Grantmakers in the Arts

September 12, 2011 by Steve

The NEA Chairman blogs from Alaska:

Last week I was in Alaska as part of the Rasmuson Foundation’s annual Grantmakers Tour. It was quite a trip, both exhaustive and exhausting. We had non-stop 12-hour days, which allowed us to learn and see a lot. We were exposed to every conceivable aspect of Alaska, particularly the Native cultures there. It was really a total education and immersion into their culture, their situation, and their issues.

Read the full post.

September 12, 2011 by Steve

The Creative Center at University Settlement Training Institute for Artists and Administrators in Creative Aging will be held on November 13-18, 2011 in Speyer Hall at the University Settlement, 184 Eldridge Street, New York City, NY.

This Institute will focus on the growing field of creative aging and will provide both a theoretical and didactic approach to implementing and sustaining high quality arts programming in a variety of settings serving older adults, from senior centers to long term residential settings for the frail elderly. Artists, as well as arts, senior center and nursing home administrators, will be given everything they need to implement and sustain an arts program in healthcare facilities, senior centers, residential settings, and other senior programs.

September 12, 2011 by Steve

As a guest blogger for The Communications Network, Larry Blumenthal of Open Road Advisors recommends that foundations show their human side through their social media channels.

As they move into the less-buttoned-down world of social media, foundation staff face an interesting challenge. Success with social media tools (and in life) requires that you loosen up a bit, let a little of your personality peek through – even offer a little self-deprecating humor. These are not things we foundation folk are traditionally comfortable indulging in. It’s like asking a bullfighter to wear a tutu.

I am here to tell you, however, that it can be done. Foundations, and similar policy-oriented, research-based organizations, can provide a little glimpse behind the scenes, offer some humor, some light-heartedness, even admit they don’t have all the answers, without letting go of their serious missions to make the world a better place.

September 12, 2011 by Steve

The Opinion section of The New York Times is hosting a discussion on the subject of admission increases at the Museum of Modern Art as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Museum of Modern Art, citing rising operational costs, has raised its adult admission price to $25 from $20. The new ticket price will make MoMA—a private, nonprofit institution—one of the most expensive museums in New York City, matching the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which in July raised its recommended price for adults to $25.

Grumbling over the rising cost of admission at MoMA is a New York tradition. But it remains one of the city's most popular sites, attracting a record 3.1 million visitors last year. And it is growing, with a deal in 2007 that will add 40,000 square feet of gallery space and a decision in May to buy the American Folk Art Museum building next door for $31 million.

September 12, 2011 by Steve

From Elizabeth Kramer at the Louisville Courier-Journal:

The headline last month in The New York Times may have been news in the Empire State: “Groups Advocating for the Arts Feel the Pinch.” But here in the Bluegrass State, that kind of news is old hat.

More than a year ago, Kentucky’s arts advocacy organization bit the dust. It ran out of money when the economy went into recession, and by last summer what was known as Arts Kentucky was dissolved.

September 12, 2011 by Steve

From James C. McKinley Jr. at The New York Times:

Monster Island (on the Williamsburg waterfront in Brooklyn) is shutting down this month because the landlord wants to redevelop the property and has not renewed the lease. Its fans marked its passing with a block party on Saturday. The end of this haven for struggling artists and musicians is a sign of broader changes in the neighborhood, where new condominiums are replacing the dilapidated warehouses, and upscale bars and restaurants have appeared on streets where once there were only underground clubs in vacant commercial buildings.
September 12, 2011 by Abigail

Please join us tomorrow, September 13, at 2:00 EDT/11:00 PDT for Arts Funding Snapshot: GIA's Annual Research on Support for Arts and Culture, a web-based presentation by Steven Lawrence, Kelly J. Barsdate, Holly Sidford, and Alexis Frasz, moderated by our own Tommer Peterson.

About this webinar:
The 2011 issue of GIA’s annual Arts Funding Snapshot, slated for publication in late September 2011, will include Foundation Grants to Arts and Culture 2009, based on Foundation Center data; Public Funding for the Arts 2011 Update, prepared by NASAA; and An Overview of Private Arts Philanthropy's Response to Changes in Public Funding, produced by Helicon Collaborative. Web conference registrants will receive these publications in advance.

September 9, 2011 by Steve

From nonprofit marketing consultant Pamela Grow: