Grantmakers in the Arts | Supporting a Creative America

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Steve

From Michelle Mercer writing for NPR's A Blog Supreme:

Did you hear about the Italian gallery owner who burned his gallery's paintings last year — with the cooperation of the painters? It was a sort of desperate smoke signal to his government; a means of protesting funding cuts. If there haven't been similar protests in the U.S. lately, it could be because we're used to declining arts funding.

The link between art and innovation

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Steve

Chris “Kiff” Gallagher, Jr. plugs Arts Advocacy Day in Politico:

Tuesday is Arts Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. With so many complex challenges facing America — in education, public health and the economy — should Americans care? The answer is yes. Especially since addressing these problems will require continuous innovation.

Artists and Gentrification: Sticky Myths, Slippery Realities

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Steve

Anne Gadwa Nicodemus writes for Createquity:

We have an unfortunate tendency in the U.S. to view artists as special/different/other. Larry Gross likens it to artists being on a reservation or special island in his On the Margins of Art Worlds. As early as elementary school, teachers single out a few students with god-given talent from the apparently uncreative masses. This is a cultural construct. In Native American cultures, art is an integral part of life, not a separate vocation/occupation.

Deadline Coming to Nominate Music Educator for GRAMMY Foundation Award

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Steve

The GRAMMY® Foundation and The Recording Academy are partnering to present their first-ever Music Educator Award to recognize music educators for their contributions to our musical landscape and their positive influence on their students' musical experiences. The nomination process is open now and the deadline for nominations is April 15, 2013.

Taking Note: Stress, Music, and Epigenetics in Heart Disease Patients

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Steve

Sunil Iyengar, NEA Director of Research & Analysis, posts to ArtWorks blog:

Last September, in opening remarks during a National Academy of Sciences workshop on the arts and aging, I posed some questions about research in this field. As reported in Aging and the Arts: Building the Science (2013), an account of the workshop, jointly sponsored by the NEA and the National Institutes of Health, I asked, “Are there theoretical models that explain how participation in the arts affects the health and well-being of older Americans?”

Arts Groups Add Extras to Build Audiences

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Steve

From Karen D'Souza at the San Jose Mercury News:

Pull a lever and out pops a work of art. Meet Art-o-mat! – art for the instant gratification generation. Vending machines are among the many innovations that arts organizations are embracing in an attempt to grow their audiences. From smart-phone apps and pre-theater commercials to specialty cocktails in your seat, these programs fly in the face of artistic convention. While purists bemoan the cheapening of the aesthetic experience, others say it's a sign of times: The arts, like most sectors of the economy, must evolve or die.

The Artist as Philanthropist: Artist-Endowed Foundations as a New Force in Cultural Philanthropy

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Steve

In Chicago, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts will host a panel discussion on April 10, 2013, 6pm EDT. The discussion will explore the emerging role of artist-endowed foundations as a force in cultural philanthropy and in the stewardship of contemporary art and design.

Understanding and Undoing Structural Racism

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Janet

By Janet Brown from her blog Better Together

My first year at GIA was 2009. When I travelled the country to meet members and learn about their work, I was surprised by my conversations with most private funders. These funders said their work was different from others because they were focused on small organizations; African, Latino(a), Asian, and Native American (ALANA) organizations, artists or communities; issues of equity; and the changing demographics in their communities.

April Member Spotlight on Coby Foundation

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Abigail

In April our photo banner will feature projects and exhibitions supported by GIA member The Coby Foundation, Ltd. Located in New York City, the foundation funds projects in the textile and needle art fields throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Below, Coby Foundation executive director Ward Mintz, describes the outset of the foundation and its 2012 grantees:

Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation Announces Leadership Change

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Steve

Thomas C. Layton, president of the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation for the past 38 years, will retire effective at the end of 2013. Mr. Layton will assume the title of President Emeritus. He will be succeeded by Stacie Ma’a, the Foundation’s Vice President and a staff member for the last 14 years.

The Boston Review asks “What are Foundations For?”

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Tommer

The Boston Review kicks off an online conversation What are Foundations For? with a lead essay by Bob Reich, and responses by Stanley Katz, Diane Ravitch, Christopher Coyn, Paul Brest, and a host of others.

Colorado Creative Industries Announces New Director

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Steve

Colorado Creative Industries, a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, announced earlier this month that Margaret Hunt has been selected as the new director. She will be responsible for developing a statewide shared vision for Colorado's creative industries and expanding the commitment of local, state, and federal governments to the state's creative economy.

Knight Foundation appoints Carol Coletta as Vice President for Community and National Initiatives

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Steve

The trustees of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation have elected Carol Coletta as vice president/community and national initiatives. She is a nationally recognized expert on cities and the use of the arts to build communities. Coletta is the director of ArtPlace, a unique collaboration between private foundations and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) organized to promote creative placemaking.

NFF Releases 2013 State of the Sector Survey Results

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Abigail

Of the nearly six thousand respondents to Nonprofit Finance Fund's fifth annual survey of the nonprofit sector, nine hundred represented arts and culture organizations. The data is posted to NFF's website in the form of an online data analyzer, with arts-specific results here. Some of the highlights:

42% of arts organizations reported a surplus in 2012, but only 28% anticipate ending 2013 in the black.

64% reported an increase in program demand in 2012, with 75% predicting an increase this year.

40% of arts organizations reported some level of comfort talking to their funders about the need for reserves. This is 30% higher than for the entire nonprofit sector. Arts organizations, more than other sectors, also report greater comfort discussing with supporters cash flow, facilities, and working capital needs.

Still, the sector remains split between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’: 60% of orgs have three months of cash or less.

Only 37% of arts groups report regularly collecting data on the impact of their programs. This compares to 53% for all nonprofits nationally.

Your Project: Who Needs It?

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Janet

From Janet Brown from her blog Better Together

I took a short hiatus from blogging in the first quarter 2013. I was “blogged out.” I've been storing up some ideas and am ready to put them out there again for better or worse.

Jazz.NEXT Report Available

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Tommer

A new report, Using Technology to Build a Healthy, Sustainable Jazz Environment, which includes case studies of some of the projects supported through the Jazz.NEXT program as well as observations on its outcomes has been published by the MidAtlantic Arts Foundation. The report examines six grantees that are representative of the program:

Aging well: Can dance and art keep the mind and body young?

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Steve

From Jane O'Brien at BBC News Magazine:

A new report from a National Academies workshop on the arts and ageing warns that the number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease will more than double by 2050 to 13.2 million, from about 5.1 million today. The direct cost of their care will soar to $1.1tn (£730bn) from $172bn over the same period. The report looks at various ways the arts may address some of the symptoms of such chronic diseases, as well as the need for more research.

3 Million Stories Conference

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Tommer

Resources from the SNAAP conference, 3 Million Stories, are posted on the conference website, and a brief summary by Steven Tepper is posted on Barry's Blog.

Outside the Citadel, Social Practice Art Is Intended to Nurture

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Steve

From Randy Kennedy writing for The New York Times:

As the commercial art world in America rides a boom unlike any it has ever experienced, another kind of art world growing rapidly in its shadows is beginning to assert itself. And art institutions around the country are grappling with how to bring it within museum walls and make the case that it can be appreciated along with paintings, sculpture and other more tangible works.

What Should Have Entered the Public Domain in 2013?

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Steve

From Open Culture:

What entered the public domain in the US in 2013? It’s not a long answer, because the answer is… nothing.

Now here’s a question that yields a longer answer. What books would have entered the public domain if we were still operating under reasonable, pre-1978 copyright laws? Here’s a little list that comes from Duke University’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain.