Posted on March 23, 2011 @ 10:11 am by ehuizenga

Barrel of Monkeys Weathers Storm

Amanda Farrar, Executive Director, Barrel of Monkeys, knows a thing or two about managing change. She and her nonprofit, which teaches creative writing workshops to children and adapts their writing into dynamic pieces of live theater, works within the vicissitudes of the Chicago Public School System. Enough said. She’s also successfully navigated the down economy and management changes—both internally and within Chicago schools. How does she do it? For one, she’s plain old stubborn in her commitment to seeing the glass half full, and in this blog post for EPIC, she let’s us in on a few of her change-management secrets.

(By the way, Barrel of Monkey’s was one of EPIC’s first clients, so we have a soft spot for the organization in our hearts. And who doesn’t?)

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Change is something we all must deal with frequently. Some of us—the glass-is-half-full-folks—are more comfortable with change than others, and see change as an opportunity. Some of us—the glass-is-half-empty-folks—are uncomfortable with change, and see it as the beginning of the end.

Barrel of Monkeys (BOM) has seen an immense amount of change in the past couple of years. Internally, the organization hired a new Executive Director, developed a more rigorous assessment plan for its programming in Chicago Public Schools, launched a new branding project (with the wonderful assistance of EPIC), and moved to a bigger and better office space.

The organization took it all in stride, and looks forward to the next big things with a new three-year strategic plan to lead the way. Presently in the trenches of creating that plan, change is part of every day, even in the ways we are talking about who we are and what we want to be when we grow up.

Barrel of Monkeys has weathered the storm of the economy, been able to hold on to almost all of its long-term school partnerships, funders, individual donors, and audience members. But, the storm continues to brew, and like so many Chicagoans with their snow shovels during the big blizzard of 2011, BOM finds itself continually clearing the way to the future.

There are threats ahead, without a doubt. A new Superintendent, a new Mayor, a new Commissioner of Cultural Affairs—all will bring with them immense change, much of that change dictated by the continuing struggles with city, state, and national budgets. Government funding, which was historically one of the more dependable funding sources, is becoming less and less so.

Arts organizations big and small are mobilizing to ensure that the mayoral candidates are aware of what we offer the city. If you haven’t yet signed the petition, please sign it here and let the next mayor know that you support the arts.

I’m sure my colleagues, like me, breathed a sigh of relief when the Illinois Arts Council sent an email to let us know that yes, they indeed have a budget to support arts organizations. Of course, we will continue to wait on bated breath as they announce their decisions about who gets that funding and how much, but it is a relief to know that the funding exists—that our state recognizes the importance of the arts to our communities.

I continue to be one of the glass-is-half-full-folks, even if it’s out of sheer tenacity. Although we can’t control the weather, we can plan for it. We can dress for it. We Chicagoans know that the winter doesn’t last forever. And oh, how we celebrate when summer comes at last. Barrel of Monkeys continues to make our summer plans, and does what needs to be done to make it there.

Photo: Dean Ponce.

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