Arts and Technology

From computer-mediated poetry, read on a laptop computer while sitting in a wireless café in Paris, to touring works of performing arts, such as composer Pamela Z’s Baggage Allowance, an installation and performance based on her world travels, new media artworks are becoming an integral part of the global cultural environment.

If you ever read information online or download and print materials from the Internet, you are part of the “digital divide.” While most, if not all, members of philanthropic organizations in the United States may take for granted high-quality access to the Internet, many people of color, indigenous people, and people living in rural areas have none or only very limited ability to use computers and gain access to the kinds of information and education that can improve their lives.

Every member of the arts community has been affected by the unprecedented challenges and opportunities proffered by technology. The last decade has observed our field coming to terms with this disruptive force in inspiring and innovative ways. Equally exhilarating and demanding, these transformations have challenged many previous assumptions about the role of the arts and culture sector.

March 2010, 68 pages. Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media, 2406 Fairmount Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21244, 410-675-4024, www.gfem.org

2009, 123 pages. Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Foundation, 900 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90007, 213-763-3466, www.nhm.org

September 2008, 53 pages. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, 140 S. Dearborn St, Chicago, IL, 60603, 312-726-800, www.macfound.org

March 2009, 85 pages, ISBN 978-1-932326-32-1. Council on Library and Information Resources, 1752 N Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC, 20036, 202-939-4750, www.loc.gov

Ralph Smith, the 2007 Conference Chairman, issued a challenge in his welcome message – “that all who attend will leave with renewed energy, capacity and resolve to make a positive contribution toward meeting the challenges of our time.”

"Dreaming a New Music" from the October 2006 issue of Chamber Music America.

Download:

   Dreaming a New Music (1.6Mb)

2008, 237 pages. Wiley, 10475 Crosspoint Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN, 46256, 877-762-2974, http://www.wiley.com