GIA Blog

(1-10-2011) A program of the Jerome Robbins Foundation, New Essential Works was created in fall of 2009 as a response to the financial crisis and the prospect of "a lost period of choreography." Frequently partnering with performance centers, the Foundation awards grants from $10,000 to $35,000 to choreographers. There are no grant applications and specific works-in-progress are not required. Instead, foundation staff, sometimes in collaboration with the partner organizations, select individuals according to artistic merit and relevance.

(1-10-2011) A member emailed me recently and asked, “What do you know about state arts agencies privatizing? Our governor might eliminate our state agency and…”

(1-7-2011) On The Guardian theater blog, Andrew Haydon outlines recent government actions against productions and organizations in Hungary, Belarus, and Iraq, positing that the severity of the measures indicate that theater may, in fact, have world-changing capabilities.

(1-6-2011) Powerful Partnerships: Sustaining Arts Education Through Collaboration is a hands-on workshop designed and facilitated by John McCann, Partners in Performance, and presented by the National Guild for Community Arts Education. It will be presented January 18 and 19 at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City.

(1-4-2011) In a fascinating article for The Atlantic, Chrystia Freeland describes an increasingly stratified global economy and the position of the "new global elite," a plutocracy of super-rich who wield largely unprecedented power:

(12-30-2010) Foundation Yearbook: Facts and Figures on Private and Community Foundations, 2010 Edition, provides an overview of the state of foundation giving in the current year and beyond, comparisons of foundation activities by foundation size, and breakdowns of foundation resources by geographic location and grantmaker type. Foundation Yearbook is part of the Foundations Today Series of annual research reports on foundation growth and trends in foundation giving. This edition's key findings

(12-28-2010) A recent study from Johns Hopkins University reports that nonprofits have fared better than for-profits in terms of job growth over the past two years. Nonprofit jobs grew by 2.5% per year 2007-2009 while for-profits dropped by 3.3% per year in the same time. Arts nonprofit arts (or "arts and entertainment") did even better growing 4.6%.

(12-20-10) John Killacky—a past GIA board member and current CEO/Executive Director of Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington, VT—is a veteran of the culture wars of the 90s when he was curator of performing arts for the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis. His insights are very valuable in guiding our actions today.

(12-17-10) Art Matters has added its voice to the Smithsonian debate. Their letter of support follows:

(12-16-10) Washington State's governor, Christine Gregoire,is proposing eliminating the Washington State Arts Commission as an independent agency, moving some core agency functions to within the Department of Commerce, and reducing funding and staffing by 80%.