About Us
Team | Portfolio | Process
Team
Sara has been a consultant since 1998. In that time, she has assisted hundreds of organizations — from small, all-volunteer start-ups to a multi-billion-dollar funder. Her work includes board development, planning and facilitation, program development and evaluation, organizational assessments, and related services. The bulk of her portfolio is with arts and culture nonprofits, local government, and — on her best days — where the two meet. It is a varied practice, but one that is always dedicated to helping clients do their jobs better.
Sara brings significant technical experience bringing complex data and diverse viewpoints into focus through 25+ years of experience across sectors. She has worked with Cultural Districts, developed strategic plans for arts organization across Indiana and for statewide arts agencies, built public arts guidelines, and so much more. She is as comfortable working with volunteers to start an organization as she is with seasoned professionals turning around an organization in crisis. She understands and adapts to the needs of the group in front of her, whether it is a City Council in chambers or nonprofit arts.
Consultant + hopeless romantic for the power of NPOs, government & the arts to save the world. Sara is committed to your success without judgment, unlocking a better future — together.
Paige, a practicing artist, brings nearly 30 years of experience as a community development professional within the arts and culture sector. Her vast experience covers the areas of relationship and consensus building, community engagement, needs assessment, community program development and implementation, and strategic visioning. She has direct experience developing cultural asset maps, engaging diverse and rural communities, and managing complex systems and programs. She served as the Deputy Director of Programs for the Indiana Arts Commission for nearly 11 years and was appointed the agency’s Chief Equity Officer in 2021 because of her leading agency efforts for the years leading to that appointment.
Paige brings significant field experience and thoroughly recognizes the unique challenges and opportunities rural Indiana arts and cultural organizations face. Paige is also an expert in “arts and” or cross-sector partnerships between the arts and non-arts sectors, and brings significant Cultural District develop expertise for which she has consulted nationally.
Her creative vision and collaborative approach have consistently inspired positive organizational growth, delivering results that exceed established goals.
Network
Sara and Paige bring with them a combination of experience and direct sector relationships unparalleled by other teams. Those relationships include arts and culture practitioners, state and local leaders, funders, and peer providers. They call on that network as advisors, project partners, key informations, and/or direct referrals whenever and wherever it advances your work.
Services
We provide services as a team through this portfolio site and individually as described in our materials (Sara & Paige).
Process
What is placemaking?
-
The Project for Public Spaces describes it here (take a deeper dive into their resources here)
-
Creative placemaking expands the idea to "strengthening communities with arts as the core"
-
Think it is just for cities? Here's a "Rural America Placemaking Toolkit" from USDA
-
The National Association of Counties has a Creative County Placemaking Initiative with resources
-
So does the National Governor's Association : Rural Prosperity through the Arts and Creative Sector + FABULOUS Action Guide
Where can I find implementation ideas?
-
Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper : find out more and explore examples
-
Our Town : another treasure trove here from past NEA projects
-
Americans for the Arts : database of projects from across the country
-
What is a Cultural Asset?
Cultural Assets Can Be...
-
Public Art – Murals or sculptures designed to enhance or beautify a space (excludes monuments)
-
Creative Industry – For profit entities like a gallery, artist business (with an online or built presence), design, craft, etc.
-
Arts Organizations – Nonprofits dedicated to the arts (e.g., museums, theaters, performance venues, arts councils, arts education entities)
-
History & Heritage – History-focused organizations or historic sites (but not historic markers)
-
Art in Non-Art Space – Places like bars, libraries, or parks that regularly host arts activities, creative groups, or rotating art displays
-
Informal Groups – A collective that meets regularly, such as quilting circles or history clubs
-
Events & Traditions – Those signature gatherings, festivals, celebrations unique to every community
By the way, we believe:
-
That rural communities are vital, vibrant places - did you know that some are experiencing brain gain migration?
-
Cultural Asset Inventory & Opportunity Research
-
Identify and engage with key arts and culture stakeholders for the region who can fast-track our understanding of the region
-
Conduct an inventory of existing arts, cultural, and creative assets via desk research, site visits, and crowdsourced data
-
Gather and review existing plans for assets, stakeholders, and strategic opportunities
-
Identify gaps and opportunities that align with existing work on quality of life, arts and culture
Regional & County Strategy
-
Convene a visioning event in each county - engaging with local artists, cultural institutions, local leaders, and the public
-
Follow up with focus groups, one:one conversations, and steering committee discussions
-
Develop a prioritized strategy for enhancing arts and cultural offerings across the region, including opportunities for public-private partnerships, community-driven initiatives, and integration with economic development efforts
-
Develop implementation and evaluation components for the plan as appropriate
-
Portfolio
Our Town is the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)’s creative placemaking grants program. Through project-based funding, the program supports activities that integrate arts, culture, and design into local efforts that strengthen communities over the long term. Our Town projects engage a wide range of local stakeholders in efforts to advance local economic, physical, and/or social outcomes in communities. Competitive projects are responsive to unique local conditions, develop meaningful and substantive engagement in communities, center equity, advance artful lives, and lay the groundwork for long-term systems change.
In 2021, Governor Eric J. Holcomb launched READI 1.0, allocating $500M to all of Indiana’s 92 counties. 2023 brought READI 2.0 with a focus on Quality of Life, Quality of Place, and Quality of Opportunity. This round encouraged regions to include arts and culture initiatives in their plans, to help that sector know how to work proactively with economic development, and to prepare Indiana’s creative economy to be better poised to access future funding. The Lilly Endowment (LEI) added their support in 2024 with $65M to support arts and culture initiatives that enhance quality of life and build vibrant communities in every region. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) used $1.5M of that grant for strategic planning in each of 15 regions.
