REPORT
Between October and November 2023, Renaissance Now facilitated its “Arts & Policy” Certification with city employees of San Antonio, Texas. The goal was for participants to recognize and foster the use of the arts as a low-cost and high-impact resources to address the urban challenges they are currently facing. The Arts & Policy Certificate program seeks to bridge the gap between public policy needs and creative artistic energy, addressing various city challenges including violence prevention, health, and education.
The workshop was organized by facilitator, artist, former City Council Member and Mayor Pro Tempore for the City of El Paso, Peter Svarzbein, and lead by Dr. Jose Falconi (University of Connecticut) and Dr. Doris Sommer (Harvard University). The successful completion of the workshop makes San Antonio the first city in the United States to achieve this Certificate. Other cities that have previously executed the program are Mannheim, Germany, and Gran Asunción, Paraguay.
The program started with four online sessions given by renowned scholars and practitioners (see list below). These sessions, which took place over the months of September and October 2023, provided a variety of historical examples in which the arts have been used successfully in different contexts to open up opportunities and offer solutions to otherwise intractable social problems.
The program continued with a series of four in-person workshops at the Historic Carver Center in San Antonio, on November 2nd and 3rd. The retreat design of the two days was efficient and intensely collaborative among the departments of city government.
In the first of these workshops, we participated in Forum Theater, a theater art activity to identify challenges for the city and explore potential solutions. Participants formed four groups around specific challenges and developed a prototype for intervention during the following sessions. The challenges were: 1. Encampments of undocumented immigrants; 2. Resistance to public housing projects; 3. Invisibility of available city services; 4. Invisibility of marginalized residents. The art-based sessions demonstrated the power of collaboration across departments, as an alternative to competition for resources. During the fourth and final session an “art crit” was facilitated, in which each group presented a prototype and received feedback. Regular follow-up meetings have been planned to set benchmarks for project implementation and provide support among participants across different city departments.
Among the participants are Alanna Reed (Director of Communications & Engagement), Diana Hidalgo (Assistant Director of Arts & Culture), Debbie Rios-Vanskike (Public Information Officer, Center City Development), Sonia Gonzales (Public Health Administrator, Metro Health), Homer Garcia III (Director, Parks), and other representatives from different departments including the Office of Historic Preservation, SAPD, Neighborhood, Human Services, Transportation, Sustainability, Innovation, and Development Services. Local artists, including Tamara Adira De Saa and Ashley Mireles, participated in the program, contributing to the innovative intersection of arts and public policy.
Once completed, San Antonio will be the first city in the United States to be certified in the Renaissance Now program. Each participant gained an understanding of how creative cultural practices can address the range of challenges that cities face, including violence prevention, cross-departmental collaboration, health, education, transportation, climate change, community engagement, and more.
TIMELINE AND PROGRAM
The program began on September 21 and consisted of 4 two-hour online sessions and 4 in-person sessions over two days in San Antonio, Texas.
PROGRAM
ON-LINE SESSIONS
Session 1 – Sept. 21st – Online – 2-4pm CST
Arts and Policy, Steps and Missteps – Online/2h Artists as Advisors: Peter Svarzbein in El Paso, Texas & Rainer Kern in Mannheim, Germany. Description: A conceptual introduction to the program and its approach with exemplary mini-cases. Includes a comparison of mini-cases to be discussed.
Session 2 – Sept. 28th – 2-4pm CST
Artful Leadership, Participatory Arts, Security, Integration, Social Capital – Online/2h Aha! Moment: Jose Molinas, Minister of Development, Paraguay & Doris Sommer, Harvard University, Cultural Agents, Inc.
Description: Based on a study of almost two dozen major public design projects within mostly public-sector organizations in five countries, identifies effective leadership strategies critical to their success. Includes an interactive presentation/discussion of the history of arts and culture as contributors to policy and public management.
