Host the IA Gathering

IA’s primary consideration when selecting a host partner is identifying a set of pressing public issues and organizing opportunities that resonate both locally and nationally. What is happening on your campus, and in your community and region that might provide a provocative entry point to engage in collaborative dialogue through the methodologies of arts, design, and the humanities? IA also looks for ways in which the Gathering organizing process may itself serve as a vehicle to forge and strengthen partnerships within the host campus and community. The IA staff works closely – in person and virtually – with host partner(s) to identify and support local and regional leaders as they organize around one or more issues of particular concern to their communities. It is our hope that this work extends the gathering’s impact by building capacity to democratically transform civic life. To this end, IA seeks a host partner that can convene a robust core of stakeholders (students, faculty, administration, staff/volunteers of community-based groups, and other community members and leaders including artists and activists) committed to thinking and working together over a year-long period to achieve shared goals.

A successful gathering requires human and financial support from one or more host partners / institutions. The most important human support generally comes in the form of a small team that includes a faculty member, center director, or other senior representative from an IA member or partner institution, and, perhaps most importantly, a staff member or graduate student affiliated with the host partner who can commit time to co-organizing the Gathering with IA staff.

In addition, Imagining America expects the host institution to act as partners in providing in-kind support and in contributing and/or seeking funds to offset the overall gathering costs, which run between $150,000 to $200,000 depending on the city and region.

When the gathering is primarily convened on a host institution campus, and using campus services, examples of past in-kind support have included the following:

• Time release for faculty and/or staff
• Cost of venue spaces, including A/V, security, and maintenance personnel
• Transportation, if campus transportation is being used
• Catering
• Design and printing of publicity materials

Beyond the human and financial contributions from a host campus and local/regional institutions, IA solicits advertising revenue, corporate and foundation sponsorship, and contributed income to cover the costs of producing the National Gathering. The bulk of income comes from registration fees, which have been kept at a reasonably inexpensive rate – comparatively speaking – to encourage broad participation and to align with IA’s mission and values.

Gatherings are usually held in the month of October, with the specific date determined in consultation with the host partner. We generally look for dates with preceding/subsequent cultural events in the host city while avoiding any major competing events occurring at the host institution. With the proliferation of both academic and community arts conferences, it has become increasingly difficult to find dates with no competing events. Therefore, beyond the considerations mentioned above, the most important factors are dates that work for the host partner(s) and dates during which hotel/venue space is available.

In recent years, the gathering has taken place Friday to Sunday, with IA’s National Advisory Board and Publicly Active Graduate Education (PAGE) Summit occurring on Thursday. IA also occasionally programs a pre-gathering event, which typically takes place the day before the official gathering start date.

One of the first priorities when beginning to plan the National Gathering is naming the local steering committee. Working closely with IA staff and the host partner team, a diverse steering committee comprised of campus and community partners is recruited to engage in various planning activities. Steering Committees have played different roles over the years, from co-developing the Gathering theme and call for participation, to reviewing session proposals, and curating major Gathering programming. The local steering committee is crucial to IA’s organizing approach as it ensures that community voices and perspectives are embedded in the gathering planning process.