Episode 13: Advocacy Through Art with Non-Profit Consultant and Poet Robert Edward Miss
Join your host Betsy Bush as she speaks with Robert Edward Miss, a non-profit consultant and author of Prospero's Glove. They discuss Robert’s career as a consultant, his advocacy for the creation of art by the developmentally disabled, and he reads two of his wonderful poems with us!
Transcript:
Betsy Bush (00:58):
My guest today is Rob Miss, whose long career as a nonprofit consultant has thrived along with his work as a poet. He's also a passionate advocate for encouraging the creation of art by the developmentally disabled. We're going to have a fascinating conversation, Rob, thank you so much for being on the latest version. You've had a long career as a consultant to nonprofit boards of directors. But along with that, you've had some really fascinating, I don't even want to call them side gigs because the poetry that you've been writing has brought alongside your career. But also I want to talk, you know, eventually about your advocacy for the developmentally disabled and giving them the artistic tools they need to create. And I find that such an interesting field. So tell me a little bit about your career as a non-profit consultant and the sort of work you've been doing there.
Rob Miss (02:02):
Sure. I I've worked in the nonprofit field. Most of my adult life, actually at the university of North Carolina, I help people start media companies. And of course that I worked in public television during that period for 15 years at the university of North Carolina owned the licenses to a statewide TV network. I actually ran that the last five years I was there. It's very exciting. But anyway, I went from there to back to New York, to New York on the way I stopped in Washington DC and was editor of what was then known as the association of public relations in colleges and universities. So that was also a nonprofit. And then when I get back to New York, I ended up as vice president for development and fundraising for a large organization, which is now called Heart Share Human Services in Brooklyn. From there, I became a consultant in New Jersey with a small firm. I met this woman named Gae Savino, who also lived in Westchester and we decided to go into business for ourselves. So for 12 years, she and I were consultants to nonprofits in New York and New Jersey primarily and then up in the Boston area too. And then she left the business and became an advocate for aging in place and things like that. We left amicably. But then I really got deeply involved with working with boards of directors. And that's what you referred to.
Betsy Bush (03:46):
What is it about the board of directors of a nonprofit, perhaps my listener isn't familiar with the role that the board of directors plays at an organization, the library or the social service agency down the street, or all the different sorts of nonprofits that exist in a community. Why is a board of directors important and why is it so crucial that they get on the right track or they get consulting from someone like you?
Rob Miss (04:18):
Well, you know, it starts out legally. In fact, when I do board retreats, one of the first things I tell the board is you are responsible for a corporation who are the directors of a bonafide corporation, and that has a legal responsibilities. Sometimes that really shocks them because very often in non nonprofit field, some people want to go into the board because they're well-intentioned, but they don't really understand the, the gravity of what they're getting into. So that's, that's really basic. And I think the other side of this is that the board is where they're really where the action is. It has to do with setting policy and seeing how or monitoring how that policy is carried out. So that that's, to me, what makes it really important and why it's important, became important for me to work with boards. And also I enjoy it. I like to mix it up with people and my partner and I put forward before, she left the business had started what we call board workshops.
Betsy Bush (05:28):
Think of an example of a board that did a turnaround or had entered a new phase because of some of the consulting or some of the council you were able to give them. Can you think of a time when someone turned it around or when some, when a board was in trouble or, you know, how might a board benefit from someone like you coming in?
Rob Miss (05:53):
One of the ways that that happens is that when you get a group of people together and you get them engaged, they start thinking outside the box. It's just a natural thing. The most recent one, I guess, is I worked with a group in New Rochelle that it's a foundation for one of the schools. All of a sudden during this conversation, people bring in solutions to things that no one had thought about before, because they weren't that engaged. And that's where you start to see change happening when you're working with an engaged board and engagement is really the key. I find that a lot of nonprofits staff, senior staff in particular, begin to see like a a real crisis of conflict at times. And it does happen of course, but if the board is engaged and staff are involved in that engagement as much as possible, the best results come out of that. One of the examples I guess, is this is some years ago that I was working with a group that dealt with folks who are challenged mentally in the mental health area. And I insisted that some of the clients be part of the conversation when we did a board retreat. So those folks came out with some of the best ideas and it opened people's minds. That was a significant change that I could refer to.
