The Art of Mass Gatherings
An experiential workforce development program that builds disaster preparedness and resilience through music, food & festivals
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The Art of Mass Gatherings (AoMG) is a workforce development program that builds community resilience and disaster preparedness through the arts, culture, food, and festivals. Whether a single day learning event or a statewide training program, AoMG brings together a variety of professionals—including event producers, arts and cultural organizations, and emergency responders— for hands-on learning and networking. Participants meet one another and share knowledge and practices that increase the safety, accessibility and sustainability of large gatherings of people.
Hundreds of people in ten cities across the country have already participated in this innovative program, developed by Majestic Collaborations and featured by FEMA in its Arts & Experiential Learning Inspiration Book. Keep scrolling to learn more or see where we’ve been so far. Interested in bringing a learning event or training program to your festival, community, or state? Get in touch!
Current estimates suggest that every dollar invested in disaster preparedness saves $13 in the long run. The foundation of all Art of Mass Gatherings is our unique four pillar framework for resilient gatherings: safety, sustainability, accessibility, and community engagement. These factors are critical for the safety and success of public gatherings of all kinds, from festivals to political rallies to disaster response sites.
During symposia, participants learn high-impact practices for increasing the safety, sustainability, accessibility, and community engagement of their events. Through site tours and hands-on workshops, they engage with the hosting sites and put their new knowledge into practice. We can provide both single-day workshops in key topics as well as a two-week certification to become a Mass Gatherings Resilience Specialist.
As communities begin outfitting buildings for use as resilience hubs, one of the greatest investments they can make is in people. Our program prepares a workforce ready to staff, manage, and continuously improve community resilience hubs to serve diverse populations across a wide array of activities.
Majestic Collaborations also offers site design consulting and asset mapping services based on the principles and tools of the Art of Mass Gatherings. Contact us for a free initial consultation.
Why festivals?
Local events exist at the crossroads of community, tradition, and social transformation. Structurally, they also share a surprising amount in common with disaster response sites, from temporary structures to emergency planning and crowd management, accessibility needs, and the design of food, waste, and water systems.
That makes festivals and other mass gatherings ideal classrooms and sandboxes for arts and culture workers, emergency professionals, and community members alike to meet one another, learn, and practice the art of resilience. They offer a trauma-reduced setting for professionals to keep their skills fresh, while also getting to know some of the people, places, service providers, and potential risks they’ll confront should a disaster strike locally.
That’s exactly what we do at The Art of Mass Gatherings.Â
Community Asset Mapping
Our Arts & Cultural Asset Maps document the physical infrastructure, capacities, and knowledge stewarded by local arts, culture, and event industries. It helps identify tangible and intangible arts and cultural resources worth protecting and also maps how local people and organizations can contribute to community resilience, especially as places seek to fortify themselves against natural disasters. The collaborative process prioritizes conversation and networking as participants from diverse sectors work together towards a common goal.
One of the first decisions in an ACRA mapping process is deciding how to host and maintain the content to ensure maximum usability in times of need while protecting sensitive information. We can integrate in ArcGIS platforms or provide custom solutions. See an example locally hosted map for Raleigh, NC created during an online webinar.
Majestic Collaborations also offers site design consulting and asset mapping services based on the principles and tools of the Art of Mass Gatherings. Contact us for a free initial consultation.