GIA Blog

Federal Arts Endowment Sharply Cuts PBS Grants
Posted on April 26, 2012 by Steve

From Elizabeth Jensen at The New York Times:

The National Endowment for the Arts made sweeping cuts in its support of established PBS shows on Wednesday, and for the first time awarded significant grants to an array of gaming, mobile and Web-based projects. Among the PBS programs receiving significantly less financing under the 2012 Arts in Media grants were “Live From Lincoln Center,” which was awarded $100,000 last year and nothing this year.
Documentary Filmmaker Wins Against I.R.S., Which Saw Her as a Hobbyist
Posted on April 25, 2012 by Steve

From Michael Cieply at The New York Times:

(Lee) Storey went to court after the Internal Revenue Service tried to disallow her deduction of expenses incurred while making and marketing the film “Smile ‘Til It Hurts: The Up With People Story.”

The movie played the festival circuit after it was finished in 2008, but has yet to become a money maker. So the tax collectors contended that Ms. Storey, who is a practicing lawyer when she is not making documentary films, was engaged in a hobby, not a business, because she enjoyed filmmaking, and wasn’t turning a profit, despite some considerable efforts to do so.

NEA Announces 928 Grants and $77.17 Million in Funding
Posted on April 25, 2012 by Steve

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Rocco Landesman announced today that the NEA plans to award 928 grants totaling $77.17 million to not-for-profit organizations nationwide. These grants support exemplary projects in arts education, dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literature, local arts agencies, media arts, museums, music, opera, presenting, theater, musical theater, and visual arts, and provide support to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations.

Canadian Conference of the Arts President: All together now!
Posted on April 25, 2012 by Steve

From Kathleen Sharpe, president of the Canadian Conference of the Arts:

After months of silence, we finally know where we stand: the federal government has confirmed officially it will put an end to 46 years of funding to the Canadian Conference of the Arts by March 31, 2013. The good news is: we can count on some transition funding. We trust that Minister Moore’s decision to grant final funding to the CCA is an acknowledgment of the pertinence of our business plan and of our serious intent to transform the organisation.
Statement by Janet Brown on the Announcement by President’s Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Posted on April 23, 2012 by Steve

Today, Janet Brown, the executive director of Grantmakers in the Arts made the following statement regarding the announcement on school turnaround and arts education by the President's Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The Arts Education Funders Coalition, a project of Grantmakers in the Arts, is seeking to expand the role of arts education in federal education policy.

Winners of Knight/NEA Community Arts Journalism Challenge Announced
Posted on April 19, 2012 by Steve

Three new models designed to strengthen local arts coverage will soon launch with funding through the Knight/NEA Community Arts Journalism Challenge, which sought innovative ideas for informing and engaging people in the arts. The challenge winners were announced today at a virtual press conference. They will each receive up to $80,000 to launch their ideas.

Knight Foundation/NEA to Announce Arts Journalism Awardees
Posted on April 19, 2012 by Steve

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts will host a virtual press conference on Thursday, April 19, 2012 to announce and discuss the three winning projects of the Knight/NEA Community Arts Journalism Challenge. The winners will each receive $80,000 to implement their ideas for new arts journalism models that inform and engage communities in the arts.

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Announces First Recipients in Performing Artists Initiative
Posted on April 19, 2012 by Steve

Today, The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation announced the first class of recipients in the Duke Performing Artists Initiative. The initiative was announced last fall when the foundation allocated $50 million additional dollars to performing arts funding. From Ben Cameron, director of the Arts Program at Duke:

The Doris Duke Artist Awards recognize artists who have produced a significant body of work within the past decade—work that has already been supported and recognized by national citations, awards, prizes and/or grants, including at least one grant supported entirely or in part by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Whither the Non-Profit Arts Sector?
Posted on April 19, 2012 by Steve

From Alex Aldrich, executive director for the Vermont Arts Council:

A recent post by Brooklyn Philharmonic CEO Richard Dare set the nonprofit arts world all abuzz. It gave a lot of statistics about the number of orchestras that are failing and the general fragility of the non-profit art sector—in short, the kind of alarm-ringing I, for one, have heard since the early 1970s when I began my career in the arts.
Arizona Reauthorizes State Arts Commission for 10 Years
Posted on April 18, 2012 by Steve

From Bob Booker, executive director of the Arizona Arts Commission:

On Tuesday, April 17, 2012, Governor Jan Brewer signed HB2265 into law, reauthorizing the Arizona Commission on the Arts for 10 years.

HB2265’s success is attributable to a monumental statewide effort: a yearlong collaboration between artists, arts educators, administrators, board members, advocates and bipartisan elected officials.