South Arts has announced the appointment of Suzette (Susie) Surkamer as executive director effective December 6, 2012. Since January, 2012, Surkamer has been the membership consultant for South Arts’ ArtsReady project. Surkamer earned a M.Ed. in dance education from George Washington University and a B.A. in dance from the University of Maryland.
Steve's Blog
Posted on November 16, 2012 by Steve
In the election on November 6th, 2012, Portland, Oregon residents approved ballot measure #26-146 with 62% voting to approve. The success of the measure means a new income tax of $35 per income-earning resident will generate an estimated $12.5 million every year, starting in 2013 to be dispersed to Portland schools and to the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) to fund the arts and music and art education.
Posted on November 13, 2012 by Steve
The Penn Hill Group, an education policy firm in Washington, D.C. that is working for the GIA Arts Education Funders Coalition, has prepared a report to summarize the results of the election that took place in the U.S. in early November 2012. This report provides an initial analysis of the people, process, politics, and policies that are crucial to the consideration of federal education and job training policies in the next Congress and Administration. It is important to recognize that some of these dynamics will shift as agendas become clearer and leadership and committee positions get solidified, at which time we will provide an updated version of this memo at the start of the new Congress in January.
Posted on November 13, 2012 by Steve
The Community Foundation of New Jersey, the Dodge Foundation, and other partners in the philanthropic and corporate community both locally and nationally have established the New Jersey Recovery Fund to help nonprofits and communities rebuild after Superstorm Sandy. The Fund will target grants and loans to support and strengthen the nonprofit sector as well as forward-thinking communities which need resources to implement innovative ideas and solutions.
Posted on November 12, 2012 by Steve
From Randy Kennedy at The New York Times:
The New School has chosen the Chicago artist and activist Theaster Gates as the recipient of its inaugural Vera List Center Prize for Art and Politics, a $15,000 award that will be given to an artist every two years. The prize includes a long-term commitment by the school to aid the winner’s projects through academic study or other means.
Posted on November 9, 2012 by Steve
A pair of webinars are happening next week that look interesting. On Thursday, November 15, Understanding Parents' Role in Arts Education will be presented by Doug Israel, Director of Research and Policy, The Center for Arts Education. Narric Rome and Kristen Engebretsen of AFTA will moderate. The following day, Friday, November 16, 2012 Post-Election Impact on the Arts will feature AFTA Action Fund staff discussing this weeks' election.
Posted on November 7, 2012 by Steve
Robert Lynch, President and CEO, Americans for the Arts, writes for Huffington Post:
Every four years America gets another chance to make its voice heard. And every four years the American arts community, in a way, gets a bit of a fiscal makeover. How is that? Well, it has to do with how the nonprofit arts in America are funded and how policy affects those funding sources. And every four years, no matter who wins elections across our country, there are new policymakers in town.
Posted on November 6, 2012 by Steve
“Developing Artist-Driven Spaces in Marginalized Communities: Reflections and Implications for the Field” is a new report from LINC and the Urban Institute, authored by Maria Rosario Jackson. The report seeks to distill important issues in the creation of these spaces beginning with discussion of why artists work in marginalized communities and followed by examination of issues related to resources, leadership, relations to community stakeholders, and sustainability.
Posted on November 3, 2012 by Steve
After twenty-four years as the only executive director of the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture (Commission), Victoria Hamilton will step down at the end of this month. San Diego was a very different place when Hamilton arrived from Santa Barbara in 1988 to head up the newly formed Commission and her impact and influence have reverberated throughout the community. Today, it is a vibrant cultural destination with a fair and transparent funding process that benefits over 120 arts and culture organizations.
Hamilton has earned national recognition by forging strategic alliances, empowering volunteer leadership boards, and advancing an entrepreneurial approach to innovative arts and culture programs and partnerships.
Posted on October 30, 2012 by Steve
With extraordinarily wide-spread destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, grantmakers across the country will be looking to help with the cleanup and rebuilding.
Grantmakers in the Arts will be aggregating resources and information for funders and others interested in supporting hurricane recovery efforts. Our goal is to serve as a conduit for information for our members and constituents.