The Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) is a community-based nonprofit that works for social justice, delivers a range of social services, and cultivates the arts in urban communities. This presentation shares their audience engagement initiative "Takin' It To The Streets"

2. Inner-city Muslim Action Network
(IMAN)
• Started in 1997 on the Southwest Side of Chicago
(Chicago Lawn)
• Focus on Three Major Areas:
• Community Organizing
• Direct Services
• Arts and Culture

3. Arts & Culture
• Takin’ It to the Streets
• Community Café
• Youth Programs
• Artist Retreat

4. • Mostly between the ages of 15 – 40, with support from elders
• South Asian, African American, Arab, and Latino
• 75% Muslim
• Varying levels of income and education
• Live on the South Side, throughout Chicago, and in the Suburbs
• Value strong sense of community, appreciate the arts
Core Audience

5. Free and Open to the Public

6. Engaging New Audiences
• Expanding our reach:
• City Center Dwellers
• World Music Lovers
• Arts Connoisseurs
• Curious Citizens
• Other Muslim communities/ethnic backgrounds

7. Partnership with DCA and Millennium Park
• Partner on a “pre-concert” at Millennium Park
• Bring IMAN’s core audience to Millennium Park
• Drive Millennium Park regulars to Takin’ It to the Streets/Marquette Park
• Incentivize both events
• Collect Data at both events

8. Anticipated Outcomes
• One promotional event before Takin’ It to the Streets
• 1,000 People from IMAN’s base attend the
Millennium Park Event
• 1,000 People from Millennium Park event attend
Takin’ It to the Streets
• Increase IMAN’s database by 500 people based
on the partnership
• 20,000 total attendees

9. Actual Outcomes
The festival expands to an entire week!

10. Actual Outcomes

11. Actual Outcomes

12. Actual Outcomes

13. Actual Outcomes

14. Actual Outcomes
20,000+ attend week’s events,
18,000 came to Takin’ it to the Streets,
3,000 People added to IMAN’s database
(and almost 200 artists!)

15. Actual Outcomes
Great media support, coverage, and exposure
(WBEZ, Time Out, Chicago Reader, CNN, Washington Post)
Sustained Support from Institutions and Foundations
(Department of Cultural Affairs, Old Town School of Folk Music,
Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art)

16. Sources of Audience Data
• 2007 - 2009:
• Hand-held counters
• Audience Surveys
• Social Media
• E-Mail List
• 2010:
• Hand-held counters
• Pre-registration
• On-site registration (with demographic information)
• Incentives for registration
• Interviews
• Audience Surveys
• SMS Campaign
• Chicago Police Department
• Video Footage
• Social Media
• E-mail List

17. What’s Next?
• 2011 will serve as a year of evaluation and planning with limited
programming
• Artists engagement: surveys, interviews, and retreat
• Development of Arts Council
• Consolidate methods of Data Collection
• Better integrate database
• Create long term partnerships
• Leverage Social Media

18. Advice
Build in time for analysis, evaluation, and reflection!