Background
In 1997, the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) embarked on the development of a five-year strategic plan. As part of the new requirements of the Partnership Agreement with the National Endowment for the Arts, the OAC was required to go through an extensive planning process. This was the first time an extensive planning process was performed at the OAC and it included public meetings on its state plan and the hiring of an outside consultant to work with staff.
Inclusive in this extensive task was a pivotal goal that the strategic plan would be directly accountable to the Ohio taxpayer and reflect the core benefits of publicly funded arts and cultural programming. In his paper titled "Some Thoughts on the Future of the Arts" presented an Ohio Arts Council retreat in March 1998, Wayne P. Lawson stated, "The central idea is to shift the focus from what the arts need and want from the [state] government and the taxpayer to what the public gets from a vibrant and lively arts sector."
In addition to being accountable to the Ohio taxpayer, the OAC was mandated by Ohio Code Section
3379.03 (effective 7/20/88) to do the following:
- Conduct a survey of the cultural and artistic resources and needs of the state and maintain a continuing inventory of such resources;
- Develop a plan for better and fuller use and enjoyment of the state's cultural and artistic resources by all people of the state;
- Assess the role of the arts in the growth and development of the state; and
- Report at least biennially to the governor and the general assembly on the state of the arts; such a report could include recommendations based on the OAC's survey (ORC. 3379.03, effective 7/20/88).
The basis for the State of the Arts Report project was to achieve one of the main thrusts of the OAC strategic plan–accountability–and the statutory mandate to "conduct a survey of cultural and artistic resources" and "assess the role of the arts in the growth and development of the state."
In March 1998, an Advisory Committee for the State of the Arts Report was formed. It was comprised of staff from the OAC and key professionals. Starting from ground zero, the committee went to great lengths to develop a "blueprint" for the report. Several initial meetings were devoted to the development of mission and visions statements, as well as goals and objectives for the committee to follow. Central in the blueprint was the need for the report to reflect the aforementioned goals of the Ohio Arts Council.
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