“It was really wonderful to watch community in action in the RAC convening and to see the genuine care and connections that this cohort built over the past several years, despite staff transitions or volunteer
transitions and of course the pandemic. The enthusiasm for the work you collectively accomplished was palpable, and I felt like a lucky fly on the wall to get to see it. MASS MoCA’s Assets for Artists just completed its own 2-year Collective Impact process, which led to the creation of the Artist Impact Coalition. We have just wrapped up that project and are looking to see what parts of it sustain without the pilot grant funding. So, it was especially wonderful to see work being done in another, much more rural section of the country, and to read the guide to see what challenges or opportunities we shared. How will momentum continue after the 3-years is over and what role will AAM play in that momentum? ... I am so curious to see how this work rolls forward into the coming years. There’s desire among the participants to continue gathering, but will the momentum continue without AAM driving the bus? Does AAM want to continue to have a role in a collective? Do you have the capacity to keep bus-driving? What will all of this look like a year after this 3-year pilot is complete, 2 years, 3 years? 10? I ask this somewhat selfishly to learn from RAC for how MASS MoCA might sustain our own collective impact work here in Massachusetts. MASS MoCA’s Assets for Artists program has tried to kickstart dozens of artist peer groups or organizational peer convenings, and despite this continuing to be one of the top needs identified by the artists we serve, nearly every one fizzled and died without a MASS MoCA staff member setting a meeting, organizing an agenda, doing the admin work for the convening etc. So, my question’s not only for you, but for myself and my peers: ‘How do we empower people to self-organize after they’ve grown used to someone else doing the organizing?’ Or maybe it’s ‘Does this group even need to continue? Has it served its purpose and is ready to retire?’ Big questions we are tackling over here—so if RAC ever felt like it landed on successes in that vein, I’d love for a 2 or 3-years-later update to this resource guide to share the particulars of why participants think this model succeeded in sustaining that momentum.”
- Molly Rideout, Assistant Director, Assets for Artists Program MASS MoCA
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