GIA News's Blog

(1-26-10) Katrina @ 5: Partners in Philanthropy is a special convening of the philanthropic community in New Orleans just a few months before the fifth anniversary of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The recent earthquake in Haiti is a harsh reminder that disaster can strike anytime and anywhere. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck our own Gulf Coast in 2005, devastating countless lives and communities in the region, and leaving an impact on the entire country that is still strongly felt today.

(1-25-10) Expressive Life - A conversation this week on ArtsJournal - Bill Ivey, Adrian Ellis, Alan Brown, Andras Szanto, Andrew Taylor, Bau Graves, Douglas McLennan, Ellen Lovell, William James, James Early, Jim Smith, Lewis Hyde, Marian Godfrey, Martha Bayles, Nihar Patel, Russell Taylor, Sam Jones, and Steven Tepper argue the value of heritage and artistic engagement in a world where how we use culture is rapidly changing.

(1-22-10) The book Outrageous Fortune, the Life and Times of the New American Play has stirred up a lot of attention among playwrights and theater folk. Prolific blogger Isaac Butler of Parabasis organized a chapter by chapter review by a handful of respected theater bloggers (an all boy band, curiously) that has generated some interesting discussion. Here are their takes

Isaac Butler on Parabasis

(1-22-10) The Association of American Cultures (TAAC) is accepting proposal submissions for its next symposium Open Dialogue XII: Building the 21st Century Agenda for Cultural Democracy, a symposium of local and national leaders discussing policies and programs which individuals, organizations, foundations, and policy makers are encouraged to strategize and organize around in order to further advance cultural democracy and cultural equity platforms AND programs in today’s new era of change.

(1-22-10) National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman gave a policy address today at the annual meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM). In his speech, the chairman addressed the role of smart design and artists and arts organizations as place-makers and announced the NEA Mayors' Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative.

(1-21-10) The study "Native Artists: Livelihoods, Resources, Space, Gifts" was published in December of 2009 and authored by Marcie Rendon and Ann Markusen. The report details a two-year study of the Ojibwe artists in Minnesota, focusing on artist training, access to resources and work-space, location, employment and self-employment, and other topics.

Listen to the MPR article here.

(1-20-10) Similar to reports such as The Conference Board’s tracking of consumer confidence, the Index views the arts as a dynamic system and provides reliable longitudinal information. It is unique when compared to other arts data systems in its scope, amount of data it presents, and annual publication. The Index is set to a base score of 100 in 2003. Every point difference represents one percent change.

Read More

On January 12-13, some 100 artists, thinkers and advocates convened in Sacramento to a begin a conversation to help deeply understand and powerfully articulate the role of the arts in the lives of individuals and communities in today’s California; identify the key questions and ideas to include in a series of statewide community conversations later this year, clarifying what we need to learn; and determine an inclusive process for wide engagement in the inquiry process—and spark the process.

Arts organizations ARE businesses, so whatever they do is LIKE a business. Arts organizations are also ARTISTIC endeavors, so whatever they do is LIKE an artist. Whether they fulfill either of those explicit roles well is another question. Are they effective businesses? Do they offer a compelling artistic voice? These are the more focused questions that might actually get us somewhere.

Read More

GFEM has launched an online Media Database, a searchable database of media projects-in-progress. GFEM believes that media play a vital role in shaping, framing and catalyzing public discourse and culture. The database is designed to servs as a hub where funders of all kinds can find a rich array of media-related projects that fit their funding priorities.