I recently received an email asking for examples of best practices in arts management. Two years ago I was really impressed by a story about a collaborative effort between the Charlotte & Mecklenburg County Library and the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte (NC) called ImaginOn. Essentially, the two groups came together and would occupy the same building performing their separate functions but also leveraging their collective strengths to offer classes and creative outlets for young people.
Before I suggested ImagiOn as a best practice, I thought I should follow up to make sure it the partnership was a successful one.
According to an article in Backstage from a year ago, it apparently is. Box office revenue increased 61% for the theatre and walk in traffic for the library was approaching 400,000. The joint ImaginOn organization is consulting with Children’s Theatre Company regarding the Minneapolis theatre’s literacy oriented program –just the type of project a co-habitating theatre and library should excel in.
Libraries all over the country are actually benefiting from the partnership. Teens in the digital media program at ImaginOn and the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte produced PSAs promoting summer reading being used this year by the Collaborative Library Summer Program.
Given all the recent discussions about the importance of getting younger audiences involved in the arts, a growing trend of children’s arts organization and partnerships like these may emerge. Instead of huge performing arts centers that have been constructed of late, we may end up seeing more of these mutually beneficial alliances pop up.