Barbara Schaffer-Bacon

Barbara Schaffer-Bacon's career launched in 1977 at the UMass Arts Extension Service, a national leader in professional education for local arts managers, artists, and civic leaders. Barbara served as director from 1984-90. She led Fundamentals and Advanced Local Arts Management seminars and contributed to the Fundamentals of Local Arts Management textbook and The Cultural Planning Work Kit. In 1996 Barbara took a lead role with Pam Korza to conduct research for and shape Animating Democracy, a program of Americans for the Arts. It shone an early and bright national light on arts for change work and built knowledge about quality practice and created useful resources including Continuum of Impact: A Guide for Defining Social & Civic Outcomes & Indicators and Aesthetic Perspectives: Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change. Barbara’s independent consulting work has focused on planning facilitation, program design and evaluation for local, state, and national arts agencies and private foundations. With Pam Korza, Barbara has conducted research and learning assessments for Barr Foundation’s Arts & Creativity program with: NEFA’s Creative City; The Boston Foundation’s Live Arts Boston; the Metropolitan Regional Planning Council’s Arts & Culture Department; and most recently compiled a profile of Organizations Supporting BIPOC Artists In Massachusetts. She currently serves as a program consultant for the Barr Foundation Creative Commonwealth Initiative. Barbara currently serves as a member of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. A Belchertown, MA resident, she served on the Belchertown School Committee for fourteen years. In 2018, Barbara received the Robert E. Gard Foundation Leadership Award.