Creating Empowering Educational Environments

History
At Manchester Bidwell Corporation,
we have a simple philosophy
environment shapes peoples lives.
By constructing an empowering
atmosphere of art, light, music and a
staff that strives to realize the genius
in everyone, we enable our students to
become productive society members.
Our philosophy originated when founder Bill Strickland
met Pittsburgh Public High School art teacher Frank
Ross. Ross mentored Strickland through his teen years,
impressing upon him the power of art, education and
community, and helping him obtain entrance to the
University of Pittsburgh.
While still in college in 1968, Strickland founded
Manchester Craftsmens Guild to bring arts education
and mentorship to inner city youth in his neighborhood.
The MCG Youth & Arts program, as it is now called,
serves public school students by offering courses in
ceramics, design, digital and photography.
In 1972, Strickland assumed leadership of a struggling
building trade school located near Manchester
Craftsmens Guild. Over the years, Bidwell Training
Center (BTC) evolved to offer programs in fields ranging
from horticulture to medical. Currently, BTC is a
nationally accredited and state licensed adult career
training institution.
Since then, other programs have been developed. MCG
Jazz lends the power of music with both its long-running
concert series and educational programming. The Drew
Mathieson Center for Horticultural and Agricultural
Technology contributes additional educational facilities.
Harbor Gardens Park, a commercial office building,
hosts MBC programs as well as other tenants in an
elegant space.

A blighted system
Urban communities are struggling with the
nations most pressing problems without
making significant headway.

The national high school graduation and

college entrance rates are substandard,
especially for low-income minorities.

Unemployment rates have skyrocketed in

many areas, particularly for minorities.

Few organizations are able to affect the

pressing needs of these urban areas in a
meaningful way.

For many, the American Dream of prosperity

through education and hard work seems
unattainable. Support has withered as problems
have blossomed. The future seems bleak.

A n Innovative Solution
We believe the combination of Manchester
Bidwell Corporations (MBC) two programs
youth arts education and adult career training
has proven successful in addressing the need
to redefine local communities, families and
support networks.
To share this better way forward with other
communities, we incorporated the National
Center for Arts and Technology (NCAT),
a subsidiary of MBC. NCAT is dedicated
to creating empowering educational
environments based on MBCs model across
the country and, eventually, the world.

Our powerful fusion of mentorship, education, beauty,

and hope creates a safe space in which our students,
young and older, can feel comfortable learning. The
National Center for Arts & Technology was created to
assist communities across the nation and the world
develop similar centers.
Martha Rial

The P rotocol for A ffiliation

To ensure that a Center for Arts & Technology (CAT) is successful and sustainable in a community, NCAT has designed
a thorough and systematic protocol that follows the mission of Developing Communities Through Hope, Inspiration, and
Innovation. The replication process develops through the following phases:

Cultivation

Cultivation

NCAT exchanges information with representatives of the

interested community to determine if implementing the model will
benefit their area.

Phase 1: Feasibility
NCATs team determines whether the
interested community has the essential attributes for a successful,
sustainable Center for Arts & Technology.

Feasibility

Phase 2: Planning

Planning

NCATs team guides community leaders through a detailed startup process culminating in the opening of a new Center for Arts &
Technology.

Phase 3: Implementation
NCATs team provides support in areas of administration,
operations, compliance, students and accreditation support to the
newly built Centers Board of Directors, Executive Director, staff,
faculty and students.

Phase 4: Maintenance
Maintenance

NCATs team provides continued technical support and guidance

to ensure quality programming.

Implementation

P hase 1: Feasibility

Feasibility

A citys leadership formally enters the feasibility phase of replication by signing a contract with
NCAT and making its first payment. Feasibility is a due diligence study that determines whether a
city, town or community possesses the characteristics necessary to develop and open a Center for
Arts and Technology based on the Manchester Bidwell Model.
Feasibility requires the NCAT team to:

Assess a communitys organizational landscape;

Make recommendations for youth and adult programming;

Identify and cultivate leadership;

Identify and evaluate potential locations for the center; and

Identify potential funders and introduce them to the model.

During the feasibility phase, periodic reports detailing the work performed are provided
to the citys leadership. In addition, the signatory to the feasibility contract will receive an
Interim Report and a Final Report from the NCAT team. The contract for feasibility is
$150,000.

P hase 2: P lanning

Planning

Once a community has received and reviewed the final report from the feasibility phase, it decides whether to continue with the replication process. The next phase of replication is Planning
and begins with the citys leadership and/or funding source(s) signing a Planning Memorandum
for a one year to 18-month term. As the name implies, this phase takes a city through the actual
process of planning and opening a center.
During this phase the NCAT team will work collaboratively with the city to perform tasks including but not limited to:

Create a legal non-profit entity;

The capital campaign begins to support the CAT

Develop board and executive leadership;

Assist in hiring adult and youth staff;

Assist site location and internal building design;

Implement CAT branding requirements;

Provide program development for adults and youth; and

Assist with marketing and fundraising.

During Planning, a citys leadership and/or funding source(s) will continue to receive periodic
progress reports from the NCAT Team. The planning agreement cost is $300,000 which
includes $150,000 in NCAT fees and $150,000 in Center support.
At this point an NCAT Affiliation Agreement is signed with the CAT Board and Executive
Director.

P hase 3: Implementation
The Implementation Phase begins once a Center begins to offer class. The contract for
Implementation is $150,000 each year for three years and has been incorporated into the capital
campaign budget.
Implementation

Once the Center is open for classes, it is considered operational.

