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Home > Voices of Innovation > Interview with Sarah Murr
 Interview with Sarah Murr
Community Investor
- Arts and Culture, Boeing
- Can you describe your position at Boeing? What do you do as the “community investor - arts & culture”?
- Why is arts learning important to Boeing? Why is it important to you personally?
- What role do corporations like Boeing play in supporting arts learning? What role should they play?
- How has the current economic situation in California changed your focus in how you are working as a "community investor"?
- What does the phrase "21st Century skills" mean to you? What role does arts learning play in supporting the development of these skills?
- What is it that arts learning advocates need to know about how to engage and work with business leaders?
- Do you have any stories you can tell about a successful relationship you’ve made with an organization and how it supported keeping arts in public schools?
1. Can you describe your position at Boeing? What do you do as the "community investor - arts & culture"?
I'm constantly monitoring the environment of the arts in Los Angeles and Orange Counties - what's happening in the region, what are the trends, what key leaders are saying - and I read lots of research. A big part of my job is building and sustaining relationships. There is great strength in having meaningful, thoughtful conversations around a topic like arts learning.
Also, every three years we conduct a community needs assessment. This assessment helps form our local area funding objectives. I look for programs that are built around sound principles including strategic planning, collaborations, metrics and evaluation.
Community investing for Boeing is not always about the money. I try to understand what the key needs of the organization are. Do they need board members, do they have a project that we could supply Boeing employees as volunteers, is there a skills-based project they need help with, are they holding a fundraising event, etc.
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2. Why is arts learning important to Boeing, Inc? Why is it important to you personally?
Boeing believes that all students should receive a quality education, but there are big challenges that need to be addressed to make that happen. As education systems struggle with attendance, student proficiency, etc., it's important that school administrators look at proven ways to help students succeed. One of those ways is through arts learning. There is plenty of research and anecdotal information that documents the successes of students who receive arts learning, either integrated into other core curriculum or as individual subject instruction.
Arts learning is important to me personally because I grew up in a very rural environment. Our teachers stood at the front of the class and lectured, and then we took tests. Arts learning was non-existent in my school. My mother felt it was important that my siblings and I learn to play the piano. Our family income was very limited but my parents found a way to buy a piano and have all four children take lessons. Playing the piano created awareness in us that music is a great form of expression and creativity. My three sisters and I all ended up playing the piano at church and sang together. Those experiences made a lasting impact on my life and opened my mind to many aspects of creativity and the arts. And the piano is still in the family home today.
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3. What role do corporations like Boeing play in supporting arts learning? What role should they play?
We have the ability to see how arts learning fits into a bigger picture. We can convene people around a shared interest, foster collaborations and provide networking opportunities. I was working in LA County on the arts learning initiative Arts for All, while at the same time working with several organizations in Orange County who were talking about bringing arts learning back into their classrooms. I facilitated meetings and individual dialogues between the counties and today, Orange County has their own arts learning initiative, Arts Advantage. LA and Orange counties continue to meet, share ideas and best practices and discuss issues and how they’re being resolved.
I believe corporations have an obligation to participate in formalized groups, ad-hoc groups, foundation information sessions, etc. I have been introduced to many people and organizations in these settings which have greatly added value to my work and helped me connect others.
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4. How has the current economic situation in California changed your focus in how you are working as a "community investor"?
As you've probably heard, the California budget was finally passed. The new budget greatly curtails funding for K-12 education in California and is a harsh shift from the 2006 California budget that specified $105M in ongoing funding for visual and performing arts and $500M in one-time funding for physical education and visual and performing arts. This unprecedented funding was a huge commitment and statement of support from California. School districts could invest in professional development, equipment, materials, and, most importantly, work with trained coaches to form strategic plans in order to spend this funding well.
We were just starting to build up steam and get a critical mass of school districts involved and grass roots support when the new budget was passed. It gives school boards the option to re-direct these categorical arts funds. This means that funding for arts learning programming can be re-invested into other programming in the school. The one caveat - and positive - is that funds cannot be re-directed until a public hearing has been held. So we are now scrambling to rally communities to show up at public hearings, write letters and make calls in support of arts learning so that the funds stay intact for their original purpose.
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5. What does the phrase "21st Century skills" mean to you? What role does arts learning play in supporting the development of these skills?
As author Daniel Pink says, "If we really want to prepare kids for the workplace of the future, we’ve got to make sure that we're working the left side and the right sides of their brains." Nothing does that like arts learning.
I'm reading a fascinating book now by Tony Wagner called "The Global Achievement Gap". Mr. Wagner details what business leaders have defined as the "seven survival skills" for the 21st Century workforce:
- Critical thinking and problem-solving,
- Collaboration across networks and leading by influence,
- Agility and adaptability,
- Initiative and entrepreneurialism,
- Effective oral and written communication,
- Assessing and analyzing information, and
- Curiosity and imagination.
And locally, The Orange County Business Council and the Orange County Workforce Investment Board’s "State of the County Report" revealed that employers are finding the greatest skill deficiencies of their employees in their ability to communicate in writing and interpersonally.
Creative problem solving ranked high as well, indicating that employers are more interested in broader thinking and communication skills than solely in technical skills. Workers need to have technical writing skills, take a more interdisciplinary approach to their career, and learn "big picture" management in order to advance.
Arts learning supports the development of the "seven survival skills" and should be at the heart of helping students develop, prepare and succeed.
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6. What is it that arts learning advocates need to know about how to engage and work with business leaders?
Knowledge and relationships are very important. Arts organizations need to do their homework on businesses. Check out the company's Web site. What are their philanthropic objectives? What are some of the programs they fund? Who are the key people to connect with? Then start building relationships with key people. It's about having an open, honest dialogue. There is a tremendous value in building relationships. And, make sure it's not only about funding - that it's about thoughtful discussion, sharing information, scenario planning, collaborating and convening.
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7. Do you have any stories you can tell about a successful relationship you’ve made with an organization and how it supported keeping arts in public schools?
Through networking, I was introduced to Laura Zucker, Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. Laura was deeply involved with an ad-hoc group of leaders from various Los Angeles arts organizations. This group commissioned a first-ever survey of arts learning in Los Angeles County. The report revealed a critical lack of a systemic approach to teaching the arts and wide variations in the degree to which arts were included in students’ educational experiences. This led to the launch of a county-wide arts learning initiative, Arts for All and the development of "Blueprint," which lays out the initiative's mission and four strategic goals. Arts for All is helping school districts build capacity and infrastructure to support arts learning. The initiative is bringing about systemic change within the school districts to implement comprehensive, sequential K-12 arts learning for every student in the county.
Boeing became involved with Arts for All immediately. This was probably the easiest funding decision I’ve ever made. The Arts for All "Blueprint" is laid out as a logical, methodical and thoughtful process. Arts for All is a true collaboration. Government, non-profits, businesses, community leaders and the education sector are all involved and supporting the "Blueprint". Boeing's participation with Arts for All continues to deepen as we become engaged in the implementation of the four goals. I'm a strong advocate for Arts for All because I believe it is the right approach to getting arts learning back in the classroom.
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