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Artists and Crowd-sourced Funding
Posted on April 26, 2012 by Steve

From Jonathan Zwickel at City Arts:

Americans have rarely come close to agreement about the role of art in society, let alone how to fund it. But a growing consensus in the media and the general public contends that crowd funding is a democratizing force, a peer-to-peer system of market-driven benevolence far more fair and efficient than the traditional, top-down model of government and foundation support.

For better or worse, the rise of networked culture over the past decade has changed the way artists approach their art. Crowd funding further clouds the issue. More than pure creative talent, marketing and promotion skills are part of a successful crowd funding campaign: Those who can sell their work before it’s even made are the ones that receive the most funding.

Money For Arts Journalism, In Three Cities That Need It
Posted on April 26, 2012 by Steve

From Laura Pellegrinelli at NPR:

Most people who haven't been living under a rock are aware of the newspaper industry's precipitous decline. And even the least media savvy surface dwellers could guess that this sorry state of affairs has disproportionately impacted arts journalism. In comparison with the one in four newsroom jobs that have been lost in the last decade, approximately half of all arts writing staff positions and beats have disappeared, according to estimates by Arts Journal editor Douglas McLennan.
Can We Break the Glass Ceiling of Arts Leadership?
Posted on April 26, 2012 by Steve

From Elenor Whitney at ArtsFwd:

Gender inequality is not ignored in the arts world, but the underlying causes behind it, and the effect that has on the structure of arts organizations, is not deeply discussed. I would like the field to directly address these questions: why are so many directors men when a majority of women work in the arts in entry and middle management-level positions and have strong professional experience and education? And how does this impact arts organizations’ capacity for innovation and dynamic change?
Federal Arts Endowment Sharply Cuts PBS Grants
Posted on April 26, 2012 by Steve

From Elizabeth Jensen at The New York Times:

The National Endowment for the Arts made sweeping cuts in its support of established PBS shows on Wednesday, and for the first time awarded significant grants to an array of gaming, mobile and Web-based projects. Among the PBS programs receiving significantly less financing under the 2012 Arts in Media grants were “Live From Lincoln Center,” which was awarded $100,000 last year and nothing this year.
Documentary Filmmaker Wins Against I.R.S., Which Saw Her as a Hobbyist
Posted on April 25, 2012 by Steve

From Michael Cieply at The New York Times:

(Lee) Storey went to court after the Internal Revenue Service tried to disallow her deduction of expenses incurred while making and marketing the film “Smile ‘Til It Hurts: The Up With People Story.”

The movie played the festival circuit after it was finished in 2008, but has yet to become a money maker. So the tax collectors contended that Ms. Storey, who is a practicing lawyer when she is not making documentary films, was engaged in a hobby, not a business, because she enjoyed filmmaking, and wasn’t turning a profit, despite some considerable efforts to do so.

NEA Announces 928 Grants and $77.17 Million in Funding
Posted on April 25, 2012 by Steve

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Rocco Landesman announced today that the NEA plans to award 928 grants totaling $77.17 million to not-for-profit organizations nationwide. These grants support exemplary projects in arts education, dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literature, local arts agencies, media arts, museums, music, opera, presenting, theater, musical theater, and visual arts, and provide support to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations.

Canadian Conference of the Arts President: All together now!
Posted on April 25, 2012 by Steve

From Kathleen Sharpe, president of the Canadian Conference of the Arts:

After months of silence, we finally know where we stand: the federal government has confirmed officially it will put an end to 46 years of funding to the Canadian Conference of the Arts by March 31, 2013. The good news is: we can count on some transition funding. We trust that Minister Moore’s decision to grant final funding to the CCA is an acknowledgment of the pertinence of our business plan and of our serious intent to transform the organisation.
Statement by Janet Brown on the Announcement by President’s Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Posted on April 23, 2012 by Steve

Today, Janet Brown, the executive director of Grantmakers in the Arts made the following statement regarding the announcement on school turnaround and arts education by the President's Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The Arts Education Funders Coalition, a project of Grantmakers in the Arts, is seeking to expand the role of arts education in federal education policy.

Winners of Knight/NEA Community Arts Journalism Challenge Announced
Posted on April 19, 2012 by Steve

Three new models designed to strengthen local arts coverage will soon launch with funding through the Knight/NEA Community Arts Journalism Challenge, which sought innovative ideas for informing and engaging people in the arts. The challenge winners were announced today at a virtual press conference. They will each receive up to $80,000 to launch their ideas.

Knight Foundation/NEA to Announce Arts Journalism Awardees
Posted on April 19, 2012 by Steve

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts will host a virtual press conference on Thursday, April 19, 2012 to announce and discuss the three winning projects of the Knight/NEA Community Arts Journalism Challenge. The winners will each receive $80,000 to implement their ideas for new arts journalism models that inform and engage communities in the arts.