Grantmakers in the Arts | Supporting a Creative America

FMC on SOPA/PIPA: What Are the Takeaways?

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Steve

The Future of Music Coalition looks at the state of the legislation:

In the aftermath of Congress delaying further action on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT-IP Act (PIPA), there’s been a rush to summarize what the debate might mean for the future of technology and copyright policy. Naturally, we have a few thoughts.

Luckman To Step Down From Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Steve

From Kia Makarechi at Huffington Post:

According to a press release from the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, executive director Sharon Gersten Luckman will step down in 2013 to pursue other plans. Luckman has held her position at Ailey for 16 years and is largely credited with breathing new life into a program which was on the verge of bankruptcy when she took over.

Frieze Art Fair New York Announces Commissioned Art Projects

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Steve

From The New York Times Art Beat blog:

The American version of London’s annual Frieze Art Fair, which makes its debut in New York in May, wants to be more than just another place to see and buy contemporary art. Using its unusual and remote location – the 256-acre Randall’s Island, in the East River between East Harlem, the South Bronx and Astoria, Queens – it has commissioned eight artists to construct what is calls “a temporary pop-up village.”

Lead or Follow?

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Tommer

Arts Journal has launched a discussion on leadership featuring a number of familiar and new voices.

NEA Media Arts Webinar January 26

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Steve

The Media Arts funding area of the National Endowment for the Arts continues to evolve in tandem with the dynamic nature of the media arts field. Public feedback on our approach to this funding category will be taken and discussed during a webinar on Thursday, January 26. You’ll be able to hear directly from NEA staff and members of the Arts in Media panels and text to us your questions and comments.

An Artist Coping With Loss of Life's Work

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Steve

Filmmaker David Hoffman set up his dream studio on a hilltop in the Monterrey Bay area of California, complete with his archive of almost 200 films, his equipment, and other collections, including his father's photography. As he was completing his fifth film his studio burned down. Only a week after the fire he spoke at a TED talk about his very bad week. Another film maker, John Vincent Barrett, created this hour-long video that portrays an artist coping with the aftermath of the loss of a life's work.

Documentary Explores the Power of Public Art in Miami

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Steve

The online documentary Here Comes the Neighborhood is a seven-part series that examines Wynwood Walls, a mural and graffiti project in Miami, Florida. The project was designed in 2009 to revitalize a warehouse district and began with the idea that “Wynwood's large stock of warehouse buildings, all with no windows, would be my giant canvases to bring to them the greatest street art ever seen in one place,” according to Tony Goldman, the project creator. Murals by renowned street artists have covered the walls of the Wynwood Walls complex since 2009, and to create more canvases and bring more artists to the project, Goldman opened the Wynwood Doors in 2010 with 176 feet of roll-up storefront gates. The painted exteriors and interiors of the doors reveal a portrait gallery.

Andrew Taylor on Edge-Pertise

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Abigail

On his blog, The Artful Manager, Andrew Taylor reflects on a recurring theme of the recent Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference in New York: boundary crossing, the unexpected unions between arts organizations and a variety of non-art planning and service organizations. Rather than discussing these unions as silo breakers, he coins a new term, "edge-perts," to describe the individuals who are successfully fostering and navigating these collaborations.

Illinois Governor Lauded for Arts Support

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Steve

From Chris Jones at The Chicago Tribune:

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn was feted in Washington, D.C., Thursday morning for his support of the arts by Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit arts-advocacy group.

Habits of Mind: These Do Not Include Rote Memorization, Studying To The Test, or Worrying About Funding

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Steve

From illustrator and author Margaret Chodos-Irvine, in her blog Pebbles in the Jar:

If you are traveling in the realm of arts education today, you will likely hear reference to Habits of Mind. This is a good term to familiarize yourself with if you are interested in advocating for the arts in education.

Is Philanthropy Too Powerful?

