A few weeks back I was invited to attend the 2013 Grantmakers in the Arts Conference in Philadelphia as a Conference Blogger. I joined Barry Hessenius (Barry’s Blog) and a whole team of bloggers, led by Ian David Moss (Createquity), from Fractured Atlas. I wrote three posts summarizing the activities I attended and reflecting on key themes, which you can find here. I vowed (to myself) that I would let the conference sink in a bit and then write a post for Jumper–a brief summary of the sticky points, if you will. This is that post.
GIA Blog
Posted on October 31, 2013 by Diane Ragsdale
Posted on October 29, 2013 by Steve
The latest post from Angie Kim’s blog, Private Foundations Plus:
The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) just came out with a new report, “Nonprofit Challenges: What Foundations Can Do.” There were some dismaying findings. CEP’s survey of nonprofit leaders found that 52 percent felt that foundations are unaware of the challenges that nonprofits face. Less than 33 percent felt that foundations use their resources in ways that help nonprofits actually meet challenges. And, perhaps the most alarming finding is that nonprofit leaders felt more challenged to attract foundation support than any other kind of support.
Posted on October 28, 2013 by Steve
ArtPlace America recently began taking applications for 2014 Innovation Grants. At the end of the 2013 grantmaking cycle, proposal notes were analyzed to pull out the most common questions driving the recommendations of reviewers with the intention to provide future prospective grantees with tools that bolster their ability to develop strong creative placemaking ideas and craft more robust proposals. A set of important questions are discussed here to help with the crafting of proposals.
Posted on October 28, 2013 by Steve
From the HowlRound blog, an essay from Todd London, author of The Artistic Home:
Artists innovate every day, because what they make, they make up. How do they innovate? Trial and error, mostly, boring hours alone or with other artists. Years facing their own limitations. The real work of innovation is theirs, alone or together. It is organic and ongoing, one bold or tentative foot in front of another. Try to find funding in innovation-land for persistent effort and incremental breakthrough.
Posted on October 28, 2013 by Tommer
An interview with GIA 2013 conference keynote speaker, Nikky Finney, on Poetry Foundation.
Posted on October 25, 2013 by Steve
The seven-part video conversation “Dinner-Vention at Djerassi” is now available. Hosted by Barry Hessenius, the dinner gathers a large group of thinkers to dine and converse. Guests include:
- Salvador Acevado, Contemporenea
- Tamara Alvarado, School of Arts & Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza
- Kimberly Howard, Oregon Cultural Trust
- Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
- Lex Leifheit, SOMArts
- Clayton Lord, Americans for the Arts
- Nina Simon, Snata Cruz Museum of Art and History
- Devon Smith, Three Spot
- Kristin Thomson, Future of Music Coalition
- Margy Waller, Topos Partnership and Art on the Streets
- Meiyin Wang, Public Theatre's Under the Radar Festival
- Laura Zabel, Springboard for the Arts
Posted on October 21, 2013 by Steve
Lori Pourier—an Oglala/Mnicoujou Lakota from South Dakota and the president of First Peoples Fund, as well as a former member of the GIA Board of Directors—is the recipient of the 2013 Women’s World Summit Foundation Prize for Women’s Creativity in Rural Life. She is one of 10 laureates to receive the award this year, and the only honoree from the United States.
Posted on October 18, 2013 by Tommer
The full report from the Future of Music Coalition's Artists and Health Insurance Survey is now available online.
Posted on October 18, 2013 by Steve
Meredith May writes for the San Francisco Chronicle:
It seems true that singing in a choir can be therapeutic, especially for older adults, but a groundbreaking clinical trial is under way in San Francisco to see whether science agrees. Over the next five years, researchers at UCSF will create a dozen senior choirs throughout the city to compare the physical strength, balance, memory and moods of singers versus non-singers.
Posted on October 17, 2013 by Ian David Moss
I have now been to the Grantmakers in the Arts Conference five times. I sort of can’t believe I’m writing that – it simultaneously makes me feel old and very, very lucky. I’ve written about my experiences there now four of those five times; you can find my wrap-ups for 2009, 2010, 2011, and of course 2013 on Createquity.