The Gossips
12” by 36” / Acrylic Painting / $ 325
Getting community buy-in is often like whispering down the lane. It is a person to person conversation that eventually reaches a tipping point that pushes an idea over the precipice for implementation.

The following excerpt is from Lives of Museum Junkies that is due out at the end of August. Look for information in upcoming blogs. I will be holding several book signings beginning in Tampa, Florida in September; Lansing, Michigan in October; and Portland, Oregon in November. The book is presently at the printers and will be available in a few weeks. I look forward to seeing you at one of these events.

Community
“World events can never be ignored. A milestone that occurred when I was young turned the entire country looking skyward. Sputnik was launched. This was the first time a spaceship was successfully placed in orbit. I remember my mother saying to me that she always prided herself in keeping up with change, but somehow she could not understand what it meant to be putting objects in space. She felt lost and confused about the future.

Many adults today feel like my mother did in the Sputnik era. Technology continuously introduces changes at such a rapid rate that it is not surprising that coping is difficult. We watch many former jobs disappear, and at the same time sophisticated technological positions stay unfilled because of a lack of technical education. Streetwise once told me that he wished he were born one-hundred years ago. He did not like the competition and fast pace of city life, rebelled against using computers, and was fearful of driving on freeways. Thankfully, over the past years he has learned to cope with all of these realities.

This young man’s reaction was similar to that of many of his peers who lacked an understanding of basic subjects, current events, and scientific advancements. Yet these are the men and women who will be voting and making decisions that affect society in the future. The high school dropout rate in the United States is 25 percent, which is a concern since democracy depends on an educated populace.

As a museum director, I remained cognizant of our continually changing society with ever-evolving community issues, and soon realized that the job was filled with push-pull opportunities. I had ideas of what I thought the community needed, but it was not until citizens pushed me to accomplish what I preached that I could succeed. If I had not spearheaded the museum’s growth, it would not have happened, but it was the community that did not let me fail. People grabbed on to ideas and would not let them die. In some respects, I was set up to succeed as long as I was just willing to put in the hours, accept the pain and pitfalls, and not think about anything but the end result. Absolutely no one wanted me to fail. . . .

Lives of Museum Junkies offers insight into how this is done.
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You may have a private business with family, investors and bankers committed to your success or you may be involved in a nonprofit organization that depends on community contributions. Perhaps you are working for one or another politician and walking door to door with his or her message. Whatever your passion, it is imperative that you not only communicate but get community buy-in if you want to succeed. This is not always easy. There is an art to organizing people and enabling them to feel a part of your cause.
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Do share your experience in how you went about getting community involvement in your project. Respond at eichingerfineart.com/blog.
Artwork is always for sale. Contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.
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For sale on Amazon by Marilynne Eichinger: The True Story of Streetwise, overcoming homelessness and beating the odds. Go to AMAZON .