Evaluating Your Answers

Now that you’ve pulled together your answers, evaluate what they mean ... and ask yourself some additional questions!

• Will your organization (board, staff and project-planning committee) be able to handle the task ahead?
• Who are your supporters? Include background information on board and planning committee members, as well as key community people who are enthusiastic about your project -- and who can offer concrete assistance. Try to garner the support of your alderman as well.
• Does your committee have sufficient resources -- the professional background, community connections, etc. -- to deal with the arts facility issue?
• Do the audiences, artistic resources and community needs justify the changes you are advocating? What evidence substantiates this?
• Do you need to commission a feasibility study to better answer these questions? (Feasibilities studies examine a specific and/or major issue associated with a development project, and are discussed in greater detail later in this chapter.)
• Do you feel ready to establish yourselves as a public group, publicize your plan in a formal way, and incorporate yourselves into an ongoing committee? In order to do this, you must know exactly what you are advocating. For example, don’t just say that you want to build a museum -- be prepared to discuss exactly what kind of museum it will be.
  
  You must be able to articulate what you want, and justify it to consultants, potential funders, people in control of local politics and community leaders.