Steve's Blog

Findings from a national survey released this week show that, contrary to widespread belief, most arts graduates are employed and holding jobs consistent with their educational goals. For example, 92% of those who wish to work currently are, with most finding employment soon after graduating. Two-thirds said their first job was a close match for the kind of work they wanted. And almost three-quarters (74%) of those who intended to work as a professional artist had done so at some point since graduating.

Twenty-one arts journalists from 13 states have been chosen to participate as fellows in USC Annenberg's seventh National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater. Fellows include theater critics, reporters, editors and general arts & entertainment journalists. The Institute will be held in Los Angeles from June 13 to 22, with the generous support of the NEA.

NYFA Source has updated its Disaster Resources page with local resources for tornado victims in Alabama. Inquiries can be forwarded to their hotline number: 1-800-232-2789.

CERF+ is also asking for information on artists who were affected by the massive tornado outbreak last week.

Artists, leaders, and advocates will gather in Chicago on Saturday, May 7, for a TEDx event to talk about the paths ahead of us and what the arts need to do to remain relevant, active, and thriving into a new age. The long list of participants includes David Dombrosky, executive director of the Center for Arts Management and Technology; Lisa Canning, founder of The Institute for Arts Entrepreneurship; and Ian David Moss, research director for Fractured Atlas. The event was organized by David Zoltan, director of ArtsAppeal.

A new Research Note from the National Endowment for the Arts, Time and Money: Using Federal Data to Measure the Value of Performing Arts Activities, analyzes the value of arts and culture through concrete monetary measures, through ‘revealed preferences’ as seen through consumer spending, and through time use, which is a ‘quality of life’ measure.

Rick Moyers, from The Chronicle of Philanthropy:

The general aversion of many boards to talking about finances in any detail creates an initial roadblock to conversations about reserves. And the lack of a widely understood and commonly used definition of operating reserves doesn’t help. It’s hard to talk about something if you don’t know what it is.

A variety of events from April's Arts Advocacy Day are now available from Americans for the Arts and Ovation TV, including Kevin Spacey's Nancy Hanks Lecture, but also including Spacey, Alec Baldwin and Hill Harper speaking to the advocates for Congressional Arts Kick-Off on Capitol Hill and a flash mob performance of “America the Beautiful.”

See it all here.

On April 27 - 29 in Chicago, more than 50 Mayors along with design and development experts will convene at the Chicago Hilton for a National Summit on City Design to identify challenges, opportunities and funding sources for cities that work well. Participants will examine the power of arts and design to transform cities while celebrating the Mayors Institute of City Design (MICD) – a collaboration of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), and the American Architectural Foundation (AAF) – and honoring the design legacy of former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

From Forbes.com

Involving children and grandchildren in philanthropic activities plays an important role in preparing younger generations for wealth and responsibility. Multigenerational discussions about charitable giving plans and priorities can go a long way toward ensuring the successful transfer of wealth and the continuity of values.

In an article for the Consumer Health Foundation's publication Connections, Gay Hanna, executive director of the National Center for Creative Aging, outlines several types of integrated arts/humanities/medical programs, including arts therapy, creative aging programs, and the introduction of arts and humanities curricula into medical training.