Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council unveils five-year plan, recommits to transparency and restructuring
Working as an artist always comes with challenges: critical reviews, rejection, writer's block and more. But the most looming problem can sometimes come from not having the space or resources to create at all.
That's where the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (GPAC) comes in. Founded in 2005 after the merger of two smaller arts agencies, GPAC aims to "build a more resourced, connected and informed arts sector, empowering artists and arts organizations" in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The organization does this through resource sharing, helping artists to forge important relationships, advocacy initiatives and awareness campaigns around arts and culture.
Over the years, though, "poor program administration" and "an overall lack of clarity around the organization's operations," according to GPAC CEO Patrick Fisher , contributed to growing distrust in the nonprofit.
This fall, Fisher announced the organization's five-year plan intended to help improve transparency and accountability to the community.
"There have been moments in recent years where the organization overpromised and under-delivered, which contributed to a disinvestment in trust amongst those we serve," says Fisher.
Among other examples, initiatives like the Disabled Artists Creative Cohort and the Black Arts Action Committee suffered from poor program administration that left them underfunded. Sandra Bacchi served on the Disabled Artists Creative Cohort and said a lack of clear vision and focus hampered GPAC's ability to affect change, forcing them to take a step back.
"I appreciate that, once leadership recognized the need for a clearer vision of what GPAC could realistically achieve, they paused activities that they knew they couldn't follow through on," said Bacchi. "While it was frustrating to be part of the process, I choose to believe the leadership is genuinely working to find the best ways to support all artists, including disabled artists."
Upon Fisher's hiring in June 2023, GPAC looked outward to create a new strategic plan for the nonprofit.
"When the board of directors was searching for the next CEO of the arts council, they were forthcoming that the next CEO would be expected to lead the organization into a new strategic plan," says Fisher. "The last strategic plan of the arts council was outdated, and a change in leadership is a good time to embark on the strategic planning process."
GPAC teamed up with Workhorse Collaborative and Shannon Parris Consulting, two women-led, locally based consulting firms, to create a plan meant to take accountability for past failings and chart a new path forward. They also worked to involve the community as much as possible in this process.
"Our consultants conducted over 40 hours of interviews and conversations with staff, both current and past, board members and any community stakeholder who wanted to share their insights, perspectives and opinions of the arts council," says Fisher.
With all this feedback, Workhorse, Shannon Parris and the staff of the arts council formulated ways to regain community trust, optimize what works for GPAC and disinvest in what doesn't.
After a unanimous final vote among the staff and board of the arts council, Fisher held they landed on the following goals for the next five years:
1. Restore credibility in the arts council by providing proactive and responsive communications with the community. "The first [step] is publishing biannual reports, through which we'll proactively share major operational achievements, challenges and impacts, as well as financial information and donor/funder contributions," says Fisher.
4. Create compelling membership benefits with direct impact for artists, arts administrators and arts organizations in Southwestern PA. "We are building out our membership department, starting with a membership director, so we can increase our capacity to provide direct support services to our members," says Fisher.
The staff at GPAC have recommitted to serving the public, and they're willing to go above and beyond to restore the people's trust and create a more dynamic, diverse and democratic arts community, says Fisher.
"I'm happy to meet one-on-one with anyone who has a question about our strategic plan. I'm also happy to conduct studio visits or site visits with any artist or arts organization who wants to know more about the arts council and how we can be of service and support to their work," says Fisher.
