Monica's Blog

From The Huffington Post:

The 2016 GIA Conference is taking place Sunday, October 16 to Wednesday, October 19. The GIA Conference provides the only opportunity for arts grantmakers from across the country to come together to share knowledge and ideas, develop collective strategies, and learn about the latest initiatives in arts grantmaking. GIA will post live updates throughout the conference on its Twitter and Facebook pages.

As part of a lecture series at Rothko Chapel, Ford Foundation President Darren Walker recently spoke with Sarah Lewis, author and Harvard professor, about the intersection of the arts and human rights. Audio and video recordings of the talk are available online.

Lisa Cremin, a director with the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and former GIA board member, has been recognized with a 2016 Governor’s Award for the Arts & Humanities. Cremin began working with the Community Foundation in 1993 and under her guidance its arts fund has grown to its current size of $9.2 million and in its lifetime has given away more than $12 million. She has been a dedicated advocate and evangelist for small to mid-sized arts organizations — groups producing powerful work — that provide access to the arts to underserved communities.

The New York State Council on the Arts had announced Mara Manus as the agency’s new executive director. Manus has served as executive director of the Public Theater in New York City as well as a program officer at the Ford Foundation. Previous roles also include director of Playwrights of New York, executive director of The Film Society of Lincoln Center and founding director of the Arthur Miller Foundation and Southampton Arts Center.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and The Kresge Foundation are partnering to expand support of creative placemaking through the launch of a pilot technical assistance program in collaboration with Local Initiatives Support Corporation's National Creative Placemaking Program (LISC) and PolicyLink. Specialized technical assistance will be given to 14 organizations and their partners with the goal of advancing each organization’s ability to lead successful projects that result in positive short- and long-term outcomes for their community.

Esteemed arts administrator Arlynn “Arni” Fishbaugh will retire at the end of September after serving as executive director of Montana Arts Council for 25 years. On September 30, Arni will be honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Montana. Arni served on the board Grantmakers in the Arts for six years (2011–2016) and has also served the boards of the National Assembly of Arts Agencies, the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, and the Western States Arts Federation.

A recent article in The Wichita Eagle states that the Wichita Arts Council is moving to a membership-based funding model:

A recent article in CityLab describes how Rebuild Foundation, a nonprofit run by renowned artist Theaster Gates, has contributed to neighborhood revitalization in Chicago’s South Side. The organization has purchased and converted vacant buildings into art-inspired community hubs, including a community arts center, a movie theater, a cafe, and a bookstore.