Improving Access to the Arts for Low-Income People I. TOPIC Iowa Cultural Audience Recruitment and Development II. LOCATION Iowa III. SUBJECT Improving Access to the Arts for Low-Income People IV. SUMMARY Low-income individuals and families in Iowa did not have access to many cultural or artistic events because of the often prohibitive cost of such events and because these events often do not take place in communities with high low-income populations. Five Iowa community action agencies (CAAs) joined with the Iowa Arts Council and other local arts groups to make it easier for low-income people to attend and participate in community arts and cultural events. The Iowa-Cultural Alliance Recruitment and Development (I-CARD) program has two goals: (1) to provide cultural and entertainment opportunities to low-income families who might not otherwise take part in the cultural life of the community; and (2) to allow arts organizations to attract new audiences and new support for their activities. Across the five participating communities, 1,200 low-income people have used their I-CARDs to obtain free or discounted tickets to a variety of cultural events. V. SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE Established a partnership among five community action agencies, the state arts council, and local arts groups to develop a program to improve the access of low-income people to the arts. VI. CONTACTS M. Thomas Stovall, Executive Director Susan Uhal, Project Director Operation New View (A Community Action Agency) 1449 Central Avenue 3rd Floor Dubuque, Iowa 52001 319-556-5130 319-556-4402 (FAX) Dan Jenney, Executive Director Marcia Schemmel, Project Director Operation Threshold (A Community Action Agency) 300 West Third Street Waterloo, Iowa 50701 319-291-2065 319-235-1518 (FAX) Hilary J. Lassek, Agency Director Claudia Sheets, Project Director Woodbury County Community Action Agency (A Community Action Agency) 2700 Leech Avenue Sioux City, Iowa 51106 712-274-1610 712-274-0368 (FAX) Don W. Maniccia, CCAP Executive Director Hawkeye Area Community Action Agency (A Commuity Action Agency) P.O. Box 789, 5560 6th Street SW Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52406 319-366-7631 319-366-0776 (FAX) Dick Sievers, Executive Director Mid-Sioux Opportunity, Inc. (A Community Action Agency) 418 Marion Street, Box 390 Remsen, Iowa 51050 712-786-2001 712-786-3250 (FAX) Iowa Arts Council 600E Locust Capital Complex Des Moines, Iowa 50319 515-281-4451 VII. CASE STUDY The Problem: Low-income individuals and families in Iowa did not have access to many cultural or artistic events because of the often prohibitive cost of such events and because these events often do not take place in communities with high low-income populations. The Approach Adopted: Five Iowa community action agencies (CAAs) joined with the Iowa Arts Council and other local arts groups to make it easier for low-income people to attend and participate in community arts and cultural events. How They Implemented The Approach: Operation New View (ONV), the CAA in Dubuque, was the first agency to develop such a program. ONV received a small grant in 1993 to cover the cost of producing Key Cards special identification cards that low-income people could use to obtain discounted or free tickets to cultural events. Local arts organizations agreed to establish discounted rates. Benefits of the Key Cards include plays at the Bam Community Theatre, dance productions at the Heartland Ballet, and visits to museums such as the Dubuque Museum of Art. Operation Threshold (OT), the CAA in Waterloo, developed a similar program with funds from its Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and a local foundation. OT involved not only local arts organizations, but also the Waterloo Recreation Commission and the MET Transit Authority. Involving the transit authority has been a key element to OT's success in this program because transportation expenses can make even free events unaffordable for low-income families. While the CAAs were developing there access to the arts programs, the Iowa Arts Council was using a planning grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to reach underserved communities. The Council evaluated barriers to participation in the arts. As expected, the study found that the rural nature of the state was a major barrier. However, the study also found that income was a significant barrier. The Council evaluated methods to eliminate the income barrier and decided to establish program's like ONV's Key Card in other communities. Working with three other CAAs, the Council established the Iowa-Cultural Alliance Recruitment and Development (I-CARD) program in three additional Iowa communities. The Council gave small grants to the Woodbury County Community Action Agency, the Hawkeye area Community Action Agency, and Mid-Sioux Opportunity, Inc. The I-CARD program has two goals: (1) to provide cultural and entertainment opportunities to low-income families who might not otherwise take part in the cultural life of the community; and (2) to allow arts organizations to attract new audiences and new support for their activities. The CAAs use the grants from the Iowa Arts Council to purchase cameras, film, and other materials for the program. CSBG funds cover the staff time necessary to register people for the program. Each agency has worked with the arts organizations in its community to develop its own method of recruitment and registration. One CAA had a kick-off party for 250 people with pizza, entertainment by the Sioux City Symphony and the Siouxland Youth Chorus, and the chance to register for and I-CARD. Results: The Iowa Arts Council conducted an evaluation and found five primary benefits of the I-CARD program: 1. The price of admission the major barrier to participation in the arts for low-income people was eliminated or drastically reduced. 2. Social service agencies and arts organizations formed partnerships that have increased mutual awareness and should yield additional cultural programs to serve low-income people. 3. Participants were able to more fully participate in community events, thus strengthening the community and their families. 4. CAAs were able to offer a new program at a relatively low cost. 5. Arts organizations increased the respect they received from other segments of the community. The evaluation also pointed out some problems the program still needs to address. First, transportation is major barrier to access for many Iowans. Operation Threshold dealt with this by involving the local public transportation provider. Other agencies are trying to develop similar arrangements. Second, "classism" is also a persistent barrier to the blending of low-income and more affluent members of the community. As one participant put it, "It takes more than the price of admission to assure a warm welcome once inside." VIII. KEY WORDS Arts Arts Organizations Community Action Agency Cultural Events Partnerships ref: i-card.doc