From October 5 through November, MRAC engaged our community to fill out a Public Participation Survey. Thanks to everyone that participated! The purpose of the survey was to gain insights from the community about what they value in MRAC’s grantmaking process and to reimagine how the public participates in the process. The survey was sent to over 6,000 people through our MailChimp newsletter and reached over 2,000 people on social media. We’d like to share some preliminary data from the survey, as well as next steps we are taking to reinvent our public participation and grantmaking systems at MRAC.
384 Survey Participants
- 23% identify as BIPOC
- 17% identify as Disabled / Person with Disabilities
- 22% identify as LGBTQIA2+
- 20% live in greater metro
What we heard about what people value about the role of public participation
Participants were able to provide more in-depth comments about what they would like from the public participation process. Here are some learnings that emerged:
- Continued transparency and opportunities for artists to participate in this process
- An opportunity for nomination in MRAC’s grant process, but without it turning into a popularity contest
- More opportunities to learn about and participate in MRAC funded events and art projects
Next Steps
The learnings from the survey will inform and inspire new models of public participation that MRAC staff is currently developing. These models will be presented to focus groups to help refine and decide what MRAC’s new public participation model will be in Fiscal Year 2025 and beyond. The focus groups will be composed of community members including artists, arts administrators, grantees, applicants, panelists, and seven county metro residents.