From the Field

Engaging the Arts to Build Vaccine Confidence

The U.S. Center for Disease Control, in partnership with the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine, has just published a new guide to employing the arts in service of public health, How to Engage the Arts to Build COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence. The web page includes examples of local artwork and cultural events and two field guides to arts and culture strategies: Quick Start Guide for Building Sustainable Partnerships and A Guide for Building Programs and Creative Campaigns. A webinar also was produced in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts to share best practices, examples, and strategies for building partnerships and programs with artists and creatives.

An Arts Field Guide to Federal Disaster Relief

The National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness and Emergency Response, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, has just released An Arts Field Guide to Federal Disaster Relief. This timely resource offers a clear guide to federal disaster relief for the arts and culture sector, providing in-depth examples of programs from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration, as well as introductions to 12 other federal relief programs. Each program brief includes the eligibility criteria, the application process, a checklist of the needed materials, and tips for applying and deciding whether the application is worth the time commitment. Federal resources can be difficult to access, especially during disasters, but this guide works to demystify the process for arts organizations, businesses, individual artists and cultural workers.

Mask Policy for Venues as Delta Surges

Colleen Dilenschneider of Impacts Experience has published the article, Delta’s Here. Is It Time For Cultural Entities to Require Masks Again? (DATA), on attitudes about mask mandates returning to arts venues. In tracking the sentiment of people most likely to visit cultural facilities, Impacts Experience has found significant changes in public attitudes as the Delta variant of COVID-19 quickly spreads. Results from its most recent survey have found that high-propensity visitors, and especially those with young children, increasingly favor mask requirements across all venues. Gauging public sentiment and acceptance of mask wearing is an important tool for cultural executives when determining the best policy for their organizations.

NACEDA COVID-19 Impact Report

The National Alliance of Community Economic Development Agencies (NACEDA) has published a COVID-19 Impact Report that shows the resilience, stability and adaptability of the community development organizations in its network. Comparing data from two separate surveys—administered from January to March 2020 and February to March 2021—the report provides evidence that the network of state and regional community development associations was sustainable and even grew during this time. The report also identifies four networkwide trends, a sustained increase in revenue, stable membership, program expansion and positive prospects in staffing.

The State of Social Media in the Public Sector

Media archiving company ArchiveSocial just produced its second annual State of Social Media in the Public Sector. Drawing from a survey of more than 600 public agency communicators across a range of city, state and federal agencies, this report examines how these agencies are using social media tools to communicate with their constituents. The report also outlines how strategies have changed in response to COVID-19, explores what social media platforms are most used and offers tools to better engage with the public via social media platforms.

Creative Placemaking and Public Safety

A new study from the Urban Institute examines the relationship between young people’s sense of safety and creative placemaking. The report examines a community safety mapping exercise with young people in Brownsville, Brooklyn. The work was conducted with Brownsville Community Justice Center, an organization that works with young people and uses creative placemaking to build a more inclusive neighborhood. While the brief doesn’t draw any specific conclusions, it presents an interesting framework for how to assess safety from the perspective of young people within creative placemaking projects.