GIA Blog

Interview with Rip Rapson of The Kresge Foundation on Arts and Community Development
Posted on June 2, 2016 by Monica

Rip Rapson, president and CEO of The Kresge Foundation, was recently interviewed on Shelterforce:

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to speak with him, trace his experiences and the projects he conceived or championed over the years … and drill into the opportunities and difficulties faced by a large philanthropic organization as it works to integrate its grant making interests with the way real communities operate … One interest Kresge has is in arts and culture, and we spent some extra time talking with him about the importance and role of arts and culture in community health and development.
San Francisco Arts and Homeless Organizations Join Forces to Secure More City Funding
Posted on June 1, 2016 by Monica

By Chloe Veltman, writing for KQED:

Dozens of arts and homelessness advocacy organizations in San Francisco are joining forces to file a ballot measure to restore funding from the city’s Hotel Room Tax (a tax of 14 percent levied on hotel stays, more simply known as the Hotel Tax.) The “San Francisco Arts and Families Funding Ordinance” aims to benefit both cultural activities and families living on the streets — without raising taxes for voters.
Member Spotlight on 3Arts
Posted on June 1, 2016 by SuJ'n

For the month of June, GIA’s photo banner features artists and work supported by 3Arts. 3Arts is a nonprofit arts service organization that advocates for Chicago-based women artists, artists of color, and artists with disabilities who work in the performing, teaching, and visual arts. Now in its ninth year, 3Arts has distributed $1.8 million dollars and directly supported 396 artists through unrestricted cash awards, residency fellowships, project grants, promotion, and professional development.

Teresa Heinz to Turn Over Leadership of The Heinz Endowments to Her Three Sons
Posted on May 31, 2016 by Monica

By Joyce Gannon, writing for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

[Teresa Heinz of the Heinz Endowments] announced that she will step down in October as chair of the foundation with assets of $1.6 billion. Her three sons will fill the chairman’s seat in a series of four-year rotations beginning with Andre Heinz. … The foundation for decades has been a philanthropic force in the Pittsburgh region by providing billions of dollars to fund arts institutions, environmental programs, early childhood education, services for veterans and community redevelopment.
New from the GIA Reader: Supporting Individual Artists
Posted on May 25, 2016 by Steve

In an article in the latest issue of the GIA Reader entitled “Supporting Individual Artists: Translating Value, Evaluating Outcomes,” Ann Markusen summarizes a preconference session from the GIA 2015 Conference in Los Angeles.

Turnaround Arts Gains Long-Term Backing from the Kennedy Center
Posted on May 25, 2016 by Monica

From the Associated Press:

An Obama administration project to expand arts education in elementary and middle schools has found new, long-term backing. The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts says it will be partnering to keep the Turnaround Arts initiative funded and expanding next year. The program brings music, drama, dance and visual arts into struggling schools. It’s grown from eight to 68 schools since it began in 2011.
The BFA’s Dance with Inequality
Posted on May 25, 2016 by Steve

Createquity looks into the value of a degree in the visual or performing arts through the equity lens:

If you took home a diploma for a four-year degree in the visual or performing arts last weekend, you’re not alone: in the U.S., more than 91,000 college graduates are venturing out into the world with BFAs or their equivalent in hand. They are more likely to be from upper and middle class households than grads from other majors, with an average family income of $94,381. Only about 10% of them, if one report is to be believed, will actually become full-time professional artists.
The Kresge Foundation Announces Recipients of New FreshLo Grant Program
Posted on May 23, 2016 by Monica

From The Kresge Foundation:

Twenty-six organizations across the nation will receive nearly $2 million in grant funding to develop food-oriented initiatives in cities across the nation. Dubbed “FreshLo” – for “Fresh, Local & Equitable: Food as a Creative Platform for Neighborhood Revitalization” – the initiative is a joint effort by Kresge’s Arts & Culture Program and Health Program. Nonprofit organizations and coalitions from across the nation will receive $75,000 planning awards through FreshLo to design neighborhood-scale projects demonstrating creative, cross-sector visions of food-oriented development.
Race, Arts, and Education: A Call to Action
Posted on May 20, 2016 by Janet

An open letter from Richard Kessler, Dean of the Mannes School of Music and Executive Dean for Performing Arts, the New School and Janet Brown, President and CEO of Grantmakers in the Arts.

In the past few days, a growing controversy within the arts sector has emerged over alleged remarks made by the CEO of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) at a meeting of arts service organizations convened by the National Endowment for the Arts. As two arts executives who have spent a large part of our careers advocating for equitable access to high quality arts education and as members of the Steering Committee of Grantmakers in the Arts Arts Education Funders Coalition, an effort to enhance and develop arts education policies at the federal level, we are compelled to offer this public letter.

The Field Foundation of Illinois Names Angelique Power as President
Posted on May 19, 2016 by Monica

The board of directors at The Field Foundation of Illinois has announced the selection of Angelique Power as its new president. Power has more than 20 years' experience in the non-profit and corporate sectors, previously serving as program director at The Joyce Foundation. She serves on the board of directors and racial equity board committee at Grantmakers in the Arts.