Creating Equitable Partnerships in the Arts 

This workshop is designed for nonprofit leaders who want to create healthy and sustainable partnerships in presenting art projects and activities. If you are working with an organization that serves and supports individual artists or work in partnership with other entities, it is critical to consider ways to thoughtfully partner to assure success for everyone involved. The workshop is created to understand the components needed to equitably create partnerships and collaborations. We will explore a variety of examples that look at how best to engage in the creative process together. We will address tools and practical approaches to decision-making, commissioning, and contracts. We will begin to understand how all these components intersect and impact the collaborative work of partnerships.

Presented by Shannon Brunette, Founder and Management Consultant of Office of Cultural Work. Shannon is a leader in the field of arts non-profit and philanthropy with a focus on cultural work at the intersection of art and social change. Previously, Shannon served as the Managing Director of Penumbra Theatre where she brought her leadership to overseeing organizational change during a critical 40-year anniversary. She is a Continuing Education faculty member at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. In addition, she co-founded The Drawing Project which brings drawing experiences to communities across the Twin Cities. Her professional work has put her in leadership roles at the Walker Art Center, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Blue Man Group and Lambent Foundation. Shannon’s consulting partners have included, Lha Charitable Trust, New York Foundation for the Arts, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Northern Spark, The Soap Factory, Burnet Gallery and Lutman & Associates. She is a 2017 James P. Shannon Leadership Institute fellow as well as a recipient of a MRAC 2017 Next Step Fund award for her visual arts practice. Shannon lived and worked in Brooklyn, NY from 1998 to 2014 and now lives in her hometown of Saint Paul, MN.