During this phase the NCAT team will work collaboratively with the city to:

Develop sustainable funding to include government and corporate support

Utilize feedback from external sources, such as externship sites and advisory committees, to
modify curriculum to align with market demand and meet local employment needs

Incorporate necessary curricular changes as advised by externship sites, employers and

advisory committee

Participate in practice and mock accreditation survey with NCAT

Review standards and begin preparation of adult program materials for National
Accreditation

The affiliation agreement governs the relationship between the Center and NCAT within the
implementation and maintenance replication phases.

P hase 4: M aintenance
Once a CAT has been operational for 3 years, the NCAT team will continue to provide technical
assistance and support for the following:
Maintenance

Curriculum expansion;

Program development;

Facility expansion;

Operational infrastructure; and

Evaluation and national accreditation.

The fee for Maintenance is 2% of the CATs operating budget plus the cost of NCATs time and
travel and is part of the Affiliation Agreement.

Martha Rial

Martha Rial

A ffiliates of the National Center for A rts and Technology

NCATs eight operational affiliates demonstrate the impact the model is already making in communities outside of
Pittsburgh. Thousands of individuals have benefited from programming offered at these CATs. Each Center is modeled
after the successful programs of MCG and BTC and adapted to fit the needs of each community. Our eight established
centers are listed below.

CATC cincinnatiartsandtechnologycenter.org
The Cincinnati Arts and Technology Center opened its doors in 2003 to serve Cincinnatis high-risk urban teens and
unemployed/underserved urban adults. CATC has provided high school credits to over 1,800 at risk juniors and seniors
from Cincinnati Public Schools. CATCs Youth arts programs include web design, ceramics, and drawing and serves
approximately 400 Cincinnati School District students at risk of not graduating on time.

BAYCAT baycat.org
BAYCAT offers classesat no cost to the studentin film and TV production, motion graphics and animation, and
graphic and web design to urban youth in San Francisco. BAYCATs enterprise, Studio BAYCAT, hires BAYCAT
graduates to develop marketing materials for real world clients. BAYCATs 5,000 square foot facility opened in the Fall
of 2004 and serves between 300-400 students in the San Francisco area annually. BAYCAT offers programs in graphic
disciplines including: digital filmmaking, web/graphic design, and animation and motion graphics.

WMCAT wmcat.org
The West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology, located in downtown Grand Rapids, opened its doors in the fall of
2005. Since then, its renovated 8,477 square-foot facility has grown to 12,414 square feet. WMCAT serves an average
of 275 students per year. WMCATs after school, in school, and special project youth programs include photography,
digital arts, web design, and fine arts. WMCAT is serving students in grades 9 through 12 from the Grand Rapids School
District, as well as students from public and private schools outside the district. WMCATs Adult programs are in medical
billing, medical coding and pharmacy technology. The renovation of the facility is considered a LEED (Leadership
Environmental and Energy Design) certified building.

NewBridge newbridgecleveland.org
The NewBridge Cleveland Center for Arts and Technology is located in Clevelands midtown area on the Euclid corridor.
Opened in November 2010, the center is 17,000 gross/15,350 net square feet. NewBridges youth training is in ceramics,
digital arts and photography while adult training is in phlebotomy and pharmacy technician. NewBridge serves 100 youth
and 50 adults with the goal to increase by 100 students annually.

CONNCAT conncat.org
CONNCATs 15,000 square foot facility in New Haven, CT opened in April 2012. CONNCATs youth after school
programs, design and digital arts, began in the 201213 school year. CONNCAT offers adult programs in medical coding
and phlebotomy.

BCAT brockwaycat.org
The Brockway Center for Arts and Technology is located in rural Brockway, Pennsylvania and opened on May 2013. The
Center is 15,000 square feet and is housed in an old industrial facility. BCAT launched two adult job-training programs:
pharmacy technician and medical and electronic records assistant. The BCAT Youth Arts program consists of ceramics.

NECAT ne-cat.org
The New England Center for Arts and Technology is located in Boston, Massachusetts and opened in October 2013.
The Center is 17,000 square feet. NECAT launched its Culinary Arts job-training classes in the autumn of 2013 and
will roll out youth programs following completion of Phase 2 construction within the following 12 months. Plans are also
underway for job-training in the medical sector. An after-school Media Arts Program for high-school students will round
out NECATs programming.

BATC buffaloartstechnologycenter.org
The Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology (BATC) is located in the Midtown neighborhood of Buffalo, New York and
opened in November 2013. The Center is 15,000 square feet and is colocated with ArtSpace. BATC plans to launch its
pharmacy technician and medical coding job-training classes and will roll out youth programs following completion of
Phase 2 construction within the following 12 months. An after-school Media Arts Program for high-school students will
round out BATCs programming.

Communities interested in replication should:

Complete the feasibility survey provided by NCAT to the interested community.

Gather support from sectors of government, education, philanthropy, social services, corporations, and arts organizations

Engage the NCAT team in questions specific to the communitys traits and gauge the communitys interest in
housing a Center for Arts and Technology.

Determine potential local funding capability for the feasibility phase fee and sustainability of the center.

Tour the Manchester Bidwell Corporations facilities in Pittsburgh.

Choose a convener with strong community networks and available time to dedicate to being the liaison for the project.

For more information on starting a replication site:

Contact us for more, in-depth information on what you can do to start a replication site in your region.

www.ncat-mbc.org

NCATinfo@mcg-btc.org or 412-323-4000 Ext. 292

1815 Metropolitan Street | Pittsburgh, PA 15233

Tel: 412-323-4000 | www.ncat-mbc.org | Fax: 412-323-4000 Ext. 292
2014 National Center for Arts & Technology, an affiliate of Manchester Bidwell Corporation