Betsy Bush (07:24):
So interesting. And that sounds like a lot of where we're going to be heading to when we talk about art and the creation of art among the developmentally disabled, which is something you've been championing for a few years. Why don't you tell me about that? Sure. I see on the Arc of Westchester site arc, which is a, I guess they have chapters all over the country arc that's
Rob Miss (07:53):
Right. That's a national brand now,
Betsy Bush (07:56):
Right? They have in Westchester and it's visible on the website, arc Westchester the gallery, there are artworks paintings by clients of arc of Westchester. Can you tell me a little bit about that and how you got involved..
Rob Miss (08:14):
Well, I had Arc Westchester as a client for 15 years, so I got to know them very well. In fact, I got to know that the now retired executive director, Rick Swierat, you know, he and I really became friends, but we kind of kept a professional distance in terms of how I did that work. So he always had in his, the original headquarters, which is a White Plains, he always had picture of a piece of art and a little biography of the person and that went on for years, but he built a new building. It's not so new now, I guess it's about 12 years old up in up north near Thornwood. It's a beautiful building had input from, and think this is a good bet. Back round is show how that this kind of evolved. He had input from people getting services there into the architecture planning of the building. And out of that, he got the idea to have a gallery there. It's a beautiful building and help on the first floor above the ground floor. They actually had a waterfall. So incredible. And that was a suggestion by the self advocate group of folks with developmental disabilities, that they wanted water to be the same, the building, and from that grew the idea of a gallery. So,uhe asked me to head up a committee to develop it gallery and it kind of floated along for a long time because I did other stuff then other services. And then finally we kind of got serious about it, about five years,uin my head, everything that had been developed art-wise digitized, so we could reproduce it in museum quality pieces and framing them professionally. And so we developed that out as a,usomething to take out into the community. That was my idea. And I think the last year I was there, we had something like 18 exhibits around a Westchester. And in banks, libraries, businesses, coffee shops, you name it. So we kind of outgrew the whole idea, you know? And so I'm not with them anymore. I moved on to other things, but what I took away from it,uit was this advocacy. So it kind of grew, I didn't start out. I wasn't born being an advocate for this kind of art. And it varies quite a bit. The way it develops is that because of the need to deal with people in groups, in this kind of work, these kinds of services art is done in a group, but you always find people who have a special talent or interest. And so that's what, as an advocate I've begun to focus on is not to do it in groups because that's what they do. But to look at what some of the better pieces are and put together an exhibit that introduces this art and the individuals who do the art rather than a group. To me, that's very, very important. So that's how my advocacy has developed. So one of the things I did out of that is I set up the fund for artists with disabilities, through the Westchester community foundation. I seeded that that has to develop because it kind of sits there. And after I did, I realized I'm an activist. I have to have some action to,uto make things happen.
Betsy Bush (12:15):
If you want some examples of some of the beautiful art that is created by these clients of arc of Westchester, beautiful abstract geometric there's some figural, but not as much just use of color and shapes, really beautiful, go to arc westchester.org and go to the gallery page. I started to wonder if, and maybe you can answer this, is this a new thing where kind of empowering people with developmental disabilities to create art, to put art supplies into people's hands? Is this a new idea or is this, is it new because we're exposing the rest of the world to the art that these people can create?
Rob Miss (13:08):
It's not new at all. For this reason, it grows out of the mission to improve the quality of life of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. That's where it comes from, which is a wonderful mission. And so, as I said, it's done in groups, but you also begin to identify people who have a special talent. And what is new is putting it out there as a, as an art that comes from people who have talent that you ordinarily wouldn't recognize. That's, what's relatively new about it. There are several agencies or nonprofits, I guess, around the country who do this. Arc is one of them there with the most advanced one that I've visited in San Francisco is called Creativity eEplored. They have they're over the moon. They're incredible. They have a full studio with a full time teachers and people come from all over the city. It's not just one. You know, they draw from a lot of different organizations and, and private families. They come there every day and work. They have besides using easels and paints and so forth, they have a whole battery of, of computers to do computer art. For example, they do sculpture and the woman who founded it was very smart. She was able to get the state of California to understand that this was vocational training. I'm not sure I could pull that off in New York, but that's that's how they got that started. So, and there's like another one in Texas. There's another one in California. There's one in upstate New York that it's very advanced, but that's kind of leading edge. You don't find that everywhere. That one, another local one is IAHD which is based in Tarrytown, New York has services in the Bronx. They want the extra mile and hired a young artist who actually we'll get into it later, but he did the cover for my book that just came out Johnny Mackay, and he has developed an incredible program there. And they deal with folks who are developmentally disabled.
