Young Audiences of Northern California

Young Audiences of Northern California, part of a national network of thirty affiliates, partners with seventy-four professional artists to bring arts education programs to 81,000 Bay Area students annually, through assembly performances, residencies, and teacher professional development in the arts. The organization has reached a period of relative leadership stability: the current executive director has been in place for three years, and with the board president has overseen a major strategic overhaul through the Performing Arts Program’s new approach to Organizational Effectiveness funding. With renewed funding, Young Audiences of Northern California would continue strengthening its financial and organizational infrastructure and broaden its reach programmatically, both in and out of schools, in order to provide artistically and academically relevant arts education to young people.

In 2004, Young Audiences of San José & Silicon Valley merged with Young Audiences of the Bay Area to become Young Audiences of Northern California (YANC). Six years later, the transition is ongoing and challenging, with multiple Executive Director transitions, a decline in services and school partners, closure of the San Jose office, and diminished relationships with teaching artists. As part of a national Young Audiences affiliate network, YANC served over 150,000 students and teachers in the past year with school assemblies and workshops delivered by artists, and 8-12 week artist residencies in schools. Last year, 60% of the schools served were Title One schools receiving federal assistance, and more than 50% of the students were from low-income and poverty level families. However, these numbers continue to fall. YANC is at a critical juncture, needing to rejuvenate itself under the catalytic leadership of Kris Murray, the Executive Director hired in January 2010. It is now time for YANC to embark on in-depth capacity building and the creation of a Strategic Plan that will align with that of the national Young Audiences network and will serve as a roadmap for this key arts education provider over the coming several years.