GIA Blog

Where Does Dance Live in Our Society?
Posted on June 2, 2014 by Steve

From Nancy Ng, writing for The Huffington Post:

Dance is everywhere, dance is anywhere, yet, dance is nowhere. I have been musing on the place dance holds in our society and in our cultural landscape. Television is filled with dance images more so than ever — programs such as “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing with the Stars” are popular with dancers and non-dancers; I can't remember the last time I saw a commercial that did not have dance imagery included in a scene. In the Bay Area, the San Francisco Ballet is the oldest professional ballet company in America.
Facing the Truth: The Case for Reparations
Posted on June 2, 2014 by Steve

Ta-Nehisi Coates, a senior editor at The Atlantic magazine, joined the PBS show Moyers and Company to discuss his article, published last month, “The Case for Reparations”:

In it, Coates argues that we have to dig deeper into our past and the original sin of slavery, confronting the institutional racism that continues to pervade society.
Member Spotlight on The Joyce Foundation
Posted on May 30, 2014 by SuJ'n

For the month of June, GIA’s photo banner features the 2014 winners of the Joyce Awards, a program of The Joyce Foundation.

The Joyce Foundation is excited to announce the 2014 winners of the Joyce Awards, which empower artists in different cities across the Midwest to create new work in partnership with organizations and communities.The prestigious Joyce Awards recognize the importance of adding new, dynamic artworks specifically from artists of color with a $50,000 award that commissions thought-provoking pieces.

New Study Released on Transfer of Wealth
Posted on May 28, 2014 by Tommer

The Center on Wealth and Philanthropy has released a new study, A Golden Age of Philanthropy Still Beckons: National Wealth Transfer and Potential for Philanthropy, which updates research conducted on wealth transfer in 1999.

Nationalism and Government Support of the Arts
Posted on May 27, 2014 by SuJ'n

From Alicia Akins at Createquity:

As the globe’s richest and most heavily armed nation, the United States is in a unique position relative to the rest of the world. Looking at examples beyond our borders shows how other countries handle limited budgets, growing or diminishing international stature, and the desire to be competitive. The four countries compared here—Korea, China, Cambodia, and Brazil—are in different phases of development and provide an important contrast to the industrialized European nations to which cultural policy in the United States is so often compared.
Assets Grew 14% at Small and Midsize Foundations Last Year
Posted on May 27, 2014 by Steve

By Maria Di Mento, writing for The Chronicle of Philanthropy:

Assets at small to midsize foundations grew by 14 percent in 2013 and gave out more than 7 percent of their assets, according to a report released (last week). Those grant makers, which have holdings of less than $50-million, account for 98 percent of all U.S. foundations but only about 30 percent of all foundation wealth nationally, according to the study by Foundation Source, a firm that provides advice and administrative support to grant makers.
San Francisco’s Intersection for the Arts Suspends Programs, Lays Off Curators
Posted on May 23, 2014 by Steve

From Christian L. Frock, writing for KQED Arts:

San Francisco’s Intersection for the Arts announced today that it will dramatically restructure its organization, suspend programs, and lay off key staff by the end of this month. Included among those furloughed are Visual Arts Program Director Kevin B. Chen, Outreach and Community Engagement Program Director Rebeka Rodriguez, and Theatre Program Director Sean San José, as well as all communications staff.
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra’s Players Turn to Social Media
Posted on May 21, 2014 by Steve

From Michael Cooper, at The New York Times:

Sometimes the musicians post behind-the-scenes tidbits, like some decades-old advice a viola player found penciled into her part for “Andrea Chénier” by one of her predecessors: “whatcha da mice!” — meaning watch the maestro in one tricky passage. But the recently revamped website by the musicians of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra — imagine a cross between Opera News and BuzzFeed — also has info-graphics
Graham Foundation awards over $520,000 in Grants to Individuals
Posted on May 21, 2014 by Steve

The Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts announces its 2014 Grants to Individuals, which will award over $520,000 to 68 projects that demonstrate innovative and thought-provoking ideas in architecture. The grants will provide direct support to individuals for the research, development, and presentation of publications, exhibitions, films, new media initiatives, and other programs.

Blue Star Museums offers Free Admission to Military Families at 2,000+ Museums Nationwide
Posted on May 21, 2014 by Steve

NEA Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa and Blue Star Families CEO Kathy Roth-Douquet announced the fifth annual launch of Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America to offer free admission to the nation’s service members, including National Guard and Reserve, and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2014.