Steve's Blog

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Steve

Altarum Institute and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation have released a report detailing the economic impact of racism, and the benefits of advancing racial equity as the demography of our nation changes.

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Steve

The National Endowment for the Arts announces the expansion of its landmark arts partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense to bring art therapy to military patients at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital’s satellite center of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Steve

Max Fisher pens a comprehensive article on the story of the recently discovered art stash in Germany:

In 2011, German investigators found more than 1,400 pieces of art, some by famous painters such as Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, in the Munich home of Cornelius Gurlitt, a discovery that was made public only this week with a German news report. Gurlitt's father had been an art collector during World War II, when much of Europe's art was confiscated by the Nazis or otherwise went missing. The Munich trove is historic in its own right but is also part of the continent's seven-decade rediscovery of an artistic heritage that is still recovering from the Nazis' efforts to wipe it out.
Posted on November 5, 2013 by Steve

From the Arts for LA website:

Olga Garay-English announced today she will be stepping down from her post as executive director of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs effective January 4, 2014. Ms. Garay-English assumed leadership of DCA in 2007 when she was appointed by then-Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa.
Posted on October 31, 2013 by Steve

From Tamar Lewin at the New York Times:

The future of the humanities has been a hot topic this year, both in academia and the high-culture media. Some commentators sounded the alarm based on federal data showing that nationally, the percentage of humanities majors hovers around 7 percent — half the 14 percent share in 1970. As others quickly pointed out, that decline occurred between 1970, the high point, and 1985, not in recent years.
Posted on October 29, 2013 by Steve

The latest post from Angie Kim’s blog, Private Foundations Plus:

The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) just came out with a new report, “Nonprofit Challenges: What Foundations Can Do.” There were some dismaying findings. CEP’s survey of nonprofit leaders found that 52 percent felt that foundations are unaware of the challenges that nonprofits face. Less than 33 percent felt that foundations use their resources in ways that help nonprofits actually meet challenges. And, perhaps the most alarming finding is that nonprofit leaders felt more challenged to attract foundation support than any other kind of support.
Posted on October 28, 2013 by Steve

ArtPlace America recently began taking applications for 2014 Innovation Grants. At the end of the 2013 grantmaking cycle, proposal notes were analyzed to pull out the most common questions driving the recommendations of reviewers with the intention to provide future prospective grantees with tools that bolster their ability to develop strong creative placemaking ideas and craft more robust proposals. A set of important questions are discussed here to help with the crafting of proposals.

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Steve

From the HowlRound blog, an essay from Todd London, author of The Artistic Home:

Artists innovate every day, because what they make, they make up. How do they innovate? Trial and error, mostly, boring hours alone or with other artists. Years facing their own limitations. The real work of innovation is theirs, alone or together. It is organic and ongoing, one bold or tentative foot in front of another. Try to find funding in innovation-land for persistent effort and incremental breakthrough.
Posted on October 25, 2013 by Steve

The seven-part video conversation “Dinner-Vention at Djerassi” is now available. Hosted by Barry Hessenius, the dinner gathers a large group of thinkers to dine and converse. Guests include:

  • Salvador Acevado, Contemporenea
  • Tamara Alvarado, School of Arts & Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza
  • Kimberly Howard, Oregon Cultural Trust
  • Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
  • Lex Leifheit, SOMArts
  • Clayton Lord, Americans for the Arts
  • Nina Simon, Snata Cruz Museum of Art and History
  • Devon Smith, Three Spot
  • Kristin Thomson, Future of Music Coalition
  • Margy Waller, Topos Partnership and Art on the Streets
  • Meiyin Wang, Public Theatre's Under the Radar Festival
  • Laura Zabel, Springboard for the Arts
Posted on October 21, 2013 by Steve

Lori Pourier—an Oglala/Mnicoujou Lakota from South Dakota and the president of First Peoples Fund, as well as a former member of the GIA Board of Directors—is the recipient of the 2013 Women’s World Summit Foundation Prize for Women’s Creativity in Rural Life. She is one of 10 laureates to receive the award this year, and the only honoree from the United States.