NATIONAL PERFORMANCE NETWORK
FY08 Annual Partnership Agreement
EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007-JUNE 30, 2008
Print out two copies, sign both, and send to the following address by June 30, 2007:
NPN, 900 Camp Street, 2nd Floor, New Orleans, LA 70130
MISSION STATEMENT: The National Performance Network (NPN) is a group of diverse cultural organizers, including artists, working to create meaningful partnerships and to provide leadership that enables the practice and public experience of the performing art in the United States.
The National Performance Network is committed to revealing and fostering social diversity and artistic experimentation through its support of artists and NPN Partners who embody these core values. As a viable leader and example of best practices in the field, NPN integrates arts into public experience, furthers artistic pluralism, and acts as an advocate for cultural equity by supporting residencies, commissions, community cultural development projects, and other artistic activities.
NPN Annual Partnership Agreement – FY2008
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WHO WE SERVE:
NPN serves artists, arts organizers, and a broad and diverse range of audiences and communities across the country through commissions, residencies, community cultural projects, the NPN Annual Meeting, cultural policy development, and other artistic activities. We believe in:
· Independent artists and artist companies as professionals who are valid and important participants in a healthy community.
· Arts Organizers who make it possible for artists and communities to meet in a mutually supportive and appreciative environment.
· Communities as collections of people who share cultural heritages, philosophies, or geographic locations, and the need for communities to experience art that speaks to their issues.
WHAT WE VALUE:
NPN is committed to revealing and fostering social diversity and artistic experimentation. As a viable leader and an example of best practices in the field, NPN integrates the arts into public experience, furthers artistic pluralism, and acts as an advocate for cultural equity. We value:
· Partnerships among artists, arts organizers and organizations, and communities that create opportunities for artistic expression and deepen the general public’s relationship with artists.
· Freedom of Expression – the unhindered flow of ideas, words, and images basic to a free society.
· Critical Dialogue that fosters appreciation for the creative process and the role of arts and culture in our society.
· Life-Long Learning through exposure to, and participation in, the arts.
· Diversity- points of view and experiences that are shaped by each individual’s unique background, and art that celebrates that diversity.
· Public & Private Support for the Arts that recognizes the arts as integral to a healthy society.
NPN Annual Partnership Agreement – FY2008
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NPN PARTERS: NPN Partners are distinguished by their diversity, their commitment to challenging new work and their active engagement in communities. NPN Partners serve the dual function of promoting and supporting local artists while presenting artists from elsewhere in the United States, allowing for a dynamic cultural exchange between communities and national access for a range of artists not supported by other networks or systems. NPN Partners range from the most grassroots operations to large regional arts centers. NPN Partners support a healthy mix of programs designed to create, produce, present and provide training in the performing arts.
Together NPN Partners form a peer network to share information about trends in the field, best practices, and the performing artists whose work circulates within, between, and beyond their communities. NPN provides a structure for NPN Partners to move new ideas, techniques and art around the country. More than simply a service organization, the National Performance Network is an applied learning community of cultural centers dedicated to improving society through independent, innovative, creative expression. NPN values long-term relationships, so NPN Partners remain members of NPN as long as their organizational work and commitment to NPN’s mission and values still remains active.
PARTNERSHIP GUIDELINES: The National Performance Network is built upon reciprocal relationships between NPN Partners and the NPN National Office. The following guidelines serve as the standards by which NPN Partners, Staff and the Board of Directors evaluate these relationships, both in terms of their own participation and the participation of one another. An NPN Partner will only benefit from the network by active participation.
The Partnership Guidelines are divided into “roles” and “responsibilities.” Roles are generalized expectations, and responsibilities are specific requirements.
Guidelines for NPN Partners
Roles / Responsibilities• Engage diverse populations in substantive interactions with artists• Anchor the creative process within the needs and contexts of local communities / Utilize NPN Subsidies:NPN makes available two weeks of NPN Performance Residency, two weeks of Creation Fund Residency (if applicable), Community, Creation and Freight Funds.
