River Arts Alliance
Strategic/Work Plan through December 2021

To see the new strategic plan adopted by RAA's Board of Directors in 2023, click here.

Mission

River Arts Alliance supports and celebrates regional arts and culture by organizing educational programs, community events, and public art projects while promoting opportunities for artists and facilitating collaborations between organizations in the Winona region.

Vision

To enhance and promote the Winona Region as a center of arts and culture.

Goal 1: Serve the needs and interests of regional artists

Objectives and Actions:

1. Implement and promote public art projects and events
   1. Implement current public HBC Mural project, the annual Family Art Day, and continue involvement in the Winona Art Walk, Bluff Country Studio Art tour, RAA member art exhibit and other artist-led events
   2. Investigate new public art projects and events including those proposed for Levee Park and others
2. Implement and promote artist opportunities
   1. Collaborate with community groups and local government to weave the arts Community with decisions makers in order to give voice to the arts in community decision-making.
   2. Advocate for a centralized community arts and performance space.
   3. Advocate for permanent visual art sales gallery.
   4. Continue to build a relationship with WSU re: Laird Norton Building
   5. Serve as fiscal agent for area artists
   6. Promote educational projects such as a writers’ and arts workshops and sales and business education
   7. Coordinate with Engage Winona
3. Promote the work of regional artists
   1. Maintain a design and content development for a website with member profiles and current events.
   2. Write regular press releases, utilize blog entries, social media and e-newsletters, coordinate the weekly arts column in the Winona Daily News and explore radio promotion.

Goal 2: Serve the needs and interests of regional arts organizations

Objectives and Actions:

1. Maintain regional arts calendar to ensure effective communication among
   Organizations and to facilitate participation from the public
   1. Maintain a member calendar on the RAA website.
   2. Collaborate with community organizations to create a comprehensive regional arts and culture calendar.
2. Increase networking between arts organizations, the public and artists
   1. Implement events that support and promote the arts such as the bi-monthly Art Schmooze, member book promotion and signings, Laureate series, concerts, exhibition openings and other opportunities.
3. Encourage participation in existing community events such as Winona’s Earth Day

Goal 3: Ensure financial and operational stability of RAA

Objectives and Actions:

1. Maintain membership for artists, organizations and arts supporters
   1. Strategy for memberships is developed through the membership committee.
2. Collaborate with local government and other community organizations for large art projects and events.
3. Ensure effective Board support and participation
   1. Review and regularly communicate Board Committee functions. Refine Committees and assign responsibilities and structure
      1. Finance/fund raising/grants
      2. Projects and organization collaboration/grants
      3. Membership/Communication Committee
      4. Executive/Nominating committee
      5. Volunteer committee
   2. Utilize task force structure for specific projects
   3. Consistently attract new talented Board members and volunteers
4. Explore the prospect of a contract employee for website and administrative work.  Determine revenue sources for sustaining a part time employee with a goal of hiring by January of 2018.
5. Explore the prospect of shared office space for arts organizations.
6. Explore fundraising
   1. Explore grant-writing opportunities delineated in the RAA consultant grant guidelines report.
   2. Maintain donations page on the RAA website.
   3. Determine the structure and time frame for a fundraising campaign.