LVAC Envisions a Learning, Living, Thriving Arts Community
Developing a Strategy for Artistic and Cultural Growth for the Turner Center for the Arts
The Lowndes/Valdosta Arts Commission Inc. (LVAC) has served as a cohesive promoter of the arts for more than 50 years. Today, the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts represents a place that inspires both artists and art enthusiasts. The 17,000-square-foot facility houses six galleries, two classrooms, meeting space, a gift shop, and an art studio, stands as the symbol of influence and inspiration for cultural arts within the region.
Members of the LVAC Board of Directors are responsible for overseeing the general policies and procedures of the Turner Center, as well as ensuring its continued growth and success.
In 2014, the LVAC board embarked on a journey that would create a strategic plan to take the organization to a new level of excellence in presenting the arts in various forms to citizens throughout the region.
“The benefits of our strategic plan are that now we know where we are going and have a plan to get there,” said Gail Hobgood, past-president of the LVAC Board of Directors. “It opens up new opportunities to partner with businesses and other organizations as well as making us attractive to the various agencies that offer grant opportunities. Also, this strategic plan allows us to better serve the needs of our community.”
A Strategic Planning Task Force was appointed, comprised of selected board members and Turner Center staff with expertise in strategic planning and management. Task force members were introduced to Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats method of strategic planning, which is focused on a parallel thought process that encourages participants to be more productive, focused, and mindfully engaged.
Dr. Ronald M. Zaccari, an LVAC board member, served as chairman of the 10-member strategic planning task force. Zaccari, who served as president of Valdosta State University for seven years, is a nationally recognized leader in assisting institutions of higher education, corporations, and nonprofit organizations in identifying and establishing purpose-driven strategic goals.
“The Six Thinking Hats process provides wonderful dialogue and interaction from the entire group,” said Zaccari, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Nonprofit Organizations and Executives. “Dr. Edward de Bono’s concept is that thinking can be confusing because everyone is trying to do too many things at one time. The Six Thinking Hats method forces everyone into thinking within one category at a time. As the facilitator, it was my responsibility to keep participants focused in each category and not going in different directions.”
The categories are identified by six different colored hats—white, black, red, green, yellow, and blue—each with a specific objective. Within the six hats, white represents data and information gathering; black distinguishes the time for identifying problems and potential barriers; red involves feelings, hunches, and intuition; green is creativity, offering solutions, and new ideas; yellow describes values and benefits; and blue manages the thinking process and establishes action steps.
Each LVAC board and Turner Center staff member was required to attend one of the five sessions and be actively engaged in the discussion and strategic planning process.
“As we moved through the process each board and staff member had to respond to each section. Everyone had to fill out at least three post-it notes (ideas) for each section and then stand up and discuss,” Zaccari said. “When we got to the discussion points the group brought up a lot of ideas. I tried to identify things they maybe didn’t see. We wrote everything down on post-it notes that were placed on the wall. We kept expanding and exploring. When we got to the green hat (creativity), there were some really visionary ideas. That is part of the process.”
At the end of the five sessions, there were 324 verbatim/recorded entries from the group. All entries went through an analysis. The redundant statements were removed and similar themes and comments were moved into a more manageable list of 30 entries.
In the final phase, a ranking system was used to move the 30 entries to eight outcomes that were then incorporated into five strategic goals: Strategic Alliances, Marketing, Arts Education, Facilities and Land Use, and Organizational Structure.
The LVAC Board of Directors adopted the five goals in early 2015 and assigned responsibilities to various committees for oversight and eventual completion.
“We have made incredible progress in our goals this past year,” said Cheryl Oliver, executive director of the Turner Center. “This is a long-term commitment, and we will need constant motivation. The Lowndes/Valdosta Arts Commission is an active board, and members play a major role in moving the strategic plan forward.”
Oliver explains that within the category of organizational structure nearly all the assigned action steps have been completed, including hiring an arts education administrator. Debi Davis, a former middle school art teacher, began in July and is charged with developing art education programs for people of all ages within the community.
Building Momentum for the Arts
Shortly after the strategic planning process began, the Turner Center received a tuition grant from the Georgia Council for the Arts to participate in an 18-month program sponsored by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits (GCN). The GCN Momentum for the Arts project was developed to increase the impact and sustainability of the arts for nonprofits across Georgia.
“Being part of the Momentum for the Arts project helped us stay focused and motivated us to finish the strategic plan within a reasonable period,” Oliver said. “Through the grant, we received tuition money to participate in the GCN program, and since we maintain a culture of not wasting money, we committed to wholehearted involvement in the process.”
Hobgood, Zaccari, Oliver, and Rebecca Miller, Turner Center communications administrator, attended the monthly Momentum for the Arts meetings and participated in the program, which required trips to Albany where the majority of the meetings were held.
“Momentum is a capacity-building program that required attendance at the monthly meetings and a lot of creative homework,” Oliver said. “We had representation at every meeting, and we were dedicated to getting as much out of the process as possible.”
The Turner Center team members made a positive impression on the GCN staff and were asked to give a presentation on how they used the Six Thinking Hats method to develop a strategic plan.
According to Elizabeth Runkle, senior consultant and regional manager for the GCN, the Momentum for the Arts program was designed to help nonprofits build strategy and leadership and have a greater impact in their communities.
The monthly sessions focused on eight deliverables that included comprehensive organizational assessments, strategic planning, board self-assessment and development, annual plans, resource development, marketing and communications, performance plans and appraisal process, and technology evaluation.
“In addition to the deliverables, we wanted each group to be clear on their intended impact in their communities and have a strategy and implementation plan to get them there,” said Runkle. “I am excited about their work and vision moving forward and believe they will be able to achieve that vision. The Turner Center created a very thoughtful inclusive process that took into account the changing landscape of the arts in general and the region.”
The LVAC board will continue to refine its strategic plan, adding new goals as others are completed.
“Now that the strategic document is completed, that doesn’t mean it is over and we can sit back and do a few things and be proud of ourselves,” Zaccari said. “We must show that we are making constant documentation, that we are making progress.”
Regarding the completion of the strategic plan, Oliver said, “We take pride in advancing the arts as a life-enriching, economic development tool. By working together—our internal team, local governments, donors, volunteers, artists, and supporters—we are positioned to elevate arts and culture as a path toward an improved existence.”
Oliver said she appreciated the dedication and hard work from LVAC board members and Turner Center staff in completing the strategic plan and moving it forward.
“Together we shape our community, and the Turner Center for the Arts, into a beacon of light for generations to come,” she said. “Our 2015-2020 strategic plan will propel us toward a sustainable future.”