Betsy Bush (15:34):
You know, I wonder with, you know, looking at the art that that is, you know, visible on the arc Westchester site. I do wonder if we're missing something, those of us who are not in contact with this population of that, that we disregard or play down the, the different talents that these people may have. I was really struck by some of them as just being very sophisticated and, and unique in a way.
Rob Miss (16:07):
I can tell you one example of what's very unique. There's one artist there at arc Westchester by the name of John Israel, John Israel is now in his late sixties. I think when he was a young boy, his mother was an artist. John has never spoken a word in his life. Wow. And his mother passed away so many years later, he was encouraged or he kind of came upon the idea of doing art. He uses the same color spectrum that his mom used, and he has become - there's one piece there that everybody loves. It's a fish. That, that is an incredible piece of art. So I'm not sure that answers your question, but I, that whenever anybody brings this up, I always think of John Israel. And I still get goosebumps. When I think about it. The other part of this that no one seems to, not no one, but most people don't recognize is that as individuals, beginning to develop a talent, gives them confidence.
Rob Miss (17:18):
And I know several examples, having worked with arc that long of the individuals who developed their art, who then got the confidence to go out and get a job. Wow. You know, the Arc Westchester, like many of these organizations have job programs. I saw that happen. One individual who does a lot of line drawing, a young man was very, very shy and we stumbled upon his art and he wouldn't even show up. He'd come to a, like at the last minute, before the office closed in a hoodie and kind of look around and eventually he kind of came out and became an incredible artist and got a job. I mean, so that's another part of it that I think rides along with the mission of, of these kinds of organizations that provides these kinds of services.
Betsy Bush (18:17):
Well, I think for the rest of us, there's also something about art that is brings out a different part of us that we find was hidden or disregarded as unimportant at some point gets another part of your brain working, which kind of leads us into your, your main focus. Now I take it now that you are semi retired from fundraising, from consulting is your poetry.
Rob Miss (18:48):
That's a great lead in, you're a real pro. That's great.
Betsy Bush (18:54):
So, so you also tell I guess I knew you as a, you know, we've, we've had some interactions over the years as we've been in the same kind of fundraising circles. And then I was really surprised to see that you had published a book of poetry about six, seven years ago, six years ago. Yeah. And I'm like, wow, I didn't know this about Rob. And, but it turns out it's been something you've been doing all along.
Rob Miss (19:25):
Yes, That was self-published. But as I said earlier, my friend Patrick, Samway, the priest said to me, he and I went to school together. Like, it's about time. You did a book. So I thought, okay, the church has spoken. I did this with somebody who may know Andrew Deichmann, who has a printing business. And they deal a lot with nonprofits. And he he's a trained artist himself. And he did a great job putting that out. But, you know, I gave that away to friends and people I knew and family, it wasn't published by a publisher and that's not considered, you know, as advanced as have having a publisher, that still exists. But I wrote my first poem when I was in the third grade. I still remember, I don't remember it anymore, but I remember I said that my dog spot was ston, S T O N G by a, B my mother kept it. I have it somewhere. And then I wrote in high school, but it was when I was in college. I had two professors that really got me very interested to be serious about poetry. The one who really brought me along was an expert in Joyce, and who's really very knowledgeable about poetry. And I would write things and he would say, well, that's compared to so-and-so, you know? And I began to think, well, maybe I have something here and it's all, but it's always been, I've never been prolific. It's always been something it's almost like writing music that something occurs to me or insight or whatever it is. And it grabs hold of me and I have to do it and finish it until I feel like it's done. And the rent could be due and 10 people calling me, but I don't pay any attention till it's time. It's, it's a, it's almost like an addiction for temporary addiction.