NPN Partners are required to annually present a minimum of one week of NPN Performance Residency.
• Encourage a national dialogue among cultural organizers and the public about the role of the performing arts in communities• Share experiences, information and expertise with other NPN Partners / Send at least one leader to represent the organization at the Annual Meeting each year
Send at least one leader to represent the organization at a Regional Meeting each year
•Advocate for NPN and the artists, organizations, creative processes and communities it represents• Maintain highest ethical standards in relationships with artists, communities and colleagues. / Actively provide access to NPN opportunities for your local community.
Maintain regular email contact with the NPN National Office and Regional Desk
Conform to professional standards as outlined in NPN contracts, forms and policies.
• Participate in development efforts of the NPN, including skill, time and resources / Publicize NPN with crediting language and logos as required by subsidy agreementPay annual dues ($100) by January 1, 2008
Submit paperwork in a timely manner, including surveys, contracts, final reports and other materials as needed
Guidelines for NPN National Office
Roles / Responsibilities• Facilitate Partners’ effective use of NPN programs and activities / Refine administrative processes to require from NPN Partners a minimum of bureaucracy.
Process fund requests in a timely fashion. (NPN turns around checks 30 days following the receipt of signed contracts by the National Office.)
• Encourage dialogue and mutual support between NPN Partners / Act as a mediator and facilitator between NPN Partners and between NPN Partners and Artists when appropriate
• Strengthen the diversity of NPN through active support and recruitment of NPN Partners, staff members, artists and strategic alliances that represent the ethnic, racial, linguistic, gender, class, religious, cultural, physical, age and artistic communities of the United States.• Anchor programs and activities within the needs and contexts of NPN Partner communities. / Regularly seek feedback and input from NPN Partners to improve the effectiveness of NPN staffing, programs, events and priorities
• Advocate for NPN Partners and the artists and communities they represent at the national and international level / Communicate with NPN Partners through email, fax, phone, the web and postal mail in a clear, concise and timely fashion regarding upcoming deadlines, policy and procedure changes, and resource development opportunities.
• Lead national and regional efforts to sustain and expand the locally-based work of NPN Partners / Develop and implement a resource development plan that incorporates NPN Partner needs, ideas and energies
Failure to Meet Responsibilities
If a NPN Partner does not meet the responsibilities outlined above, it could be at risk for the following penalties:
1) Censure- A letter of warning. If behavior continues Partner could be put on Conditional Renewal.
2) Conditional Renewal- If Partner does not fulfill ALL responsibilities during a given year it may be placed on Conditional Renewal for the next year. If it does not fulfill its Responsibilities for a second year in a row, the NPN Board of Directors may elect to dismiss.
3) Dismissal- If action is strong enough, Partner may immediately be dismissed.
Hiatus Status: If at anytime the NPN Partner thinks it will not be able to complete its Responsibilities it may contact the office and ask to be put on “hiatus” for the remainder of the year. An NPN Partner may only be on “hiatus” for one Fiscal Year. Once the Fiscal Year is over the NPN Partner will have the option of participating as an active NPN Partner again. If the NPN Partner chooses to renew its NPN Partnership it will be expected to complete all of the NPN Requirements (as outlined above). In the year following “hiatus,” if the NPN Partner does not complete all of the NPN Requirements it may be elected for dismissal by the NPN Board. An NPN Partner may not request to go on “hiatus” in hindsight. “Hiatus” must be taken prior to not fulfilling responsibilities.
Each situation will be reviewed by the Board on a case-by-case basis.
Agreement
The above terms and conditions meet with our mutual approval, as indicated by signing below. All changes must be made in writing and approved by both parties.
On behalf of the two parties,
National Performance Network
Name of NPN Partner Organization
Signature of Primary Contact Signature of Representative
June Wilson
Print Name Name
Chief Operations Officer
Title Date Title Date
NPN Annual Partnership Agreement – FY2008
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