Arts Integration Report
In 2008 when Pillsbury United Communities chose to integrate its largest community center – Pillsbury House – with the professional theatre based in the same space, Pillsbury House + Theatre was formed.
This decision began a journey to create a fully arts-integrated agency that fosters creativity and community in one of Minnesota’s most diverse neighborhoods.
Pillsbury United Communities has a 135 year history of innovation, spanning social services, business ventures, and neighborhood based programs. The story of Pillsbury House + Theatre’s transformation provides insight into the organization’s creative approach to neighborhood revitalization and community building.
Arts Integration as Pathway to Unity in the Community: The (Ongoing) Journey of Pillsbury House + Theatre is a 2013 study detailing the inner workings of this transition. The report, by journalist and arts funder Nancy Fushan, draws on stories and interviews with more than 30 staff, artists, program participants, community and civic leaders, residents, and funders, along with data from independent program evaluations, to give readers an in-depth look at Pillsbury House + Theatre’s process of becoming an arts-integrated social services agency.