Grantmakers interested in support for individual artists and in arts and social justice will have a special opportunity to meet together for a preconference day on October 9 in San Francisco, part of the 2011 Grantmakers in the Arts conference. It promises to be a full and vibrant day. Members of the Steering Committee will propose sessions within the main conference track and plenary/keynote speakers that will address support for individual artists.
The Steering Committee is working on a case statement drawn from responses to a national survey on why grantmakers support individual artists. The Steering Committee wants to advance this case statement in as many ways possible as an advocacy tool after it is released in a few months.
Grantmakers in the Arts offers webinars throughout the year to educate its members and other interested persons. There will be a webinar on non-grant support for individual artists on August 2, 2011 from 1:00-2:00 PM Central. A subgroup of the Steering Committee is working on the content for that session, which will be focused on innovative practices in promotion, recognition, and validation of artists and their contributions to society.
Grantmakers in the Arts conducts research independently and in collaboration with others. The Steering Committee would like to see individual artists support as one of the primary research items undertaken by GIA in collaboration with others over the course of the next two to three years. The Steering Committee is interested in reaching out to other agencies and organizations to pursue joint programming. Potential partners include the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Americans for the Arts, and Environmental Grantmakers.