Impact and Programs
Accomplishments
During fiscal year 2023, COMPAS professional teaching artists worked directly with Minnesotans for more than 5800 hours of programming during 277 weeks of arts residencies, 730 workshops, and 153 performances. About 55% of our contact hours were with students in K-12 schools; 16% with older adult residential or day program sites; 7% with sites that support adults living with a disability; and the rest in diverse community sites such as libraries, community centers, youth programs, hospitals, shelters for people experiencing homelessness or escaping an abusive relationship, etc. Evaluations showed many benefits of participating in art creation activities. Predominant themes from programs in K-12 schools were that during COMPAS programs, students who teachers thought of as shy or disengaged became leaders, were more invested in what they were doing, and other students (and the teachers) got to know them better. Students took positive risks (such as performing a spoken word piece in front of the class), felt proud and had fun. Outside of school, youth built creative skills and social emotional skills like perseverance. We also received reports of youth using the arts to work through traumatic experiences. Themes that emerged from programs with adults include participants used art making to create new connections with family members and/or with participants they didn’t know well at the beginning. Being in the moment as they created also gave people joy and often increased self-esteem.
Current Goals
1) Deliver amazing Impactful creative experiences 2) Innovate and grow the organization to impact evolving community needs 3) Embed equity and inclusion in everything we do.
Community or Constituency Served
COMPAS delivers arts education and engagement experiences across Minnesota. We engage participants ranging in age from pre-school to 90+through partnerships with a wide range of K-12 schools; youth organizations; human service organizations; programs for older adults; and other community sites. While we bring programs into just about any community, we prioritize work with under-resourced and historically under-estimated communities. These include inner city K-12 schools with a high percentage of low-income and/or BIPOC students, schools catering to students living with a disability, rural schools, etc.; social service organizations; community centers in low-income neighborhoods; hospitals; shelters; and others. Because we engage through organizations people already participate in, people who might not typically engage in the arts have access to high-quality programs designed for their interests and abilities. Everyone at the site is invited to participate and create, regardless of their experience level, abilities, disabilities, or financial situation. Sites pay about 50% of a program’s actual costs; participants are not charged. Philanthropic support underwrites the remaining 50% and can reduce the cost further for sites with financial hardships.
Geographic Area Served
Most of our programs (98%) take place throughout Minnesota in urban, rural, and suburban communities. Our artists also travel to nearby states to hold in-person programs and, more recently, deliver online programs throughout the United States and Canada.