Betsy Bush (21:31):
So let me ask you your poetry life involves things like giving readings, right? You, and getting involved. Is there a group of poetry, writers or poets in, in the community that comes together? Is that one way that you are connecting with other people in writing poetry?
Rob Miss (21:53):
It's very unorganized. The pandemic actually has been helpful. I started a relationship with the Dobbs Ferry Library where I live and I was planning to do before the right, before the pandemic, a, a gallery exhibit through Riverside Arts and that fell through, of course, but then through the library, I decided let's do a poetry reading. So six or seven of us did a poetry reading by zoom, and we've all kept in touch. So, and then someone will get an idea to do this and, and, you know, we'll set up a poetry reading, but there, it's not that organized. There is a young man whose name is Zork, that's his go by? Okay. Zork Allen. He is a been a national participant in poetry slams. And he started going to white Plains library. He's been doing this for a number of years, and I'm not sure how long, at least five years. I know he runs poetry slams. And at the same time, he'll have open mic that that's been very successful. And one of the most moving things about those is that young people let's say from Children's Village will come and participate. And it's like a diversity that you would not believe that was interrupted by the pandemic, but I'm sure it'll come back again. And there's, there's the Blue Door. I'm just thinking of these. Now that one in in Yonkers that I actually don't know much about, but I know that they do open mic and that, and that's, what'll pop up from time to time and opened kind of situation here and there. So there, there is this kind of undercurrent of poetry that goes on all the time, but there's no one big organization that controls.
Betsy Bush (23:58):
That's so interesting. This puts you in touch with people that you would not otherwise come across in your daily life, but what is that like?
Rob Miss (24:06):
Well, you know, it's there's kind of a natural connection. There's also competition. You know, it's like people looking over the shoulder of other people, like, what are you doing, you know, to, to get published or did you get an award, blah, blah, blah. But it's, everybody is always very positive about and proud of what other people have done, but there is a little undercurrent of competition. Of course there should be. And then it keeps you on your toes.
Betsy Bush (24:36):
I've asked you to read a poem and I'm wondering if you have it ready. I would love to share with my listener. I'd like this one in particular. Maybe you want to just kind of set it up for us because I think you placed it in your, your boy hood experiences.
Rob Miss (24:53):
Sure. It's one of my favorites, as I mentioned to you earlier, it's called the wild boys of schoolhouse road by Robert Edward Miss. I always have to put my name in there, just like doing it, but I'll give you the background. The I'm in Frederick, Maryland, where I grew up on my father's side of the family. There were cousins I had never met. And one day my father decided to, for us to go see one of his uncles that we really saw. And he lived out in the country, down a dirt road called schoolhouse road. And I met three cousins that didn't never even knew I had. It was at a farmhouse. So we started, you know, kind of interacting with each other and decided to have a race. And that's what this is about. I'm not going to tell you what the finale of it is, but it's called the wild boys from schoolhouse road and they were wild. Okay. Three overall cousins. I had never met, stood with arms folded, politely. They challenged me to a race across the open field. How dare they? Me who had commanded expeditionary forces of lead soldiers, managed fleets of cast iron trucks, the province of an old lake child. As they stared at me, an electric shiver triggered my jump out front before they could take off never before had. I felt such acceleration, never before had I sucked wind so hard. My stomach hurt the veins in my neck were throbing. As I kept the lead that they were gaining on me. We raced across corn stubble to a crooked Creek gouging through the top soil. Those three scruffians past me stepped it with iridescence, not hanging from his nose. One cousin was pointing to the Creek. I thought he's so a snake, a big chub, or maybe a muskrat. No, it was the clay bottom laid out and sweeping layers of muted rainbow color. As if respectfully showing a visitor from the orient. They proudly stood there, letting me marvel at the striations of copper, silver, pale green and Carle. We walked quietly back to the farmhouse United somehow by the beauty of what we saw. Thanks.
Betsy Bush (27:34):
Oh, I love that. I could absolutely see that Creek bed with all the colors, but I could also feel the, the acceleration of the race and all of that. That was really wonderful. Rob, thank you.
Rob Miss (27:51):
We were boys by the way. I was an only child for only eight years. I had three brothers.
