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You Gotta Work the Culture If You Wanna Change the Politics
Posted on August 17, 2012 by Steve

From Rinku Sen at Colorlines:

I was at the Sundance Resort in Utah recently, attending the annual Creative Change retreat that the Opportunity Agenda hosts for people working at the intersection of arts and social justice. Lots of interesting discussions took place about the purpose of art, the differences/similarities in artistic process and political process, and what makes good/effective political art—or if there is even such a category.
Cultural Data Project CEO Search Underway
Posted on August 14, 2012 by Steve

The CDP’s upcoming transition to an independent nonprofit will put the organization in an even stronger position to serve the arts and cultural community. With the recent election of a 14-member national board, a search is underway to select the Cheif Executive Officer who will lead the newly independent CDP. Securing this new leader is among the board’s top priorities. Applications are being accepted through August 31, 2012.

Nonprofit arts/culture a multi-million local industry
Posted on August 14, 2012 by Steve

From Charles McMahon for Seacoastonline.com (Portsmouth, New Hampshire):

Despite the recession, arts and culture nonprofit organizations have had a major impact on the local economy over the last five years, as their industry accounted for more than $41 million in total economic activity in fiscal year 2010, according to a recent report released by the city's cultural commission, Art-Speak.
Controversial Nonprofit Compensation: Are We Missing the Point?
Posted on August 14, 2012 by Steve

From Angela Francis, Senior Associate at the Nonprofit Finance Fund, for the ASU Lodestar Center blog:

We often talk about nonprofit executive compensation in skeptical terms: how much is too much? While no one supports wasteful public spending or abuse of power, the cases that grab headlines and provoke legislation are actually far from the norm. At Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), what we see far more often is staff turnover due to burnout and low pay.
If Miles Davis Taught Your Office To Improvise
Posted on August 14, 2012 by Steve

From Frank J. Barrett at Fast Company:

Nurturing spontaneity, creativity, experimentation, and dynamic synchronization is no longer an optional approach to leadership. It's the only approach. The current velocity of change demands nothing less. It demands paying attention to the mental models, the cultural beliefs and values, the practices and structures that support improvisation. Following practices can help your organization emulate what happens when jazz bands improvise.
The Scandalous Failure of Art and Music
Posted on August 8, 2012 by Steve

From Richard Dare at Huffington Post:

The predominant market way of life with its addictive seductions and pacifying pastimes seems to have sapped our collective energy for meaningful analysis and logical decision-making. Art can change that if we have the courage to let it play a more active role.

It's so much easier though to hold difficult questions at bay — to talk about art and music only in vague pseudo-academic terms, to pontificate about protecting the treasures of the past when we should be working instead to connect our most profound ideas, ambitions and dreams to our future. One cannot speak publicly about the meaning of great art or great music or great ideas without raising terrifying questions about who we are and why we have become this way and what the next chapter of our life should be. Fortunately though, these are the very questions that art is most well equipped to answer for us.

Deepa Gupta joins Boeing as Director of Education Initiatives and Strategy
Posted on August 6, 2012 by Steve

The Boeing Company announced today that Ms. Deepa Gupta has joined The Boeing Company as Director of Education Initiatives and Strategy. Based in Chicago, Deepa will concentrate on enhancing Boeing's support of early learning, primary and secondary education aimed at developing the future work force. Prior to Boeing, Deepa served as a program officer for The MacArthur Foundation, and in May she joined the National Council on the Arts.

Artadia: The Fund for Art and Dialogue Names Carolyn Ramo as Executive Director
Posted on August 4, 2012 by Steve

Artadia: The Fund for Art and Dialogue announced on August 3 the appointment of Carolyn Ramo as Executive Director. Ramo assumed the post as of July 24, 2012. Ramo brings over ten years of experience as a senior manager at a range of prominent New York galleries and institutions, where she has gained invaluable experience in innovative programming and artist-focused infrastructure.

Jennifer Ford Reedy Named President of Bush Foundation
Posted on August 3, 2012 by Steve

The Board of Directors of the Bush Foundation announced on July 30 that Jennifer Ford Reedy will join the organization as its next president. Reedy is the current chief of staff and vice president of strategy for Minnesota Philanthropy Partners (MN Partners), a network of organizations including The Saint Paul Foundation, Minnesota Community Foundation, F.R. Bigelow Foundation and the Mardag Foundation.

A Data Visualization of Art & Money
Posted on August 2, 2012 by Steve

From Elizabeth Quaglieri at technology In the Arts:

Looking for a well-worth-it distraction? Check out Art & Money, an animated art auction infographic by Jean Abbiateci. It visualizes metrics for the top 270 most expensive artworks sold in auction between 2008 and 2011.