Relevance visionary Nina Simon to speak at Rally

"I bet that you can think of something that matters to you that you wish mattered to more people," says Nina Simon in her Tedx Talk, "The Art of Relevance." "Maybe it's your business, maybe it's a political movement, maybe it's an artform you love. Today I want to share with you a bit of what I've learned about how you can invite people who are outside your circle into that thing that matters most to you."

Simon tells the fascinating story of how she led a dramatic turnaround and eight years of growth rooted in community involvement as the executive director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History.

She will share more stories with us at virtual Rally 2020 on October 8 at 11 a.m. Eastern / 8 a.m. Pacific.

Simon is the Spacemaker & CEO of OF/BY/FOR ALL, a global nonprofit that creates digital tools to help civic and cultural organizations become more inclusive, relevant and sustainable. The OF/BY/FOR ALL Change Network program involves over 50 museums, libraries, parks, theaters and nonprofit organizations, all taking bold strides to become of, by, and for their diverse communities.

Simon — who is also a best-selling author and has been named an Ashoka fellow, a "museum visionary" by Smithsonian Magazine, and Santa Cruz County Woman of the Year — describes relevance as fundamentally not about "you telling somebody what you're about, it's about you empathizing with how it feels to be outside that door, trying to figure out if it's for you."

Working with many partners across her community but outside of the museum's traditional circle of supporters, Simon explains that those outsiders can "help us see what says 'welcome' and what says 'keep out' for them." What she learned is that "the hardest part of working with outsiders is not finding them, it's listening to them. … I invite you to open your hearts to the outsiders you most want to involve in your community and work with them, get to know them, and then generously, courageously work together to build new doors."

Elizabeth Ward is vice president of communications at the Land Trust Alliance.