Grantmakers in the Arts

August 23, 2011 by Steve

A number of U.S. communities have been building citywide systems to make high-quality after-school programs more available to children. Many such efforts have shaped their work around the collection and analysis of current, credible data. This guide looks at the kinds of data cities are gathering, how they collect it and how they put it to use.

August 23, 2011 by Steve

A pair of reports have come out from Stanford Social Innovation Review dealing with Advocacy. Both are well worth a read.

The Elusive Craft of Evaluating Advocacy, by Steven Teles and Mark Schmitt, looks at the problems of evaluating advocacy given the chaotic nature of the political process in America. The explore various methods to examining advocacy (and advocates).

August 23, 2011 by Steve

From David Freedlander at The New York Observer:

Forget bronze. The new public art can be sound installations, graffiti-inspired commissions for roll-down gates, and cartoonish painting over public buildings, as in 2009, when a mini-uproar was created over the Public Art Fund’s commissioning of the artist Richard Woods to paint the guardhouses in front of City Hall in Lego-land-looking redbrick design.
August 22, 2011 by Steve

Also, "How to Make a Meme":

For decades now, people have joined together online to communicate and collaborate around interesting imagery. In recent years, the pace and intensity of this activity has reached a fever pitch. With countless communities engaging in a constant exchange, building on each others' work, and producing a prodigious flow of material, we may be experiencing the early stages of a new type of artistic and cultural collaboration.
August 22, 2011 by Tommer

The financial picture has grown so bleak at the American Folk Art Museum that its trustees are considering whether to shut it down and donate its collections to another institution, said a person involved in the discussions, who requested anonymity because the talks are confidential.

August 19, 2011 by Tommer

The rush to build crowdfunding sites is sorting itself out, not surprisingly in ways the for-profit online world evolves. Other takes on this by Lucy Bernholz and in Fast Company.

August 18, 2011 by Abigail

Thanks to KUOW, one of our local public radio channels, I hear at least one good story on the arts every month. This month's story aired this morning on Weekday, a daily, often locally-focused talk show, and explored themes of art and social change (decidedly not local in focus). It is worth a listen for the thoughtful insights of the artists invited to participate in the conversation: Thao Nguyen and Lenelle Moise. Listen here.

August 18, 2011 by Tommer

The final week of the Arts Education blog - follow up questions.