Grantmakers in the Arts

From Narric Rome at ARTSBlog:

TCG's I Am Theatre video series spotlights the stories of theatre practitioners, in their own words. With 50 videos over the next 50 weeks, the series celebrates TCG's 50th anniversary by sharing stories from a diverse group of people who are creating, supporting, and engaging with theatre. A new video will post weekly of individuals sharing pivotal moments in theatre and you are encouraged to tell your stories too. Watch this week's video of Rachel Grossman, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company's Connectivity Director.

Some look at the city of Flint and see only urban blight, a city drained of its soul. Others, like Natasha Thomas-Jackson, Executive Director of RAISE IT UP! Youth Arts and Awareness, see a city alive with creativity, a community on the brink of rediscovering its voice. Her non-profit was founded to ensure that the creativity and collective voices of the youth in her hometown are discovered, nurtured and expressed.

The San Francisco Arts Commission voted unanimously on Monday to appoint its vice president, JD Beltran, as interim director while the commission recruits a permanent new director of cultural affairs. Beltran is a conceptual artist, filmmaker and writer. Her work has been screened and exhibited internationally. Mayor Edwin Lee has sole authority over the appointment of Arts Commissioners.

The Joyce Foundation today announced that Angelique Power will join the organization as senior program officer for the Culture Program in late August. Ms. Power comes to Joyce with more than 15 years experience in communications and outreach, most recently serving as director of communications and community engagement at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Read the full announcement.

Been thinking about your organization's social media plan at lot lately? Us too. Here's a tidy little history of why we're grappling with this, posted to Mashable by Jolie O'Dell. If you read to the bottom, you will find links to other social media infographics, including a few that might inform your (all of our) ever-evolving social media strategies.

Watching the local news recently, there was an article about public art funding being in jeopardy in the state of Washington. The reporter ended the story by implying the big losers here would be the artists who have received funds from the program. This was a reminder to me of how we are losing the public relations war about the importance of the arts in our lives and communities. Actually, it is not the artists who are the big losers (although they are one loser). It is all the people who live and visit the state of Washington.