GIA Blog

As Development Boom Bubbles, Oakland’s Arts Scene Increasingly Troubled
Posted on July 30, 2015 by Steve

From Eric K. Arnold, writing for Oakculture:

Last January, when Mayor Schaff proudly preened in a Burning Man-style art car during her inauguration, hopes were high that art would become a priority. After all, Oakland’s much-ballyhooed cultural renaissance had brought national and even international attention to the city, completely remaking an image once invariably linked to crime and blight. But perhaps arts advocates should have paid more attention to the fact that the onetime Skyline High cheerleader and Jerry Brown aide was driving around in a motorized snail.
New from the Reader: Richard Kessler on Arts Education Advocacy and Policy
Posted on July 30, 2015 by Steve

Return on Investment: A New Consideration for Arts Education Advocacy and Policy Work reflects on GIA’s arts education funding report released at the AEFC Forum that was held in May.

Mellon Foundation Releases the First Comprehensive Survey of Diversity in American Art Museums
Posted on July 30, 2015 by Steve

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, in partnership with the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) and the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), has announced the results of the first comprehensive survey to assess the ethnic and gender diversity of the staffs of art museums across the United States. Undertaken to replace anecdotal evidence with hard data, the survey provides the museum field with the first statistical baseline against which progress can be measured.

George Gund Foundation Appoints Jennifer Coleman as Senior Program Officer for the Arts
Posted on July 30, 2015 by Steve

The George Gund Foundation has named Jennifer Coleman as their new Senior Program Officer for the Arts. Coleman, an architect, has been president of her own design firm, Jennifer Coleman Creative LLC, since 2005. She founded CityProwl.com, a company that creates and distributes digital audio walking tours of Cleveland. Among other civic endeavors, Coleman has served as chair of the Cleveland Landmarks Commission and the Downtown/Flats Design Review Committee, and has been a member of the board of trustees of many organizations, including the Cleveland Arts Prize, the Cleveland International Film Festival, LAND studio, and the Cleveland Botanical Garden.

Budget Veto Threatens Hard-Fought Increases for Arts & Culture
Posted on July 23, 2015 by Steve

Last Week Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker vetoed funding increases for the arts, humanities, and sciences through the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). The veto would reduce the budget for MCC that the Legislature approved by $2.37 million, from $14.16 million to $11.79 million, for the fiscal year that began July 1. If it stands, that funding level would negate plans to increase investment in key grant programs and launch new initiatives, and necessitate cuts to existing programs, said MCC Executive Director Anita Walker.

Americans for the Arts to Use Cultural Data Project Platform for National Economic Impact Study
Posted on July 23, 2015 by Steve

The Cultural Data Project and Americans for the Arts have announced that the CDP will provide the organizational data collection platform for Arts & Economic Prosperity 5, Americans for the Arts’ fifth national economic impact study of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry. The collaboration brings together two national cultural data and research organizations with the intention of enriching national research and policy efforts, while at the same time streamlining data reporting for arts and cultural organizations.

Summer 2015 Edition of GIA Reader Online
Posted on July 22, 2015 by Steve

The latest issue of GIA Reader has been added to the online library. You can read articles about arts education from Richard Kessler and Margaret Hasse, articles on equity funding from Judi Jennings and Denise Brown, an interview with artist Ann Hamilton from Krista Tippett, a piece on the Creative Caregiving Initiative from Margery Pabst Steinmetz, and much more.

Erik Takeshita to join Bush Foundation as Portfolio Director, Community Creativity
Posted on July 22, 2015 by Steve

Erik Takeshita, Director of Creative Placemaking for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), will join the Bush Foundation as its Portfolio Director, Community Creativity. Takeshita will oversee development and execution of the Foundation’s programming around arts-based community development efforts. Takeshita has over 20 years of experience working at the intersection of community development and the arts. Since 2008 he has led a breadth of work at LISC, including designing its “Central Corridor as Cultural Corridor” creative placemaking project.

AEFC Update: Senate Passes ESEA
Posted on July 21, 2015 by SuJ'n

The US Senate passed their version of ESEA on Thursday, July 16 by a strong bipartisan vote of 81-17. All of GIA's additions to the bill in Committee remained in the final bill. The specific schedule or logistics for a conference committee to work out differences between the House and Senate passed bills are unclear at this point, but both sides (and both parties on both sides) seemed determined to start the conference process to agree on a final bill.

The Boston Foundation Welcomes New Arts & Culture Director
Posted on July 14, 2015 by Steve

Allyson Esposito, a veteran arts and philanthropy advocate, has been hired as the new Director of Arts & Culture for the Boston Foundation. Esposito comes to Boston from the City of Chicago, where since 2012 she has served as director of the city’s Cultural Grants Program in the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. In that role she was charged with fostering partnerships and lasting relationships in Chicago’s non-profit arts sector, independent artists, and for-profit art institutions.