like financial planning, board development, and public relations and marketing. It provides a professional business environment that appeals to potential funders and allows participants to communicate with fellow artists who can share resources or just let them know they are not alone in their grant writing struggles or searches for a strong board of directors.
Arts Bridge, which underwrites 80 percent of the costs, offers seven Incubator slots for which they provide the following:
• Facilities and Equipment: furnished offices, conference room, resource library, kitchen, computers, printers, Internet access, telephone, phone line, voice mail, photocopier, postage meter, fax.
• Technical Assistance: annual business planning, ongoing needs assessment, individual management consulting, management training events.
• Administrative Support: computer training and assistance, clerical support, receptionist services, bulk purchasing.
• Arts Bridge Executive Staff and Board Support: with over 100 years of combined experience working for and with non-profit arts organizations.
Current participants include Chicago A Cappella, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, The Free Associates, Natya Dance Theatre and Studio Z. Danhoff reports that two participants, Mad Shak Dance Company and The Guild Complex, recently graduated from the Incubator Program.
"They are independent and thriving," says Danhoff of the latest Arts Bridge laureates. "One is dance and the other is literary. It’s reassuring to know they are out in the world."
She explains that selected groups can be part of the Incubator Program for six years. They do not receive automatic renewal; instead they must participate in an annual review to monitor the efficiency of their progress and show visible ways they are implementing their newly developed strategies. Arts Bridge employs the "SWOT Analysis" during the annual review. This is when they examine the group’s "Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats."
Lane Alexander, co-founder/artistic director of the Chicago Human Rhythm Project (CHRP), has been involved in the Incubator Program for almost three years. Now in its 11th year as the city’s premiere tap and rhythmic dance festival, CHRP existed for a long time out of Alexander’s apartment and lacked a solid administrative structure.
"Before we joined Arts Bridge," says Alexander, "we were floundering administratively. Right now, we have a functioning board, we’ve learned the values of a strong board president, and are looking to hire a part- or full-time general manager.
"We discovered that the biggest mistake we made was not paying ourselves from the beginning. So we kept growing, but we hadn’t built a budget that would have allowed us to move forward. I’m an artist; I love to create dances and perform. But artists need to know that administration is absolutely vital–it requires a certain skill level."
Regarding the latter point, CHRP recently teamed up with the Museum of Contemporary Art, The Dance Center of Columbia College and Northwestern University as presenters/venues for this year’s summer-long performance-educational festival.
"We’ve achieved stability," Alexander adds, "and are moving on to our next step: We hope to own a space or be housed in an existing institution within the next two years. Being accepted into Arts Bridge confers a certain Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval on your organization."
According to Danhoff, Arts Bridge is not adding new programs but "growing" what it already has. A key change since Danhoff’s arrival has been a more open application process for the Incubator Program. "Rather than make it a limited funnel and put in a call for applications when a group graduates," she says, "we’re asking artists to put their names in the pot on a regular basis–before a slot becomes available. We would like to create a waiting list."
Since Arts Bridge is a business, it has its own set of stringent requirements for potential participants. Danhoff asks the following questions of applicants:
• Are they a 501C3?
• Are they three to five years old?
• Do they have a certain amount of success under their belt?
• Are they able to support themselves now?
• How "hungry" are they?
"We’re not doing arts hospice," clarifies the good-natured Danhoff with a chuckle. "It’s not about us taking care of you. It’s about you taking care of yourself. This is a very rigorous and competitive program. Participants are required to attend workshops and seminars and meet monthly with their advisers."
At the same time, the environment at Arts Bridge is fun and inspiring. A huge focus is teaching artists how to manage an ever changing arts-financial environment. Danhoff, who has enjoyed a lengthy career in non-profit social services, points out that there are about 900 arts and cultural groups in Chicago, and states, "I think we can help them all."
She means it. In addition to the Incubator Program, Arts Bridge offers Art Works, a three-year-old non-resident member program that provides ongoing business development support to the broader Chicago arts market. This reasonably priced membership package includes technical assistance, management training events and a biannual newsletter.
Another program, the Alternative Business Center, was initiated in 1999 to offer fundamental support services to small arts organizations at better-than-competitive rates. These services include office space, conference room, mailboxes, faxing and photocopying.
As Danhoff aptly states, "We give artists the key. It’s up to them to open the door."
For more information on Arts Bridge, call 773/296-0948.