The last two meetings of the GIA Individual Artists Group Steering Committee focused primarily on the preconference, sessions, and roundtable gathering in preparation for the Miami conference, in addition to the research study GIA is conducting on the support of individual artists nationwide.
With an overarching goal of creating a network of mutual support, the committee worked to strengthen communication with like-minded funders and increase efforts to connect the sector and reach new funders.
Nicole Chevalier of the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation attended her last meeting as a member of the committee and we welcomed new committee member Jayson Smart of the Rasmuson Foundation in Anchorage, Alaska. We also voted to the committee Heather Pontonio of Tremaine.
The committee voted on the guidelines for membership, as follows:
The steering committee is comprised of up to twenty GIA members in good standing, representing a spectrum of grantmakers who support individual artists.
Membership will include a diversity of:
- Geographic representation, including regional, national, and international grantmaking programs
- Types of grantmakers, including private, family, operating, and community foundations; public agencies; national partners; and other nonprofit grantmaking organizations
- Artistic disciplines
At least one GIA board member will serve on the steering committee.
Membership is assessed on an annual basis by the committee co-chairs and GIA staff. While the co-chairs serve staggered, two-year terms, there is no term structure for committee membership and members may renew their commitment on an annual basis, given their active and consistent attendance and participation in meetings and projects throughout the year.
GIA members who are interested in joining the committee may contact the co-chairs for further information. The co-chairs will present their recommendations regarding prospective members to the full committee for deliberation and to determine whether or not to invite the candidates to serve on the committee.
Our discussion continued about how to increase communication with funders beyond the steering committee. We agreed to work toward creating a more welcoming and interactive space on GIA’s website, convening a breakfast roundtable at each GIA conference to encourage informal communication and sharing of ideas, and reaching out to a wide network to invite participation in the Miami preconference.
Members of the steering committee presented the plans for the preconference, which was designed to have an open, salon-style format to embrace full participation and create an atmosphere where timely issues could be addressed candidly. The preconference committee discussed a desire not to hold a single-day mini-conference, but to provide a forum for conversation where GIA members could learn from each other.