The McKnight Foundation has produced a report, What Artists Say, of findings from a survey of fellowship recipients and artists receiving McKnight funds regranted by the state’s 11 Regional Arts Councils (RACs) in 2011. The survey was conducted by the Center for the Study of Art & Community and was designed to give artists an opportunity to reflect on the environment, conditions, and motivations that affect their work.
Steve's Blog
Posted on December 11, 2013 by Steve
NCRP research and policy director Niki Jagpal posts to The NonProfit Times:
As I listened to a webinar hosted by Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) on its report Annual Research on Support for Arts and Culture, I was relatively unsurprised to hear from Steven Lawrence of the Foundation Center that their research found the largest share of arts grants went to the performing arts (36.8 percent) and museums (27.6 percent).
Posted on December 10, 2013 by Steve
From Katherine Boyle, reporting for The Washington Post:
Deborah F. Rutter, president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, will become the third president of the Kennedy Center in September. The center made the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday, after an 11-month national search for a new president to manage the country’s busiest performing arts center.
Posted on December 9, 2013 by Steve
Lucy Bernholz has the list of top-10 buzzwords from 2013 on The Chronicle of Philanthropy:
“Selfie” may be the Oxford English Dictionary’s choice for word of the year, but the nonprofit world is abuzz with other language that reveals what’s on the minds of people working to promote the common good. Here’s my list of the words that capture 2013 and beyond.
Posted on December 5, 2013 by Steve
National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) will host a free webinar on Thrusday, December 19, 2pm EST, to discuss the report Smashing Silos in Philanthropy: Multi-Issue Advocacy And Organizing for Real Results, which was released last month. Presenters will be Niki Jagpal, Research and Policy Director, NCRP; Ai-jen Poo, Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance; and John Esterle, Executive Director, The Whitman Institute. You can get the report here and register for the webinar here.
Posted on December 2, 2013 by Steve
Rhode Island School of Design president John Maeda writes for Scientific American:
In DaVinci’s time when expertise in art and science had not yet matured to the polarized state in which they exist today, they coexisted naturally. Of course, science’s level of sophistication back then was quite different. But from where I sit as the president of the Rhode Island School of Design, it is clear to me that even current practices in scientific research have much to gain by involving artists in the process early and often. Artists serve as great partners in the communication of scientific research; moreover, they can serve as great partners in the navigation of the scientific unknown.
Posted on November 25, 2013 by Steve
From Alexis Clements on Hyperallergic:
In August and September I facilitated a class focused on labor issues within the arts. Specifically, we looked at how and when artists receive or don’t receive payment for their work, and the broader implications of compensating artists. We looked at examples in the US going as far back as the 1850s, but focused most of our attention on recent history and contemporary practices. And because there was such a great mix of students in the class working across fields, as expected, I ended up learning quite a bit myself during the class. Below are five of the things I took away from the class, though there were many others as well.
Posted on November 23, 2013 by Steve
From Tara Bahrampour, writing for The Washington Post:
Doris Lessing, the freewheeling Nobel Prize-winning writer on racism, colonialism, feminism and communism who died Sunday at age 94, was prolific for most of her life. But five years ago, she said the writing had dried up. “Don’t imagine you’ll have it forever,” she said, according to one obituary. “Use it while you’ve got it because it’ll go; it’s sliding away like water down a plug hole.”
Posted on November 12, 2013 by Steve
A major new report from The Wallace Foundation examines the challenges of after-school arts programs in low-income neighborhoods. Drawing on hundreds of interviews with young people, their families, leaders of exemplary programs and others nationwide, this report offers some answers, including 10 principles for developing effective programming. The report's authorsDenise Montgomery, Peter Rogovin and Nero Persaudwill present their research in a free webinar on Thursday, November 14.
Posted on November 8, 2013 by Steve
If you missed the live or streamed video of the presentations from the National Innovation Summit for Arts & Culture in October, you can now watch video of those presentations (27 of them!) at the ArtsFwd website.