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Home > Special Initiatives > Arts Services Initiative

Arts Services Initiative

New Oishei Supported Initiative Aligns Many Community Efforts to Support Artists, Organizations, and Arts Education


The Arts Services Initiative of WNY, Inc. (ASI) has formally begun operating, completing a several-year process that will provide a coordinated, regional approach to promoting professional development for artists, teachers, and organizations in the arts.

ASI brings together the work of Advancing Arts and Culture (AAC), the Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance (GBCA) and Young Audiences of WNY’s new network, Arts Partners for Learning (APL) under a single structure, governed by an independent board of directors comprising artists, arts managers, businesspeople, and private and public funders.

ASI will also incorporate some of the work of the now-defunct Arts Council in Buffalo and Erie County and Arts Council in Niagara County, as well as the Institute for Arts in Education. In addition, ASI will continue to expand the work of the Cultural Data Project, a national arts-focused database that provides extensive information on the financial impact of the arts on individual communities (www.nysculturaldata.org/home.aspx). The New York State Council on the Arts has provided leadership and funding for the overall ASI planning effort, along with the foundations of the Fund for the Arts.

ASI will focus on three distinct areas of work: Management and Technical Assistance, Public Education and Engagement, and Promoting Arts Education. Assistance will take many forms, including workshops and seminars for individuals, staff, and boards; community education campaigns that are based on extensive data; and direct management assistance including shared services and regional cultural planning. Services will be provided by ASI staff and a variety of consultants.

Funding for the first two years of operation of ASI initially has been committed by the foundations of the Fund for the Arts. ASI will ultimately rely on a broad spectrum of support from a variety of sources to sustain its operations.

Given the very strong support and participation of arts organizations and stakeholders to date, ASI is expected to have a strong start on filling a major gap in regional coordination. The search for an executive director is underway; ASI offices are expected to be located in the downtown library.