Barbara Schaffer Bacon

co-director, Animating Democracy

Barbara currently co-directs Animating Democracy, a program of Americans for the Arts, Institute for Community Development and the Arts, funded by the Ford Foundation. Launched in fall 1999, Animating Democracy's purpose is to foster artistic activity that encourages civic dialogue on important contemporary issues. Barbara has worked as a consultant since 1990, and prior to that she served as executive director of the Arts Extension Service at the University of Massachusetts where she was on staff for 13 years. Her work with partner Pam Korza includes program design and evaluation for state and local arts agencies and private foundations nationally. Projects include strategic plans for the Heinz Endowment's Arts and Culture programs and the New York State Council on the Arts, a 20-year review of the North Carolina Arts Council's Grassroots Arts Program, and cultural plans for Northampton, MA, and Rapid City, SD. Barbara has written, edited, and contributed to several publications, including the revised edition of *Fundamentals of Local Arts Management* and *The Cultural Planning Work Kit*, published by the Arts Extension Service. She is an arts management educator, serving as a primary instructor for the "Fundamentals and Advanced Management" seminars, guest lecturer for the New York University Graduate Program in Arts Management, and a senior faculty member for the Empire State Partnerships' Summer Institute in arts education. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Barbara has served as a panelist and adviser for many state and national arts agencies. She is president of the Arts Extension Institute, Inc., a board member of the Fund for Women Artists, and chair of her local school committee.