GIA Blog

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Steve

From Elysabeth Alfano for Huffington Post:

In tough economic times, it is hard to justify large expenditures on art -- or is it? This summer, the city of Chicago has several large scale temporary art sculptures installed in the heart of the city, paid for by non-governmental organizations.
Posted on July 17, 2012 by Steve

From Robert Everett-Green at The Globe and Mail:

For Canadian artists, Europe often looks like the land of plenty, where governments subsidize cultural activities on a fantastic scale. But these days, European culturati are an embattled lot, especially in the euro states now writhing under the austerity diktats of the IMF and the euro zone’s own bailout agency. While they hack away at pensions, welfare and unemployment benefits, some governments feel they have no choice but to do a hard prune of cultural spending too.
Posted on July 17, 2012 by Steve

League of American Orchestras Chair Lowell J. Noteboom has announced the appointment of Burton Alter, Angelo Fatta, Jim Hasler, John Hayes, James Mabie, and Robert Peiser to the League’s Board of Directors. The six new board members, who will each serve three-year terms, were elected by the League board during its annual meeting in June.

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Steve

From David Ng at the Los Angeles Times:

Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft with Bill Gates, is being honored for his cultural philanthropy at this year's annual National Arts Awards. The list of honorees also includes stage actor Brian Stokes Mitchell, artist James Rosenquist, singer Josh Groban and arts patron Lin Arison.
Posted on July 16, 2012 by Steve

From Theater Critic Chris Jones at the Chicago Tribune:

Last week in Chicago, we all seemed to suddenly hit a kind of tipping point when it comes to shootings. It has taken a long time coming, in part because of the concentrated nature of the gang-related violence in certain areas of the city that are easy for some to ignore, and that allow more privileged lives to continue, seemingly unaffected, in the parallel beauty of a sunbaked city with its summer-turquoise lake.

Still, last week, the steady drumbeat finally became a more widespread alarm. You could hear it ringing all over town.

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Steve

Michelle T. Boone, Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events has announced a draft version of the Chicago Cultural Plan 2012.

The Plan describes the major needs identified in the process that must address:

  • A focus on neighborhoods
  • Accessibility
  • Capacity growth of the cultural sector
  • Global cultural positioning
  • Profound civic impact
  • Broad commitment to cultural sustainability
Posted on July 16, 2012 by Steve

Barry Hessenius has a Q & A with the Knight Foundation's Dennis Scholl:

I’ve been involved in the arts for decades, but these last three years has been an immersive experience. It’s like drinking from a fire hose every day. I feel that coming from outside the field has allowed me to try some things that might be a little out of the box and to make some grants to artists and organizations that are not necessarily traditional arts grantees. All great arts ideas don’t originate inside the 501(c)(3) structure.
Posted on July 15, 2012 by Steve

From Elizabeth Kramer for USA Today:

Many long-established local arts groups acknowledge an aging audience base and are seeing significant drops in the number of season ticket-holders. But they say they're creating new ways to attract diverse crowds and are seeing some positive results.
Posted on July 15, 2012 by Steve

From the Los Angeles Times editorial page:

Aiming higher on academics shouldn't have to mean leaving deeper or more open-ended thinking skills behind. No one in the American school reform movement ever told teachers they had to abandon their own creative instructional skills or drop critical-thinking lessons from the school day, but the relentless emphasis on covering tested material obviously pushed them in that direction.

Read the full article

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Steve

The National Endowment for the Arts yesterday announced 80 Our Town grant awards representing the NEA's latest investment in creative placemaking, totaling $4.995 million and reaching 44 states and the District of Columbia. Combined with grants from 2011, the NEA has invested $11.58 million in Our Town projects in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.