Legacy Arts Project, Inc. (LAP)
Strategic Plan
June 2013 – June 2015
Submitted to:
Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise (PACE)
February 27, 2013
LAP Leadership Team:
Erin Perry, CEO
Chrisala Brown, Artistic Director
Benjamin Walker, Board President
Lea Blumenfeld, Board Member
LAP Office and Shared Studio:
201 North Braddock Avenue (Sankofa Village for the Arts)
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Table of Contents
Contents / PageExecutive Summary
I. Company Summary
A. Mission/Uniqueness
B. Vision/New Growth and Service Implications
C. History/Major Accomplishments
D. Current Services/Changes over time
E. Leadership Capacity
II. Important Assumptions for Success
A. Board Development
B. Partnership Development
C. Programming
D. Financial Development
E. Marketing
III. Environmental Scan
A. Life Cycle Analysis
B. SWOTT Analysis
C. Competitive Market Analysis
D. Market Segment/Target Market Strategy
IV. Goals, Strategies and Performance Measures
A. Board Development
B. Partnership Development
C. Programming
D. Marketing Considerations
E. Financial Development Considerations
V. Budget (2 years)
VI. Success Measures
Appendix
1. Cost and Benefit Chart of Select Media
2. Preliminary Marketing Metric
3. 2 Year PERT Chart
Executive Summary
The Legacy Arts Project (LAP) Strategic Plan is designed to focus our passion and purpose to enable us to turn-around from recent restructuring, fortify our programs, and stabilize our financial base for deliberate growth. Although several organizations in the Pittsburgh area provide African drum and dance and /or related programs similar to ours, we are distinguishable. Our vision is broader. Ultimately, through partnerships, workshops, programs, and performances, we intend to be the conduit that connects Pittsburgh to the world of cultures and genres influenced by African art forms throughout the Diaspora.
Our Plan provides for the following growth opportunities: (1) Expand and diversify marketing and funding to support increased participation with the next generation, (2) Enlarge our Board to ultimately enable linkage as a global enterprise, (3) Develop diversified artistic expressions of Diaspora works, and (4) Showcase and grow works. By design, we intend to start slow, yet strategic. We are realist. We understand our growth is contingent on the quality of our leadership, programming, and diversified funding support. Our small yet dynamic leadership team brings a wealth of talent in the successful implementation of educational programs, African drum and dance, and media program development which are the context of this Plan.
We have identified five goals with specific strategies for accomplishment within the next two years. They are (1) board development, (2) partnership development, (3) programming, (4) marketing and (5) financial development. In conjunction with our on-going African drum and dance classes, in Year 1 we will also complete the following:
· Increase our Board of Directors with specialized skill sets
· Develop a Finance/Fundraising and PR/Marketing Committee
· Increase youth participation through an aggressive marketing campaign
· Implemented a successful media arts program
· Showcase a collaborative performance event
· Lay the foundation for both a Financial Development Plan and a Marketing Plan
Our projections are initially modest and doable. A full time paid executive position will enable us to move further faster. As a result, we are convinced implementation of this Plan will enable us to systematically generate significantly higher levels of financial support through diversified support within the next few years.
I. Company Summary
A. Mission/Uniqueness
The mission of the Legacy Arts Project, Inc. (LAP) is to preserve the history and traditions of African art as represented throughout the diaspora through education, instruction, and interaction. The organization strives to share the presentation of art throughout the community in order to inspire and uplift individuals within the urban neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.
Our uniqueness:
· Provider of diverse Afrocentric art experiences through workshops, classes, partnerships, collaborations, performances, award ceremonies, mixed media, youth summer programs, instrumentation, vocal/spoken word, and bridge between elders and youth, to bring residents of distressed communities together within the context of the arts.
· Host of nationally renowned Dance Africa and conduit for diverse genres of art forms influenced by the Diaspora.
· Visionary for a global enterprise that connects Pittsburgh to the Diaspora of African inspired art and links the international Diaspora art world to Pittsburgh.
· Creator of space for elders to participate in drum and dance and be valued.
