Examples of scaling.

The notion of scaling up has gained currency as arts organizations, artists, and funders seek greater impact from their efforts and investments. The idea of sharing something that is effective so that the benefits can be experienced by more people is attractive, especially when something is producing good results.

One Story of Successful Scaling

A significant example of scaling up for the public good came to us just last week through a news update from one of Animating Democracy’s early grantees. Since its PBS broadcast in June 2008, Katrina Brown’s film, Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North has spawned a nonprofit, the Tracing Center on Histories and Legacies of Slavery, which has engaged thousands of people from all backgrounds in honest, productive dialogues about race, privilege, and the history of slavery, based on the story of Katrina's ancestors’ role in the slave trade in New England.

The news update cites a breathtaking array of ways the organization is reaching people—from a workshop for members of the Connecticut General Assembly and its staff to sharing the film and related work with thousands of attendees at the 77th Episcopal General Convention. Using the film’s narrative, the Center has reached across education, government, faith, and cultural sectors to make a difference on pervasive and persistent issues of race and class in America.

Traces of the Trade poster

Successful scaling can be attributed to many things, not the least of which is Brown’s compelling personal story and determination and dogged work to realize her vision for that story’s value in the national discourse.

This, paired with the creation of a nonprofit to take the work in new directions and to do so on a more professional and sustainable basis, as well as significant investments from the Kellogg Foundation and others, have magnified the impact of this documentary film—indeed to a grand scale!

The Perils and the Promise of Scale

This week, you’ll find posts by FSG Senior Learning and Evaluation Consultant Victor Kuo; Fractured Atlas Research Director Ian David Moss; and Kentucky Foundation for Women’s Executive Director, Judi Jennings, who offer perspectives about funding and resources for scaling up impact.

A second constant challenge relates to sustainability and the organizational and financial models that can support growth and scale. To this effect, posts by American University Professor Andrew Taylor and American Records CEO KJ Sanchez provide examples of how an organization’s structure is tied to its ability to scale successfully.

NEA Senior Advisor for Program Innovation, Bill O’Brien discusses the veterans programs using art for healing. He observes successful avenues for scale can be found by considering the work on a micro and macro level.

In their posts, Opportunity Agenda Creative Fellow Betsy Richards; Ragdale Foundation Director of Artists-In-Residence Regin Igloria; and National Performance Network President/ CEO MK Wegmann remind us the individual has always been key and must be a defining factor in thinking about scale.

Questions…and More Questions

We’re excited to welcome an amazing set of bloggers to explore these and other questions of when, why, and how to orchestrate and resource greater scale:

All this week, you’ll be able to read and comment on posts by innovative field leaders such as Roberto Bedoya, Jeanette Lee, Bill Cleveland, Kalima Young, Laura Zabel, and many others.

We (Joanna, Barbara, & Pam) hope you check out ARTSblog throughout the week to hear from all of our great bloggers.

Pulling in perspectives from all corners of the sector, the country, and beyond, we hope that their diversity of opinions and experiences will fuel your own thinking around the very BIG question: Does Size Matter?