Abigail's Blog

Are you a new member of Grantmakers in the Arts, or curious if a GIA membership is right for your organization? Registration is still open for the free Web Conference Introduction to GIA Membership, scheduled for Tuesday, February 5 at 11:00 PST, 2:00 EST. Please join GIA staff for a brief overview of GIA programs and the benefits of membership for arts funding organizations of all shapes and sizes. Q&A will follow.

Writing for her blog, Museum 2.0, Nina Simon reflects on a conversation with Ted Russell, senior program officer at The James Irvine Foundation, about the foundation's new Exploring Engagement Funds and the challenges inherent in what she defines as a field-rattling initiative.

At TEDxHampshireCollege, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author/illustrator of children's books and arts education advocate, delivers an inspiring talk on the family members, educators, and mentors that encouraged his childhood infatuation with drawing and storytelling. With humor and gravity, he links this encouragement to his success, as well as his ongoing efforts to encourage children to put creativity to paper.

Throughout January, our website photo banner will feature artists supported by GIA member Artist Trust. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Artist Trust has invested over $9 million in artists since its founding. It supports Washington State artists of all disciplines in launching and sustaining successful careers, through financial grants, career training, and professional resources.

In The New York Times, a story about Roosevelt School in Bridgeport, CT, one of eight schools participating in the federal government's Turnaround Arts initiative, which was designed to "test the hypothesis that high-quality and integrated arts education can be an effective tool to strengthen school reform efforts-boosting academic achievement and increasing student motivation in schools facing some of the toughest educational challenges in the country."

Registration is still open for the next and final installment of GIA's 2012 Web Conference Series. Set in Stone: Building America's Next Generation of Arts Facilities, 1994-2008 will be presented by Carroll Joynes and Joanna Woronkowicz of the Cultural Policy Center, University of Chicago. The webinar begins tomorrow, December 11, at 11:00 PST, 2:00 EST.

GIA Web Conferences are open to everyone. They are free to members and $35 for nonmembers.

Throughout November and December, our website photo banner will feature artists supported by GIA member Creative Capital. Founded in 1999, Creative Capital provides integrated financial and advisory support to artists pursuing adventurous projects in five disciplines: Emerging Fields, Film/Video, Literature, Performing Arts and Visual Arts. Working in long-term partnership with artists, Creative Capital’s pioneering approach to support combines funding, counsel, and career development services to enable a project’s success and foster sustainable practices for its grantees.

Foundations are using project related investments (PRIs) and mission related investments (MRIs) to stimulate growth in Detroit, where there is a specific need for investment capital. Writing for the Nonprofit Quarterly, Rick Cohen argues for the ability of foundations to prudently underwrite MRIs and PRIs, using as examples work in this area by The Kresge Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and others.

On Barry's Blog Sunday, a post by Barry Hessenius on the upcoming Grantmakers in the Arts 2012 Conference in Miami, including an overview of session topics, his experience of the last two GIA conferences, and comments on GIA's new capitalization, arts education, and equity initiatives. Also included is an interview with GIA Chair and Senior Program Officer at The Kresge Foundation Regina Smith, who discusses GIA's evolving programs and Kresge's Creative Placemaking initiatives.

With the conference upcoming, Miami is on our minds this month - and on the GIA website. Images featured on the photo banner throughout October were provided by GIA member John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Founded in 1950, Knight Foundation promotes informed and engaged communities by supporting transformational ideas in journalism and media innovation, community engagement, and the arts.