We are unique in providing a legitimate space for our community elders and seniors to perform and feel like an intricate part of the group. According to one of our honored and elder member, Betty Lane, “This has boost my self-esteem and made me realize that I can still contribute in a viable way.” Our uniqueness is also found in our approach which welcomes lay people of the community with no previous dance experience. Our process enables participants to experience, learn, discover, improve, and perform in productions that meet them where they are. We create a positive cultural family-oriented environment for parents and their children to experience works from the African diaspora. In this way, we provide a unique artistic, pressure-free experience that intentionally embraces opportunities for lay people to express their talents and feel valued while communicating cultural values and African traditions. Our uniqueness is summed in the words of our Artistic Director, Chrisala Brown, “the LAP is a place where anyone can just come and enjoy African drum music and dance, be active and appreciated.”
B. Vision/New Growth and Service Implications
The LAP vision is to be the conduit that connects the world of African dance in the diaspora to Pittsburgh and to connect Pittsburgh to the world of African dance by linking as one global enterprise to communicate and transform through dance the beauty and diversity of the cultures and genres influenced by Africa.
The new growth and service implications are identified below:
· Expand youth classes to link and transform the next generation
· Increase partnerships to connect Pittsburgh to the diaspora
· Enlarge Board of Directors to link as global enterprise
· Develop diversified artistic expressions of diaspora works
· Showcase and grow works through international exchanges
C. History/Major Accomplishments
History: The Legacy Arts Project, Inc. (LAP) was formed in 2004 and incorporated in 2008 by the founder and artistic director Linda "Imani" Barrett as a creative outlet to honor the contributions made to the arts by people of African descent. As an avid dancer and arts enthusiast, Imani was influenced by Selma Burke, an artist during the Harlem Renaissance. Burke created an arts center in Pittsburgh as an arm of her art center in Harlem, New York and exposed Imani to a range of art forms. The Pittsburgh Black Theater Dance Ensemble, led by the late Bob Johnson, allowed Imani to experiment and delve into dance forms inspired by Africans throughout the Diaspora. These experiences became a part of the foundation and formation of the LAP.
Programming: Programming consisted of drum and dance classes held at the Kingsley Association in the Lincoln-Lemington area and Ammons Center in the Hill District. Participants ranged in age from youth to elder and subsequently performed at various venues throughout the city. Choreography was developed by Linda and instructors from Point Park University and elsewhere throughout the city. Performances were geared towards taking participants and audience members on a journey through historical experiences undergone by African people throughout the diaspora. A variety of artistic modes have been presented, including: dance, vocal, instrumentation, mixed media, poetry, signing, and spoken word all designed to bring the community together to grow. For the past seven years, the LAP has been dedicated to providing cultural education and interaction in Pittsburgh’s Hill District and the East Liberty/Homewood areas through classes, workshops, neighborhood events, and in 2010 a summer arts program for children and youth.
Restructuring: In 2011, LAP went through an internal restructuring with increased focus on community relations and classes. Volunteers who contributed to successes of past years are no longer participating at the same capacity. The ripple effect of the national economic recession was forcing hard choices in the distressed communities we served between basic family survival and supporting LAP. From November 2010 to May 2011 we experienced wavering participation and felt destabilized. We realized new ideas and new approaches were needed to develop a new volunteer cadre, sustain our existence and reunite our community. We initiated a concentrated strategy to connect with other artists and organizations in Pittsburgh whose art related to the Diaspora and began to forge relationships that are coming to fruition this year.
Partnerships: We are currently partnering with a number of Pittsburgh based arts organizations including: The Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Balafon West African Dance Ensemble, the Kente Arts Alliance, Africa Yetu, The August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble, Umoja African Arts Company, and the Sankofa Village for the Arts. Our relationship with Sankofa Village for the Arts (which offers African drumming, dancing and martial arts) enables us to function in a culturally relevant environment that is adorned with a “back to the roots” artifacts and motif. These relationships allow us to systematically link visions and serve as a conduit connecting the world of African Dance in the diaspora to Pittsburgh. More importantly, they serve as the first step towards our vision of establishing a global enterprise to communicate and foster participation in the arts as a way to transform lives through the beauty and diversity of African influenced art forms.
