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Boston Schools Get $4m Arts Programs Boost from Wallace Foundation
Posted on February 8, 2012 by Steve

From Colin A. Young at The Boston Globe:

The Boston public schools have received a $4 million grant to maintain and expand arts education for students across the city.

Superintendent Carol R. Johnson said the grant, from the Wallace Foundation in New York, will greatly enhance an initiative launched three years ago by the school district, the city, and outside partners to provide more instruction in the visual and performing arts.

Arts Grantmakers Dedicated to Vibrant Community and Individual Artists
Posted on February 8, 2012 by Steve

The Minnesota Council on Foundations Philanthropy Potluck blog provides an overview of a recent webinar with arts grantmakers who focused on community vibrancy, support for individual artists, and avenues of non-cash support for organization:

Yesterday in MCF's fourth – and final – webinar in our 2012 grantmaking outlook series, leading arts grantmakers expressed their dedication to supporting the arts and individual artists. Recent giving trends show that grantmaking to arts has declined 7.6 percent since 2004. MCF’s outlook for 2012 indicates that arts funding will remain relatively stable. Bill King, MCF president, discussed arts funding challenges and opportunities
Philanthropy’s Unanswerable Question(s)?
Posted on February 8, 2012 by Steve

From Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center on the PhilanTopic blog:

Q: Exactly how much do America's foundations spend each year to benefit Hispanic and Latino populations?

A: We don't really know.

McKnight Foundation Launches State of the Artist Blog
Posted on February 6, 2012 by Steve

The McKnight Foundation has a new blog for the community to follow. State of the Artist made its first post today from Laura Zimmermann. Here's a bit about the blog's focus:

Within the cultural sector, conversations about artists often derail in one of two ways: Either the discussion quickly turns to one about “the arts” rather than artists, spinning unspecific platitudes about “intrinsic value” or building wobbly arguments about the economic benefits of having a big theater next door to your restaurant.
Berry named Jefferson Lecturer in the Humanities
Posted on February 6, 2012 by Steve

Wendell E. Berry, noted poet, essayist, novelist, farmer, and conservationist, will deliver the 2012 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities. The annual lecture, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), is the most prestigious honor the federal government bestows for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities.

Network lessons from the Pink Ribbon Rebellion
Posted on February 6, 2012 by Steve

From Seth Cohen, the Director of Network Initiatives for the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, for Working Wikily:

There is no question that there are many lessons to be learned from Komen’s unplanned Planned Parenthood experience. Politics aside, even while assessing all of the steps and missteps Komen has made (and, we hope, continues to learn from), the Pink Ribbon Rebellion demonstrated one thing Komen actually did right: it built a social network of activists bound together by a collective identity built on education, empowerment and interconnectedness. And this network, as we saw, doesn’t need Komen at its center—it is quite capable of taking on a life all its own.
Making Donor Dollars Stretch and Perform Miracles
Posted on February 6, 2012 by Steve

From Diane Ragsdale on her Jumper blog:

While it may make everyone feel better in the short term is it possible this tendency to make it appear that donor gifts (large and small) can accomplish far more than is realistic has long term negative impacts on the organization and its relationship with its donors and the community-at-large? Is it possible we avoid telling the real truth because we don’t want to confront or invite others to look to closely at the total cost of ownership of our buildings, or the real costs of running our institutions and particular programs, or how much and how little (relatively speaking) is spent on various areas of operation and resources?
Grants, Fans Remain Key Artist Revenue Streams
Posted on February 4, 2012 by Steve

Here is a video presentation from the Future of Music Coalition's Kristin Thomson at midem 2012. It's a “first look” at FMC's survey of 5,000 US artists about where their revenues come from.

Changing STEM to STEAM
Posted on February 4, 2012 by Steve

A Q&A with John Maeda, president, Rhode Island School of Design from Molly Petrilla at Smart Planet:

While some have touted science, technology, engineering and math (often shortened to “STEM”) as the foundations for a high-achieving country, John Maeda believes that true innovation requires an additional letter—an “A” for art and design. Since becoming president of the Rhode Island School of Design in 2008, Maeda has championed a “STEM to STEAM” movement in education and research. He recently spoke with me about what he’s accomplished so far, what still lies ahead and why Apple is the best example of STEAM at work. Here are some of the highlights from our conversation.

The Lessons of Successful Seduction by Arts Organizations
Posted on February 3, 2012 by Steve

How Do We Engage the Next Generation of Arts Lovers? A recent series of studies supported by The Wallace Foundation offers some “21st century answers.” For arts organizations nationwide, the challenge has been engaging new and younger audiences without alienating loyal and likely older constituencies. The new studies offer findings showing that bridging both groups may not be as divergent as feared: