How-To Guide
Listening to Mitchell began with us — Sonja and Adam — and ended with a team (more like a small village). Additionally, many in the local community were generous with advice and guidance.
In hopes it might be helpful to those coming after us, here are some lessons we learned.
Find an Anchor Org
To pull off an independent project of this size, an anchor organization is essential. Historic Mitchell Street’s Business Improvement District #4 was the key collaborator for us, acting as everything from a funder to a fiscal agent, from a network to a historical resource.
Our sincere gratitude to Nancy Bush for collaborating and putting up with us!
Give Yourself the Time
We initially thought we would be able to make this piece in 6 months, but eventually extended a year to 18 months. To build a project of the magnitude we hoped, we had to give ourselves the time. We worked through multiple, oftentimes overlapping phases of research, fundraising and production.
Thank you to Polly Morris and Sara Daleiden for your guidance.
Persist (and Get Resourceful)
Artists know first-hand the importance of diversifying income — grants, sales, donors, fundraisers, etc. As producers and fundraisers, our breakthroughs came when we framed our project as a hybrid. We got creative about who might support us, eventually gaining support from private and public sources, funders focused on community and art, dollars ranging from small contributions to large grants.
Deep appreciation to all of our funders, especially the ones who took a chance on us.
Get Intergenerational
In the process of connecting with the local community, we specifically sought to connect with both youth and elders. This includes both a 2nd and 3rd grade class at Allen-Field Elementary and the WOLFE Group at Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center. This allowed us to collect important community perspectives and meaningfully embrace a local audience.
We appreciate you, German Diaz and Martha Lopez, for opening your classrooms to us. And thank you for the warm meals and warm conversation, WOLFE Group.
Ask for Advice
When we got stuck, throughout our process, we sought guidance from trusted advisors, ranging from old friends to new connections. We even formed an informal advisory group made up of artists, foundations and neighbors, which proved invaluable.
Our thanks to Demitra, Tom, Arijit Sen, Brad Lichtenstein, Juli Kaufman and many more.
Become a Regular
Even for meetings or work sessions, we wanted to stay connected to Mitchell Street. So, we made Lopez Bakery our unofficial “on-the-street office.” The restaurant was both a phenomenal place to eat and a perfect launching pad to experience Mitchell Street.
How would we have done it without all the pan dulce and tamales from you, Jorge and Cindy Lopez?
Grow a Team
As the workload grew, we needed more skilled hands and minds. So, we recruited a small team of interns from local colleges and universities. In fact, their skills and talents helped us find new ways for the project to grow.
Thank you so much to Maeve, Matt, Jamie and Michelle — we really couldn’t have done it without you.
