Together we aim to ensure that the arts thrive and remain accessible, inclusive, and integral to the fabric of Downtown Brooklyn!
Mission
& History
Downtown Brooklyn Arts Alliance (DBAA) was founded in 2010 to connect local non-profit arts and cultural organizations to enable collaboration, facilitate joint advocacy, and address issues that affect the local arts community. Formed originally as a cohort of 12 arts organizations, DBAA has grown substantially to include c. 60 member organizations. Our membership area includes the Brooklyn Cultural District in Fort Greene, the Downtown Brooklyn Business District, and areas that are adjacent to these particularly dense hubs of activity.
DBAA nurtures a local peer network of arts professionals and promotes opportunities for arts organizations to partner with other sectors to support neighborhood well-being.
Values
DBAA was founded to actively build relationships among peers at organizations that are diverse in mission, size, age, and constituencies represented and served, and to provide avenues for collaboration and the leveraging of our collective strength to help all member organizations reach their full potential.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access – DBAA is committed to ensuring the equity and the diversity of voices represented in all DBAA programs and initiatives and seek, like the arts and cultural endeavors our organizations collectively champion, to foster an appreciation and understanding of the broad spectrum of individual differences – cultural, racial, religious, socio-economic, or based on sexual identity, gender, physical, developmental or intellectual ability – as well as a spirit of collegiality and friendship among those who participate in our activities.
Self-Governance – DBAA’s structure is designed to facilitate governance by and focused on the needs of its member organizations. A majority of board seats are reserved for staff members at member organizations; a broader committee structure offers opportunities for all members to provide input and oversight for all programming and initiatives.
Programming
DBAA brings together three approaches: we are at once a forum for peer support, a professional development services provider, and an advocate for the arts at a neighborhood level and for connecting arts organizations to local opportunities.
DBAA’s programming is designed to strengthen the ability of arts professionals to sustain and grow their organizations, forge new paradigms for collaboration, and increase impact in the communities we collectively serve.
Program Areas
Nurturing a Supportive and Inclusive Neighborhood Network for Arts Professionals. We serve as a trusted platform for collaboration and resource-sharing as well as for seeking advice and peer support as well as relationship-buliding with local officials and civic leaders locally.
Convenings range from roundtable discussions, professional development workshops, and other networking events for our members to events focused on local issues in Brooklyn and featuring local civic, business, and elected leaders as speakers;
Advocacy focuses on communicating the value of Downtown Brooklyn’s non-profit arts organizations to local leaders, encouraging partnerships to support neighborhood well-being and reaching new local audiences.