Vermont, Massachusetts, Texas, Michigan: Recent Strategic Plans

This month’s edition of State to State features recently completed strategic plans from four state arts agencies. Each of these plans is different, showing the agency’s unique approach to planning and adapting its goals and objectives to address its legislative purpose, its current environment and the needs of its citizens.

Vermont Arts Council

Inspiring a Creative State (scroll down and expand the Strategic Plan item) emphasizes marketing, promotion of the arts and “helping constituents help themselves” in a constantly changing environment. Detailed appendices include the agency’s planning logic model, a planning time line and other helpful process documents.

Massachusetts Cultural Council

This agency’s 2013-2018 strategic plan focuses the work of the agency on four priority goals, then describes how the agency’s programs and services advance each of those goals. Packaged in an easily readable summary format, the document includes fast facts about the benefits of the arts to Massachusetts.

Texas Commission on the Arts

Approved this June, Investing in a Creative Texas offers a comprehensive assessment of the agency’s operating and financial context as a backdrop to articulating its goals, objectives and performance measures.

Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs

Approved last winter, Investing in Michigan’s Reinvention identifies important opportunities to be pursued within the agency’s current environment and makes a “back to the future” case for rebuilding the agency’s resources.

NASAA offers a variety of tools and resources helpful to state arts agencies embarking on planning:

A Showcase of State Arts Agency Strategic Plans helps you browse examples of planning documents from around the nation.
NEA Partnership Panel Highlights summarize planning advice from annual federal reviews of state arts agency plans.
NASAA provides counsel on the design of planning processes, visioning sessions and constituent surveys. For assistance, contact Kelly Barsdate.