Capture a Clear Past and Future in the Mission Statement

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest Disney-Britton
AUSTRALIA---Too many arts organizations are formed without a clear sense of what truly "roots" them in a compelling past, and what "motivates" them to move forward. As a result, they flounder and fail to grow. They fail to recall why they started and fail to link that to the future. Having a clear motivational mission is key to sustaining any organization, and one model mission statement is that of the Blake Prize in Australia. "Through our programs art and poetry challenge perceptions of spirituality, religion and human justice and foster open and intelligent conversation about what it is to be human," explained Stefanie Lewis, General Manager for the Black Society, Ltd. Founded in 1949, as an incentive to raise the standard of religious art, "The Blake is one of Australia’s most popular and important art and poetry prizes."

Mission: “The Blake Society promotes an investigation of the relationship between the religious imagination, spirituality, human justice and the creative arts by: (1) Encouraging expressions of the religious imagination, spirituality and human justice through the creative arts; (2) Engaging with audiences to develop interest in the religious imagination, spirituality in its various forms through visual arts and literature; and (3) Managing the Society to achieve its aims.” [Source: Email from Stefanie Lewis]