Edwin Torres, deputy commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, has been selected by the Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) board of directors as the organization’s new president & CEO. Torres will become GIA’s third CEO after a national search for a successor to current CEO Janet Brown, who will step down at the end of 2017.
GIA Blog
Posted on August 16, 2017 by Steve
Kiley Arroyo, executive director of the Cultural Strategies Council, writes on how the strategies and policy-level systems change can create a better, more sustainable environment for creative placemaking efforts to take hold. Read “Creative Democracy: Applying the Lessons of Creative Placemaking to Policymaking” from the latest issue of the GIA Reader.
Posted on August 14, 2017 by Monica
“Community Empowerment through Justice, Art, and Leadership” is the new grantmaking model of The Field Foundation of Illinois. President Angelique Power announced the change in a letter to the field on Monday describing steps the foundation took to evaluate its work with feedback from nonprofits and peer foundations, undergo racial equity training, and assess the needs of the Chicago area. The result of these efforts is a new grantmaking model which redefines the foundation’s program areas and funding guidelines and coincides with the launch of its new application process.
Posted on August 11, 2017 by Steve
In the latest issue of the Reader, Marc Zegans introduces a model of how an artist’s work and career develop over time — “the five stages of a fulfilled creative life.” Zegans explains how artists move through these various stages, the critical questions that arise from each stage, and the challenges artists face as they move from one stage to another. Read “Arc and Interruption: The Five Stages of Creative Life and the Crises That Intervene.”
Posted on August 8, 2017 by Monica
Former GIA board member Judith Jennings has been awarded the 2017 Sallie Bingham Award from the Kentucky Foundation for Women (KFW). The University of Kentucky (UK), Jennings’ alma mater, reports:
Jennings . . . served as executive director of KFW for 16 years until her retirement in 2014. During her tenure, she established KFW’s Special Project, which provides art-making opportunities for families of incarcerated people. During this period, Jennings also served for six years on the board of Grantmakers in the Arts and became a founding member of the Art x Culture x Social Justice Network.
Jennings was selected for the Bingham Award for her work advancing art for social change both nationally and statewide and for her integral role in putting Kentucky at the forefront of national conversations about the arts and social justice.
Posted on August 8, 2017 by Monica
Following up his interview with Laura Zucker last week, Barry Hessenius continues with another “Exit Interview” featuring former GIA board chair Robert Booker. Bob is retiring after 40 years of service in the nonprofit arts field, having most recently served as executive director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts. He also served on the GIA board from 2010 to 2016.
Posted on August 3, 2017 by Steve
In the latest issue of the GIA Reader, Caroline and Tony Grant of Sustainable Arts Foundation write about their efforts to examine and change its grantmaking practices with a racial equity lens. In 2016, the foundation announced its commitment to award at least half of its grants to artists of color. Read “I Once Was Blind: Acknowledging Race in Granting to Individuals.”
Posted on August 2, 2017 by Monica
The National Endowment for the Arts has released a State of the Field: A Report from the Documentary Sustainability Summit. Released in partnership with the International Documentary Association (IDA), this report explores issues facing the documentary film community, with a goal of articulating tangible, actionable strategies and initiatives to positively impact the field and contribute to a sustainable and healthy ecosystem for documentary professionals.
Posted on August 1, 2017 by Monica
From Howlround:
Several forces have contributed to the erosion of sustainable models of journalism, and arts writers and reviewers have been hit particularly hard. This has affected theatres that depend on third-party coverage for promotion and professional reviews.
To explore ways in which arts service organizations (ASOs) can help alleviate the compound problems affecting arts journalism, the Association of Performing Arts Service Organizations (APASO) held a working session entitled: “Arts Service Organizations and Arts Journalists: Working Together.” Journalists and media experts worked with over twenty-five arts service organizations to crowdsource viable ideas to help fill the void in arts journalism.
Posted on August 1, 2017 by Monica
This week on his blog, Barry Hessenius published an “Exit Interview” with GIA board member Laura Zucker, who ended her 25-year tenure as executive director of Los Angeles County Arts Commission on July 31. In the interview, Zucker reflects on the state of the field and the strategies that supported successful initiatives and programs under her tenure – research, arts education, arts advocacy, and more.