Abigail's Blog

Our commitment to supporting individual artists is a testament to our understanding of the importance of artists in our world. We support artists to allow them time to reveal the truths of our existence. We support artists to promote diverse, creative communities engaged in civil dialogue and public service. We support artists to ensure the freedom of their expression and the preservation of our own.

Please join us tomorrow, September 13, at 2:00 EDT/11:00 PDT for Arts Funding Snapshot: GIA's Annual Research on Support for Arts and Culture, a web-based presentation by Steven Lawrence, Kelly J. Barsdate, Holly Sidford, and Alexis Frasz, moderated by our own Tommer Peterson.

About this webinar:
The 2011 issue of GIA’s annual Arts Funding Snapshot, slated for publication in late September 2011, will include Foundation Grants to Arts and Culture 2009, based on Foundation Center data; Public Funding for the Arts 2011 Update, prepared by NASAA; and An Overview of Private Arts Philanthropy's Response to Changes in Public Funding, produced by Helicon Collaborative. Web conference registrants will receive these publications in advance.

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.

Sparked.com is an online portal of volunteers that have signed up to offer small amounts of time to complete web-based projects requested by nonprofits. Known as micro-volunteers, these individuals offer one or two hours a week to complete "Challenges" in the areas of technology, design, research, etc. Free for nonprofits (including arts nonprofits), it's an easy way to tap into a skilled volunteer network without committing a lot of time to volunteer management.

Please join us next Tuesday, August 2, at 2:00 EST/11:00 PST for Beyond Cash: Supporting Individual Artists through Promotion, Validation, and Recognition, a web-based presentation by Irene Borger, Jayson Smart, and Ute Zimmermann, moderated by Amber Hawk Swanson.

About this webinar:
For arts grantmakers that want to support individual artists through means outside of cash grants, this presentation provides a perspective on why artists consider the promotion and validation of their creative process just as important as receiving grants. The panelists will offer ideas, suggestions, and feedback on how artists can be empowered through means outside of financial assistance and the need for such services.

In a post for the NEA blog, Rainey Knudson, founder of the fantastic and now ten-years-old Texas visual art blog, Glasstire, addresses the following (difficult) questions:

• Why does art criticism matter?
• What is the key role of the arts reporter in promoting greater art understanding?
• Has the role of the critic changed—or should it change—given the increasing democratization of arts coverage/rise of the citizen journalist?

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.

Re-aired and released via podcast last weekend, Act V is a 2002 This American Life episode about the piecemeal performance of Hamlet by a group of prisoners at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center. The performance was organized by St. Louis-based Prison Performing Arts, a multi-discipline literacy and performing arts program that serves incarcerated adults and children.

Join us next Tuesday, July 12, at 2:00 EDT/11:00 PDT for the next webinar in our 2011 Web Conference Series, Cultural Participation in a Changing Society, presented by Salvador Acevedo, President of Contemporanea.

A new month, a new slide show of member-supported projects on the GIA website! Our July featured member is Artadia: The Fund for Art and Dialogue. Based in New York City, Artadia's mission is to encourage innovative practice and meaningful dialogue across the United States by providing visual artists in specific communities with unrestricted awards and a national network of support. Our gratitude to Ute Zimmermann, program manager at Artadia, for the photo selection.