{"id":11682,"date":"2025-07-08T14:39:41","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T14:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/?post_type=resource&p=11682"},"modified":"2026-02-25T20:13:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T20:13:43","slug":"creating-and-activating-community-advisory-committees","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/resources\/guides-tools\/creating-and-activating-community-advisory-committees\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating and Activating Community Advisory Committees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Community advisory committees offer a meaningful way for small arts organizations to stay grounded in the people they serve, inviting feedback, shaping programming, and building trust while sharing power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s not as simple as just starting a group and expecting it to flourish. Successful community advisory committees require intention, flexibility, and long-term care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we explore how three small-but-mighty Midwestern organizations have created and activated community advisory committees in ways that reflect their values, center participant voices, and strengthen their work.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll hear how each organization tailored their approach to meet their goals, what challenges they faced, what impact they\u2019ve observed, and what advice they have for others.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Racing Magpie: A Community-Driven Outdoor Transformation <\/h2>\n\n\n
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\n \n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg> Photo Credit: Racing Magpie<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
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\n Racing Magpie’s Community Garden. \n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n \n \n <\/figure>\n\n
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Founded in 2015, Racing Magpie<\/a> is a Lakota-centric arts and culture organization located in Rapid City, South Dakota. Their mission is to center the Lakota practice of being a good relative in everything that they do, and to focus their work on elevating and amplifying the work that Lakota and other Native artists and culture bearers are already doing in their community.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A small organization of just one part-time and two full-time staff members, Racing Magpie considers their large volunteer base to be an important part of their organizational team, along with artists, culture bearers, and other community members. Their work comes to life through affordable studio spaces, a Native art gallery, arts and cultural programming, innovative collaborations, and creative community space.<\/p>\n

One of Racing Magpie\u2019s main goals is ensuring that their spaces are welcoming and comfortable for Lakota community members and making sure that their spaces directly reflect decision making by the community. <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, they\u2019ve had many requests (or shared dreams, as they call them) from Lakota community members for activating outdoor space, both to increase relationship with the earth and the plant world and to become a learning environment for traditional plant and medicine knowledge.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the building they rented from 2016-2020, creating an outdoor space wasn\u2019t an option. But, in 2021, when Racing Magpie acquired a new facility with yard space, an opportunity presented itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To maintain their goal of community-driven decision making, they reached out to community members they knew had an interest in the project\u2014 first to share the good news, and then to invite them to a series of planning meetings. They also reached out to a local landscape architect for support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They then held hybrid meetings (on Zoom and in-person, to encourage attendance) where the group responded to a series of questions:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n