GIA Blog

Why Nazi-seized art is only now resurfacing – and how it will change the art world
Posted on November 6, 2013 by Steve

Max Fisher pens a comprehensive article on the story of the recently discovered art stash in Germany:

In 2011, German investigators found more than 1,400 pieces of art, some by famous painters such as Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, in the Munich home of Cornelius Gurlitt, a discovery that was made public only this week with a German news report. Gurlitt's father had been an art collector during World War II, when much of Europe's art was confiscated by the Nazis or otherwise went missing. The Munich trove is historic in its own right but is also part of the continent's seven-decade rediscovery of an artistic heritage that is still recovering from the Nazis' efforts to wipe it out.
National Innovation Summit for Arts + Culture - I Come to Praise Innovation Not to Bury It
Posted on November 5, 2013 by Tommer

More commentary on the recent National Innovation Summit for Arts and Culture from Gary Steuer, president ande CEO of the Bonfils Stanton Foundation in Denver.

A Whole New Ballgame in Arts Hiring
Posted on November 5, 2013 by Tommer

Lily Janiak of Theater Bay Area writes an extensive look at equity in the administrative side of nonprofit theater. A couple of GIA folk are quoted.

Olga Garay-English Announces Departure from LA Department of Cultural Affairs
Posted on November 5, 2013 by Steve

From the Arts for LA website:

Olga Garay-English announced today she will be stepping down from her post as executive director of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs effective January 4, 2014. Ms. Garay-English assumed leadership of DCA in 2007 when she was appointed by then-Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa.
As Interest Fades in the Humanities, Colleges Worry
Posted on October 31, 2013 by Steve

From Tamar Lewin at the New York Times:

The future of the humanities has been a hot topic this year, both in academia and the high-culture media. Some commentators sounded the alarm based on federal data showing that nationally, the percentage of humanities majors hovers around 7 percent — half the 14 percent share in 1970. As others quickly pointed out, that decline occurred between 1970, the high point, and 1985, not in recent years.
Wrap Up Comments on the GIA Conference
Posted on October 31, 2013 by Tommer

Diane Ragsdale ofers some observations on the evolution of arts funding on Jumper.

My Grantmakers In the Arts 2013 Conference. I’m Sensing an Evolution.
Posted on October 31, 2013 by Diane Ragsdale

A few weeks back I was invited to attend the 2013 Grantmakers in the Arts Conference in Philadelphia as a Conference Blogger. I joined Barry Hessenius (Barry’s Blog) and a whole team of bloggers, led by Ian David Moss (Createquity), from Fractured Atlas. I wrote three posts summarizing the activities I attended and reflecting on key themes, which you can find here. I vowed (to myself) that I would let the conference sink in a bit and then write a post for Jumper–a brief summary of the sticky points, if you will. This is that post.

Are Foundations too Focused on Themselves?
Posted on October 29, 2013 by Steve

The latest post from Angie Kim’s blog, Private Foundations Plus:

The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) just came out with a new report, “Nonprofit Challenges: What Foundations Can Do.” There were some dismaying findings. CEP’s survey of nonprofit leaders found that 52 percent felt that foundations are unaware of the challenges that nonprofits face. Less than 33 percent felt that foundations use their resources in ways that help nonprofits actually meet challenges. And, perhaps the most alarming finding is that nonprofit leaders felt more challenged to attract foundation support than any other kind of support.
15 Questions to Ask about Creative Placemaking Proposals
Posted on October 28, 2013 by Steve

ArtPlace America recently began taking applications for 2014 Innovation Grants. At the end of the 2013 grantmaking cycle, proposal notes were analyzed to pull out the most common questions driving the recommendations of reviewers with the intention to provide future prospective grantees with tools that bolster their ability to develop strong creative placemaking ideas and craft more robust proposals. A set of important questions are discussed here to help with the crafting of proposals.

I Don’t Want to Talk about Innovation: A Talk about Innovation
Posted on October 28, 2013 by Steve

From the HowlRound blog, an essay from Todd London, author of The Artistic Home:

Artists innovate every day, because what they make, they make up. How do they innovate? Trial and error, mostly, boring hours alone or with other artists. Years facing their own limitations. The real work of innovation is theirs, alone or together. It is organic and ongoing, one bold or tentative foot in front of another. Try to find funding in innovation-land for persistent effort and incremental breakthrough.