Strategic Plan

Beginning in October 2018 through November 2018 focus groups and surveys with stakeholders were conducted to obtain information needed to shape the University Galleries’ strategic plan.

Stakeholder groups:

• School of Art & Art History Students
• School of Art & Art History Faculty
• UF Community Stakeholders: Current COTA and University of Florida Faculty & Staff
• Community Stakeholders: Former SAAH, COTA faculty & staff, Alumni, Donors

Main themes that appear across each of the groups are the following:

• Improving access to the University Galleries—addressing parking concerns, extending hours of operation
• Increasing visibility—branding, marketing and promotional activities, positioning as a social destination (food, plaza enhancements)
• Community involvement—K-12 programming, Artwalk Gainesville
• Faculty integration—increasing faculty involvement in programing, aligning programming with curricular needs, exploring use as laboratory or experimental space
• Forming partnerships— Harn Museum of Art (cross-promotion, but maintaining niche/distinctiveness), Florida Museum of Natural History, City of Gainesville
• General support for pursuing accreditation

The following are findings that are distinctive to the respective stakeholder group. All groups expressed ideas mentioned above in main themes.

School of Art & Art History Students

• GALLERY DESCRIPTION: beautiful and cool
• GOALS: bring in professional artists, present a broad range of work
• OPPORTUNITIES: increase the size of the gallery
• ACCREDITATION: some concern as to what type of impact the accreditation guidelines may have on student exhibitions
• HARN RELATIONSHIP: the galleries as an extension of Harn, opportunity for students to learn from the Harn and exhibit work

School of Art & Art History Faculty

• GALLERY DESCRIPTION: stunning, beautiful, and fun; underutilized and uninspiring
• GOALS: educate students, serve curricular needs, expose the community to different forms of art mediums, showcase student work
• OPPORTUNITIES: improving web presence, reevaluating the role of the advisory committee (including members outside of the School), more active role for faculty, strengthen faculty research, more alignment between programming and curriculum, increasing faculty curated shows, and use as an experimental space for students
• ACCREDITATION: increase professional standards, best practices, realize new potential, secure more resources; concerns regarding accreditation were costs for upgrading facilities, lighting, making security improvements
• HARN RELATIONSHIP: better coordinating of calendars, increased conversation and potential sharing between the two
• AUDIENCE: engage non-COTA students through Good Life course or cultural credit

UF Community Stakeholders: Current COTA and University of Florida Faculty & Staff

• GALLERY DESCRIPTION: cozy, a great resource, groovy, hip, friendly to inaccessible, remote, and underutilized
• GOALS: education, cultural resource for the university and community, promote teaching and learning for SAAH & COTA, the “face” of SAAH, and to serve the curricular needs of SAAH
• OPPORTUNITIES: become social destination
• ACCREDITATION [This group not directly asked about it, but topic surfaced in discussions.]: could pursue accreditation as a singular unit or through a consortium model, e.g., partnership with the Harn & FLMNH
• HARN RELATIONSHIP: under a unified university “arts” umbrella while maintaining the distinct difference between the two

Community Stakeholders: Former SAAH, COTA faculty & staff, Alumni, Donors

• GALLERY DESCRIPTION: stimulating, forward thinking, cutting edge, welcoming and cool
• GOALS: student teaching and training, showcase student and faculty work, to expose UF and he community to a range or art and support the programs of SAAH
• OPPORTUNITIES: increase funding and donor opportunities, courtyard enhancements (i.e. food), recurring events
• HARN RELATIONSHIP: collaborative programming

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