For the first time in the 47-year history of the National Endowment for the Arts, the agency's Office of Research & Analysis will award grants to 15 research projects to investigate the value and impact of the arts in the United States. These grants, totaling $250,000, support projects designed to use existing, high-quality datasets to examine novel and significant research questions about the arts. The grantees are from 11 states and their awards range from $10,000 to $30,000.
Steve's Blog
Posted on May 24, 2012 by Steve
The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation have announced a $300,000 fund for the creation and production of new plays by California playwrights. The works are to be commissioned and premiered by Bay Area nonprofit organizations that can apply for grants of $50,000 each. These grants will support projects that encourage the creative endeavors and professional development of promising California playwrights. The resulting works will have their world premieres in Bay Area public performances between June 2013 and June 2015.
Posted on May 23, 2012 by Steve
On Wednesday May 30, the National Endowment for the Arts will host a public webinar to extend the conversation of the Interagency Task Force on the Arts and Human Development, an alliance of 15 federal agencies, offices, divisions, and departments to encourage more and better research on how the arts help people reach their full potential at all stages of life.
Posted on May 23, 2012 by Steve
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney makes his first education specific speech of the campaign today (Wednesday, May 23) in Washington. He has named an education committee and has released an education policy document. As with most campaign documents, it is light on specifics but does give a picture of what Romney would prioritize should he win the presidency.
Posted on May 22, 2012 by Steve
Financial Health Analysis (FHA) is a suite of financial reports produced as a collaborative effort of Nonprofit Finance Fund and Cultural Data Project with support from the William Penn Foundation. The FHA is a free tool for arts and cultural organizations participating in the Cultural Data Project and is part of larger efforts by NFF and the CDP that seeks to bring to the sector comprehensive, uniform and comparable data that can support improved communications and decision-making by arts leaders and their supporters.
Posted on May 21, 2012 by Steve
This past weekend, author Neil Gaiman spoke at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and told the graduating class all the things he wish he knew at their age. The talk runs 19 minutes.
Posted on May 21, 2012 by Steve
From Chris Jones, Theater critic for the Chicago Tribune:
It is a large part of the big lag between spending on the arts and culture in New York, where international visitors crowd Broadway theaters and the Midtown entertainment district, and in Chicago, where arts groups must, for the most part, focus on a more limited pool of locals and visiting Midwesterners. Chicago's cultural organizations remain a key to increased international visibility for Chicago: One need only to have read the reports of the rapturous reception afforded the touring Chicago Symphony Orchestra in St. Petersburg and Moscow last month or seen the recent pictures from London of Chicago Shakespeare Theater's hip-hop "Othello" steaming up audiences packed into the Globe Theatre, experiencing Shakespeare from across the world as part of an international festival attached to the upcoming Olympic Games.
Posted on May 18, 2012 by Steve
From Chad Bauman at DC Theatre Scene:
Although we struggle like other cities, we are unique. Given that DC is not a state, government funding is a little different. We don’t have a state arts agency, and some funding comes directly from Congress. In the District, there are two major sources of government support—the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program. In recent years, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities was cut by 70% going from $13 million to $3.9 million and the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program was cut by 74% going from $9.5 million to $2 million. In comparison to our peers nationally which on average faced cuts of 6-10% range, cuts in the 70%+ range seem crippling and disproportionate.
Posted on May 7, 2012 by Steve
The Topeka Capital-Journal Advisory Board gets behind legislation to restore State arts funding:
After a year of turmoil and anxiety about Gov. Sam Brownback’s decision last year to eliminate public funding for the arts in Kansas, a solution is at hand that appears to be acceptable to the governor, members of the arts community and an overwhelming majority of the state’s legislators.
Posted on May 7, 2012 by Steve
The Radio program Studio 360 explores the Obama administration's Turnaround Arts Initiative in an interview with Diane Ravitch.