Betsy Bush (27:58):
You know, there's been a lot in the news recently about longevity. Yes. There's a new book out called by Steven Johnson called extra life, which basically lays out the case for, you know, we all have been given in the 20th century because of medical advancements and public health advancements. We've been given an extra life and I wonder what your reflections are. I see your poetry kind of taking you into a place that is a good place for you to be, but I'm wondering how, if you can if you have any ideas or reflections on what it's like to be actively involved in a field like poetry, that's creative and engages your mind and also keeps you socially engaged as well.
Rob Miss (28:53):
Well, I think engaged obviously is the right word and I've, I've seen other people who you know, lawyers and doctors in particular, don't want to pick on them but that's what I've noticed too, are consumed by their careers. And when it's over, they don't know what to do. I've seen the number of people I've known over the years like that. So engagement is very important and to go for what really excites you, gives you joy. And it should be a balance. You know, I trained in the classics in college, you know, it's always about balance in classical literature, but it's true. I, my own case, I've been very active physically I've run five marathons. So I still run com I'm 83 years old. People say you still run? What's wrong with you? I think having a general goal coming to an understanding of why are you here that occurred to me many years ago that I'm here to help other people on their path, right? Sound presumptuous. But that's where I came to. So you must, you have to have a kind of a general goal and have faith in taking the small steps towards it. So that's faith. And yet you have to have fun if it's not fun, you know, why do it? And I don't mean there's no drudgery, but I mean, I have a sense of satisfaction. That's what joy is all about. And then be patient with yourself. I know I'm giving a lot of advice here, but then, and I think that's, that's hope be patient with yourself. Cause a hope that, you know, you're going to enjoy what you're doing and there's going to be some good results as, as an, as a, as an outcome. So I'm not sure that answers your question, but that's
Betsy Bush (30:50):
Yeah. You know, and I think that even takes care of, you know, the three pieces of advice I ask from my guests. Do you have anything else you want to add to that?
Rob Miss (31:01):
I'd like to read another poem. Oh,
Betsy Bush (31:03):
Well, great. That's wonderful.
Rob Miss (31:05):
One of my favorites and it has to do when I lived in North Carolina, out in the country, I right outside of chapel hill, you know, old farmhouse then went back to the original settlers of North Carolina who received their, a parcel of land from Lord Grenville and had a quarter of a mile long dark driveway to the house. And I'd go out there at night and take a walk. And here it is. And I had a very intense job at that time. We're running a television operation. It's called when I walk at night between Nickelodeon days, when I walk at night towards our old country house, it's saffron lamps seem to inhale exhale, softly, the sweet ether, pliable leaves under foot at a distance to the day's rinky-dink pattern. Now at last, we can let go the world won't roll away and run bumpity bump, crash into a hedgerow tonight star in the breeze, through the Pines, the chiffon presence of shadblow quince breathe in slowly three. That yes, we'll have to put another nickel in, but that's tomorrow. That's one of my favorites.
Betsy Bush (32:31):
Oh, that's nice. Very nice. Thanks for that, Rob. And you're expecting that your next book is going to be published very soon. Right? You're expecting delivery of that soon. Do you want to just give us the name and sure. Tell folks where to get it? Oh, okay.
Rob Miss (32:50):
It's called Prospero's Glove. That's the lead poem. It's 64 poems published by Kelsey books. So you can get it. It's on Amazon. So it's Prospero's Glove by Robert Edward Nunez. And you can also get it on the catalog of Kelsey books. That's K E L S a Y books. So it's here. Fantastic. Yes. I've had a really good time talking to you.
Betsy Bush (33:19):
That's your latest version is your new book and you continue with your poetry and your very interesting advocacy for artists with developmental disabilities. And it was very, very impressive.
Rob Miss (33:34):
We're planning a new gallery exhibit probably in Peekskill once everything opens up.
Betsy Bush (33:42):
Fantastic. I'll be sure. Let me know when the opening is. Okay. Okay, great. Thank you so much, Rob. I appreciate it. Great pleasure. I appreciate it.
Rob Miss (33:49):
Me too.
Fish by John Israel from Gallery 265, The Arc of Westchester