Danforth, Natick center are testing future together

Danforth Museum director Katherine French welcomes the Center for Arts in Natick pact. (Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)

Framingham's Danforth Museum of Art and the Center for Arts in Natick have formed a partnership that arts advocates are calling a cutting-edge venture, one that includes sharing membership benefits, creating joint programming, and applying for joint funding.

The boards of the organizations voted to approve the alliance last week after months of talks. The alliance is a one-year agreement that can be renewed, according to representatives from the institutions.

"We're both regional organizations that have been successful, but going into the future with a continued tough economy and a lot of arts organizations suffering, we thought, 'What can we do to sustain and grow?' " said David Lavalley, executive director of the Natick performing arts center, known as TCAN. "We thought that by combining these things in interesting ways we continue what we're doing, but we make it more."

Both institutions say they hope to build on each other's strengths to expand their offerings, which could mean the exhibition of visual arts in Natick, and the presentation of musical performances at the museum.

"It's a real commitment to enhancing programming at both institutions," said Katherine French, the Danforth Museum's director. "It's looking to another organization to be helpful without being a drain on resources."

It also means that museum members will get discounts to events at the arts center, and TCAN members will get free admission to the museum.

Arts observers say formal, potentially long-term alliances like this are uncommon.

"This is distinct and it may in fact be on the leading edge of a trend, because there's a lot of discussion of mergers in arts organizations," said Dan Hunter, executive director of Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities. "Both of these organizations do a good job of promoting themselves, so it's intriguing to me that they've joined together . . . I think it's laudable and I think the real beneficiaries will be . . . Framingham and the MetroWest area."

Museum and arts center representatives stress that each institution will retain its independence and will have the freedom to pursue partnerships or alliances with other arts organizations. They say they decided to join forces partly because their institutions have similar operating budgets, of at least $1 million, and at least 1,000 members.

Foundations and other funding sources have long stressed collaboration among cultural organizations, say arts advocates.

"In general, there's a lot of encouragement of funders to see organizations partner and leverage each other's resources and assets," said Judy Salerno, executive director of the Crossroads Community Foundation, a nonprofit charity that encourages philanthropic efforts in area communities. "This is a very entrepreneurial venture they're undertaking."

The institutions are applying jointly for a $10,000 grant from the foundation, Salerno said.

Collaborations among arts organizations on specific projects are becoming more and more common, say arts advocates. And the alliance between the Danforth and TCAN could serve as a model for broader commitments.

"This is a real exciting move on the part of both," said Anita Walker, executive director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which distributes state aid to community arts agencies. "When there's a good success story out there, people pay attention. I have a lot of confidence; it's clear a lot of thought went into this. I think they're on the right track."

Previous collaborations have yielded positive results. Ryan Taylor, general director of Berkshire Opera Company, based in Pittsfield, joined forces with the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown this summer. Their collaboration led to "Vocal Colors," which featured projections of some of the museum's paintings set to music performed by members of the opera company.

"People were very struck by what we did," Taylor said. "It was very different and entirely unexpected."

Representatives from the Danforth and the Natick center say they want to expose their audiences to something different in an attempt to deepen and enhance their overall arts experience.

Taylor said that introducing audiences to an unfamiliar artistic genre is feasible once people understand that the medium or form of delivery is not the most important ingredient.

"The way that you can cross-pollinate your patron base is to understand that your artists are telling stories," he said.

Other arts organizations are closely watching the Danforth and TCAN venture and waiting to see its impact. Sherry Anderson, executive director of the Performing Arts Center of MetroWest in Framingham, said she has formed informal partnerships with other organizations, such as participating in a children's theater festival this summer with other regional groups and doing joint marketing with the Amazing Things Arts Center in Framingham.

But the trend seems to be moving in the direction of more formalized partnerships.

"I hope to jump on that bandwagon with my organization," Anderson said. "I do think it's important in the future for us to join up together."