The LAP successes have come through programs, events and community support. A weekly dance class held at the Kingsley Association has been underway for the past six years. Drummers and dancers have gathered, rehearsed, and subsequently performed following their participation in the Monday night class. Not only has a core membership of the Legacy Arts Project developed through regular attendance at the class, collaborations held within that space with other artists and groups have exposed an even wider population of community members to the arts of the African diaspora. Partnerships with line dance pioneer, Roland Ford, have yielded approximately 18 dance participants per class, versus the regular 10 dancers. Drum participation has averaged approximately 10 people who have come for instruction from a seasoned drummer.
Major Accomplishment #1: One of our major accomplishments and our signature event is the Keepers of the Flame Awards Ceremony. For six years, we have held this momentous ceremony, combining awards presentations with performances by the Legacy Arts Project Dance Company as well as by other groups and individuals throughout the city and neighboring states. The awards ceremony enables LAP to bridge the gap that exists between elders and youth by showcasing the work that has been undertaken in the past and how it has contributed to the present.
Our ability to cultivate partnerships with individuals and organizations throughout the city and beyond is a tremendous asset. Audience members fill the 300+ seats of the Kelly Strayhorn Theater for the Keepers of the Flame Awards while upwards of 25+ group members volunteer to make the show run smoothly. Tickets have been donated to Tickets-for-Kids and more than 100 youth have participated in the audience.
This annual event honors elder artisans from the Pittsburgh area for the influential contributions made through their work. Some of the honorees have included: Henry Belcher, tap dancer with the Dancin’ Demons; George Gist, noted painter and muralist; Kathy and Art Powerll, African Arts scholars and teachers of Dance and Music; Dr. Vernell Lillie, musician Roger Humpries; photographer Frank Hightower, and in 2012, Founder Linda “Imani” Barrett; and community activist, Carl Redwood, to name a few. Works created throughout the year in collaboration with partnering groups are also featured. The event epitomizes the mission of our organization, to preserve the history and traditions of African art from the diaspora.
Major Accomplishment #2: While continuing to celebrate Keepers of the Flame, in 2010, we expanded our cultural diversity by becoming a Dance Africa network host. Founded by Baba Chuck Davis, Dance Africa is an annual production that began in New York City and features various performing artists from around the world whose art focuses on Africa and the Diaspora. Through connections established previously through the LAP founder,” Imani” Linda Barrett, Baba Chuck consented to share his Dance Africa name and program (which he showcases in major cities in the U.S.). Dance Africa Pittsburgh provides a spotlight on the city to show the progression of the local African inspired arts scene. We hosted Dance Africa again in 2012 as well as IIIStyle, a renowned positive young hip hop male ensemble. With the LAP Dance Company, all these works were designed to inspire the community to ignite their creativity while strengthen an understanding and appreciation of one’s personal journey. We are gearing up as both a performance and presenting company and using the 2012 season to sharpen both our vision and our skills.
2012 and Beyond: Going Forward, we will continue to offer collaborative workshops with Timbeleza, a Pittsburgh based Brazilian Samba band’; Roland Ford, aka Pittsburgh’s King of Line Dance; and Yamoussa Camara, of Guinea, West Africa and founder of Camara Drum and Dance. The workshops are geared toward exposing participants to African arts from the Diaspora while simultaneously serving to bring different elements/members of the arts’ community into convergence. An eventual goal of the collaboration is to create a work between the groups that allows that art community to grow and which will be able to be presents. In addition to our on-going dance classes, we are finalizing plans for our (1) Media Arts Program, (2) Summer Arts Program, and (3) Afterschool Tutoring and Arts Program.
D. Current Services/Changes over time
Current services. The LAP currently provides affordable West African drum and dance classes in the East Liberty and Homewood areas of the city. Participants, ranging in age from 2 to 80, receive instruction from local, skilled artists. We provide Saturday classes at Sankofa Village for the Arts where our participants are able to experience an immersion in African culture. Drumming and dancing exposes our members and class participants to traditional rhythms and movements while art created by local artists of the African Diaspora adorn the walls and handcrafted furniture fills the space. Community members likewise receive contact with the arts by merely dropping in on the easily accessible store front street level location in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze/Homewood location. We also host annual events that showcase the works of the organization.