Clients - Kentucky Center and the Education, Arts and Humanities Cabinet

In 1998 the Kentucky Center for the Arts was feeling the need to expand its Governor's School for the Arts-the state's most prestigious school for aspiring young artists. Student try-outs and auditions for the past several years had clearly indicated a need well beyond the ability of the Center to provide. Of the 1,100+ high-school-aged kids who auditioned annually, only about 160 were accepted each year for the prestigious summer program.

Staff members of the Collaborative have extensive experience in the worlds of education, the arts and government. For this reason, the Kentucky Center contracted with the Collaborative to conduct a four-month study of the Governor's School to develop recommendations for improving the school's effectiveness and possible expansion to serve more aspiring young artists. The Collaborative planned and implemented regional public forums to gather citizen input, designed and managed questionnaires and conducted interviews to gauge the degree to which a need for expansion existed, and to formulate recommendations for the school's growth. With the report findings and our recommendations, the school:

• established a state-wide board of advisors to advise and assist with fundraising and public awareness
• expanded to serve 200 students and plans to expand to two campuses, serving 400 students statewide
• increased its budget to serve more students and to improve its awareness efforts
• expanded the scope of arts disciplines taught to include musical theater and media arts

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