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Steve

An “Up For Discussion” post from the Zócalo Public Square website:

Philanthropy has a good name, but it doesn’t always make friends. Every foundation has its own mission, and these missions can be in conflict with one another. They can also, in the opinions of critics, play too large a role in democracy, usurping the power of the state and the ordinary citizen. In advance of “Is Philanthropy Too Powerful?”, a Zócalo event, several close observers of philanthropy offer their views on the same question.

A planned ending for Merce Cunningham Dance Co.

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Steve

Diane Ragsdale posts to her Jumper blog:

...the past couple of weeks I’ve been thinking about the problem of chronic undercapitalization and its effects on the sector in the context of the final performances of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company on New Year’s Eve. The planned closure (aka Living Legacy Plan) of this renowned company has been both refreshing and disconcerting to a field that has become accustomed to dance companies struggling to sustain themselves and preserve the legacies of their founders after death. Merce had witnessed the disappointing trajectories of more than a few companies; he understood what could happen to his own company over time if it tried to persevere without the infusion of new works and his presence.

Artist Measures Visitor Attention Span With Kinect-Powered Tape Measurers

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Steve

From Dylan Schenker at The Creators Project:

How much time do we spend looking at a work of art when we’re in a museum or gallery? Do we really take the time to reflect and let the work sink in? Or do we simply breeze by in an effort to see as much as possible? Some studies suggest that the average visitor only spends about 5 seconds looking at each work, but Mexican media artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer has found a different way of measuring this interaction.

Juilliard School Announces $20 Million Gift for Early Music

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Steve

From James R. Oestreich at The New York Times:

(O)n Tuesday, the Juilliard School is announcing a $20 million gift to endow its graduate-level program in historical performance. The sheer size of the gift is enough to make heads snap in the early-music world, whose practitioners typically struggle to stay a step ahead of poverty.

Knight Foundation names 55 Finalists to continue in 2012 Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Steve

From the blog Technically Philly:

A quick scan of the 55 recently announced Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia finalists for 2012 (listed below) reveals a rainbow of ideas aiming for the edge of arts and technology in Philadelphia.

New Report from Kellogg Foundation Examines Philanthropy in Communities of Color

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Steve

Today, W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) released a new report, Cultures of Giving: Energizing and Expanding Philanthropy by and for Communities of Color with support from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

Native Arts and Culture Foundation names 2011 Fellows

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Tommer

The Native Arts and Culture Foundation has launched its first artist fellowships program for Native artists to promote further development of their talents. 2011 NACF Artist Fellowships honor Native artists that have made a significant impact in their discipline, are respected by their colleagues and in the greater arts field, and who are emerging as powerful voices in the arts.

AFTA Announces Webinar Series on Arts Education

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Steve

Americans for the Arts will present a series of seven hour-long webinars that will support The Arts Education Field Guide, an upcoming publication that “will illuminate ways to navigate the complex web of citizens, policymakers, government entities, and organizations that influence arts education from the school house to the White House and from the living room to the board room.” The seven webinars will be presented by Narric Rome and Kristen Engebretsen and the first, Understanding Federal Constituents in Arts Education will take place on Thursday, January 26, and will coincide with the publication of the Field Guide.

What's Capital Got To Do With It?

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Janet

Grantmakers in the Arts started to look at how organizations are capitalized in 2010. This was inspired by member studies that reported that a majority of their grantees were under-capitalized…meaning their didn’t have enough resources, primarily financial resources, to fulfill their missions over time. Big surprise? Not for anyone working in the nonprofit world for more than six months.

GIA Job Posting: Development & Membership Associate

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Steve

Grantmakers in the Arts has posted an opening for the position of Development & Membership Associate.

Supervised by the Director of Development & Membership, the Development & Membership Associate is responsible for maintaining accurate and up-to-date member and donor records and membership and funding partner files; conducting timely membership renewals and member and donor acknowledgements; and assisting with all aspects of member/donor recruitment, retention, engagement, and acknowledgement.