Session 3 – Oct. 5th – 2-4pm CST
Arts and Policy Toolkits 2: Relational and Round – Online/2h Adaptive Leadership as Jazz: Rob Austin of Ivy Business School
Nisha Sajnani, Director of Arts and Health at NYU Models of Adaptive Leadership. Includes a comparison of mini-cases to be discussed.
Session 4 – Oct. 12th – 2-4pm CST
Arts and Policy Toolkits 1: Change Management Frameworks – Online/2h Measure Up: Leandro Valiati, Economist, University of Manchester & Jose Falconi, President, Cultural Agents. Arts complement both conventional and innovative Change Management Frameworks. Address the blind spot of Change Management that ignores participatory arts.
IN PERSON IN SAN ANTONIO
Session 5
Customize Arts and Policy for Your City –
Forum Theater: Participants identify a pressing professional challenge; groups form around similar concerns improvise tragedies that represent a deadlock; members of other groups are now “spect-actors” who intervene to play a character with a change in script. This session is an experience art as a vehicle for diagnosis and exploration.
Session 6
Connect the Dots
Theory of Change. Groups with shared challenges map out roots of problem and branches of possibilities.
Session 7
Facilitated Working Groups
Exploration of possible interventions, asking for advice from members of other groups. Drafting a prototype.
Session 8
Finalize Projects Definitions and Timeline
Prototypes of interventions are proposed to the entire collective in a “crit” session for questions and advice.
FOLLOW UP SESSIONS:
San Antonio staff and facilitators will meet over next 12 months to continue with the implementation of the recommendations.
PARTICIPANTS
CITY OF SAN ANTONIO PARTICIPANTS
| DEPARTMENT | PARTICIPANT | TITLE |
| Communications & Engagement | Alanna Reed | Director |
| Arts & Culture | Diana Hidalgo | Assistant Director |
| Center City Development | Debbie Rios-Vanskike | Public Information Officer |
| Metro Health | Sonia Gonzales | Public Health Administrator |
| Parks | Homer Garcia III | Director |
| Parks | Patrick Partch | |
| Parks | Chris Espinoza | |
| Parks | Andrew Gibbons | |
| Office of Historic Preservation | Cory Edwards | |
| SAPD | Jesus Salame | |
| Neighborhood Houston | Sara Wamsley | |
| Human Services | Kate Kinnison | |
| Human Services | Andrea Martinez | |
| Transportation | Harley Hubbard | |
| Sustainability | Leslie Antunez | |
| Innovation | Jenna Wallace | |
| Metro Health | Carol Schliesinger | |
| Development Services | Rachel Parrish |
LOCAL ARTISTS PARTICIPANTS
| ARTIST | WEBSITE |
| Tamara Adira De Saa | https://events.getcreativesanantonio.com/artist/tamara-adira-say |
| Ashley Mireles | https://events.getcreativesanantonio.com/artist/ashley-mireles-2 |
OUTCOME & NEXT STEPS
Four groups formed, each around a challenge to develop a prototype for intervention during the next 2 sessions. During the fourth “crit” session, each group presented a prototype and received feedback. Regular follow-up meetings will set benchmarks to implement the projects and to offer support among participants across departments.
PROTOTYPE PROJECTS
| PROJECT | PROJECT TEAM | LINK TO PRESENTATION |
| Second Chance Sunday |
Alanna Reed Chris Espinoza Patrick Partch Sonia Gonzales Peter Svarzbein |
Presentation |
| From Tabula Rasa to Table En Casa |
Jose Falconi Doris Sommer Diana Hidalgo Tamara Adira De Saa |
Tabula Rasa to Table en Casa.pdf |
| The Tree Of Information |
Andrew Gibbons Jenna Wallace Rachel Parrish Sara Estrada |
|
| Photo Voice Mosaic |
Ashley Mireles Andrea Marticez Carol Schliesinger Kate Kinnison |
On-Line Sessions
In Person Workshop
