GIA Blog

National Arts in Education Week Begins Sunday
Posted on September 10, 2015 by Steve
National Arts in Education Week Logo

Americans for the Arts will be focusing on issues of Arts Education on September 13-19. National Arts in Education week is a national celebration recognizing the arts importance to a well-rounded education. Designated by Congress in 2010, through House Resolution 275, the celebration is designated to bring attention of this cause to elected officials and educational decision makers across the country and to support equitable access to the arts for all students. National Arts in Education Week takes place annually during the week beginning with the second Sunday of September.

Could Effective Altruism Destroy the Arts?
Posted on September 10, 2015 by Steve

Gary P. Steuer, President and CEO of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation (and a current member of the GIA Board of Directors) continues the discussion on effective altruism that is being held on the opinion pages of The Washington Post:

The effective altruists’ completely dispassionate assessment of “value” — lives saved per dollar — does not allow for a holistic approach to what makes a healthy society. If everybody gave as they did, we might well end up solving Third World crises at the expense of deepening crises right here at home. Rampant poverty and public health challenges in the United States would ultimately damage our local and national economies, diminishing our long-term capacity to help abroad. In addition, many of the things that are important to our souls — beauty, hope, joy, tolerance, inspiration — are fostered through the arts. They may be very hard to sufficiently measure in a world of purely data-driven philanthropy. This does not mean they are not important.
Most Americans Aren’t “Efficient” Philanthropists, a Good Thing
Posted on September 10, 2015 by Steve

From William Schambra, in The Washington Post:

Effective altruists seem to believe that the sole purpose of charity is to eliminate human suffering, as efficiently as is possible. But in fact, charity is far more than that: it is the heart and soul of human community, the way that people gather and minister to the emotional, spiritual, and material needs of their neighbors. By ignoring this role, the effective altruist movement threatens the very foundation of compassionate generosity.
New from the GIA Reader: Enriching the Arts through International Cultural Exchange
Posted on September 4, 2015 by Steve

Enriching the Arts through International Cultural Exchange is an article written by Guiomar Ochoa and Michael Orlove from the National Endowment for the Arts, who look at the work being done through the NEA’s International Activities office.

Colorado Arts Groups Take Sides In Battle Over Millions in Funding
Posted on September 4, 2015 by Steve

By Ray Mark Rinaldi, writing for The Denver Post:

Front Range arts groups have begun squaring off heatedly over how to divide the millions of dollars in tax subsidies that come their way each year, especially as estimates show the pot could grow to $87 million annually. No one in the cultural community wanted to see a noisy fight erupt over the money. The theaters and history museums, dance companies, classical quartets and galleries all feared an ugly battle would leave a bad taste in the mouths of voters who they are counting on to reauthorize their funding for a third, 10-year period in 2016.
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Among Recipients of 2014 National Medals of Arts
Posted on September 3, 2015 by Steve

President Barack Obama will present the 2014 National Medals of Arts in conjunction with the National Humanities Medals on Thursday, September 10, 2015, at 3pm EDT/noon PDT in an East Room ceremony at the White House. First Lady Michelle Obama will attend. The event will be live streamed at WH.gov/Live. Among those listed is the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, who is honored “for supporting creative expression across the country. With generosity and a bold commitment to artistic risk, this foundation has helped artists, musicians, dancers, and actors share their talents, enriching the cultural life of our Nation.”

Part of Your World: On the Arts and Wellbeing
Posted on September 3, 2015 by Steve

The latest feature article from the folks at Createquity looks at how the arts contributes broadly to our wellbeing:

For all our never-ending debates about how and whether to measure the impact of the arts, our field may be well poised to contribute to this complex but fascinating dialogue that spans so many disciplines and decades. After all, if anyone is accustomed to making value judgments within an environment that resists quantification, it’s us! Committing to that conversation could open new doors as we contribute to a broader, shared understanding of human progress without having to downplay some of the arts’ more unique, intrinsic contributions. Entering those doors, however, will require leaving the arts cheerleading that many of us are accustomed to at the coat check. It will require contemplating what it looks like to offer the freedom to participate in arts and culture while simultaneously honoring those who decline the invitation.
NEA Webinar Examines Music Therapy, Music Listening, and the Cancer Experience
Posted on September 3, 2015 by Steve

On Wednesday, September 16, 3pm EDT/noon PDT, the National Endowment for the Arts Task Force on the Arts and Human Development will hold a public webinar to cover some recent innovations in healthcare. Presenters include American Music Therapy Association Executive Director Dr. Andi Farbman, and music therapy researchers Dr. Debra Burns and Dr. Sheri L. Robb. The webinar will also feature Dr. Nolan Gasser, who, alongside his role as chief musicologist for Pandora, is working with Memorial Sloan-Kettering on an algorithm to match musical repertoires to the tastes of individuals who are being treated for cancer, with the aim of allaying their symptoms.

Research Center for Arts and Culture Will Join The Actors Fund to Extend Legacy
Posted on September 1, 2015 by Steve

The Research Center for Arts and Culture (RCAC) — which provides data, information and programming in service of artists and the arts — is joining The Actors Fund in New York City to create The Legacy Project. It will continue its Art Cart project to assist older visual artists in documenting their work and develop a prototype for performing artists to do the same. The RCAC has spent the last four years at the National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) in Washington, D.C.

Member Spotlight on the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts
Posted on September 1, 2015 by SuJ'n

For the month of September, GIA's photo banner features artistic work supported by the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts in 2015. Founded in 1956, the Chicago-based foundation makes grants to individuals and organizations around the world for projects that advance new scholarship in the field of architecture, fuel creative experimentation and critical dialogue, and expand opportunities for public engagement with architecture and its role in contemporary society.