Montana: Council Members Market Public Value of the Arts and Arts Council

Demonstrating their strong conviction that one of their primary responsibilities is to advocate for the Montana Arts Council (MAC), MAC’s 15 council members have developed a marketing plan to formalize their contribution to spreading the word about the public value of the agency and the arts. The plan, which complements MAC’s 2014–2018 Operating Framework, enumerates and describes 20 advocacy activities. It is designed to guide individual council members as they work, with minimal staff assistance, to build awareness of MAC’s programs and achievements. Council members are charged with deciding what parts of the plan to undertake, keeping in mind which efforts they can leverage through personal and professional relationships. The plan was created by the council’s Marketing Committee, chaired by council members Mark Kuipers and J.P. Gabriel, and formed specifically for the task, with input from the full council and MAC staff. With an eye toward improving advocacy efforts over time, the council’s biannual meetings will now include a progress report on the plan as well as a discussion of what council members have learned as advocates. To learn more, contact MAC Council Chair Cyndy Andrus.