GIA Blog

New Organization Helps Libraries Get Artsy to Support Local Communities
Posted on November 29, 2011 by Steve

From Zak Stone at Good Culture:

“Libraries are the one American institution you shouldn’t rip off,” urges a character in Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Animal Dreams. That may be true, but municipalities around the country are taking axes to the budget of their public libraries—along with community arts organizations—to close gaping deficits. Now, a group of future librarians hopes to transform libraries' reputation through a new website celebrating the ways that they nurture arts communities around the country.
Henry Luce Foundation Awards $5.5 Million for American Art Renewal Fund
Posted on November 28, 2011 by Steve

The Henry Luce Foundation has awarded 57 American Art Renewal Fund (AARF) grants to museums across the country for a total of nearly $5.5 million. The AARF initiative was established in 2010 to strengthen museums’ American art programs in response to the economic downturn that forced widespread layoffs, cancellation of exhibitions, modified capital projects, deferred building maintenance, shortened public hours and increased admission fees. It was completed in November 2011.

Should Philanthropies Operate Like Businesses?
Posted on November 28, 2011 by Steve

A set of articles on philanthropy was published in today's Wall Street Journal, including the article “Should Philanthropies Operate Like Businesses?,” which offers a view from each side of the question:

It's your money, and you're willing to give some of it away to a worthy cause. But you want to see results. Measurable progress toward agreed-upon goals. Regular proof that your investment is achieving maximum impact. That's the way businesses operate, and charities should be no different. That's one way to look at it, anyway.

Others argue that things work differently in the world of nonprofits and social change. Tackling some of society's biggest problems is unlikely to produce anything like the steady, chartable path of progress that investors require. And that's simply something donors have to live with if they want to help those most in need.

Arts Education In Seattle's Public Schools
Posted on November 28, 2011 by Steve

Weekday, a news program from KUOW, the public radio station out of the University of Washington in Seattle, uses an hour today to discuss the issues surrounding Arts Education in the Seattle Public School system. Also discussed is the Wallace Foundation Arts Learning Initiative grant of $1 Million which aims to boost quality learning opportunities for all students, especially those with the least access to the arts.

Joining the program host, Steve Scher, is Carri Campbell, visual and performing arts manager of the Seattle Public Schools, who is responsible for distributing a $1 million grant that the Wallace Foundation gave to Seattle Public Schools for arts education planning; Sandra Jackson–Dumont, adjunct curator at the Seattle Art Museum and the chair of the Arts Education Committee of the Arts Commission; and Elizabeth Whitford, executive director of Arts Corps, a nonprofit arts education organization in the Seattle area. Arts Corps seeks to foster creative habits of mind in young people by bringing teaching artists into Seattle's classrooms.

Instead of more data perhaps we should discuss why we keep ignoring the data we have?
Posted on November 27, 2011 by Steve

Diane Ragsdale, in her new post for Jumper, asks why data already in front of us fails to affect behavior:

I finally had found some time this week to read Scott Walter’s excellent second post in his trilogy (all three now published, here's the first and the third) looking at the 1% vs 99% issues in the US arts and culture sector. A compelling string of comments follows this post, led by one of my other favorite bloggers, Clayton Lord, who argues two points: (1) Is it effective to turn against the ‘top’ arts organizations at a time when the arts generally are under attack? and (2) We need to collect more data to understand how to improve the system.
GFEM Taps Stehle for Executive Director
Posted on November 22, 2011 by Steve

The Board of Directors of Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media announced today the appointment of Vincent Stehle as executive director. Mr. Stehle has served on the GFEM Board of Directors since 2008.

McGinn Announces Move to Seattle Foundation
Posted on November 22, 2011 by Steve

Artist Trust Executive Director Fidelma McGinn announced today her resignation to assume the position of Vice President of Philanthropic Services at The Seattle Foundation. She will remain at Artist Trust through mid-January 2012 to support its search for a new executive director. Under McGinn’s leadership, Artist Trust deepened its relationships with arts supporters and engaged new funders. She maintained a balanced annual budget of more than $1 million over six successive years, leaving the organization in a strong financial position despite industry-wide effects of the recession.

NEA Announces Federal Interagency Research Task Force on the Arts and Human Development
Posted on November 22, 2011 by Steve

The National Endowment for the Arts will present the first-ever federal Interagency Research Task Force on the Arts and Human Development at a free webinar on Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 10:00am EST / 7:00am PST.

Earlier this year, NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman and Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius convened a day-long research summit to explore the role of the arts and human development across the life span. A white paper published from that convening pointed to many studies that have found links between the arts and positive cognitive, behavioral, and social outcomes.

Engaging Matters Examines Issues of A Night at the Opera
Posted on November 20, 2011 by Steve

Arts Journal blogger Doug Borwick, President of the Board of the Association of Arts Administration Educators, looks at the issues addressed in the play “A Night at the Opera” that was performed at the GIA 2011 conference in San Francisco, as part of the session “Too Progressive, Too Elite: Public Value and the Paradox of the Arts.” Watch the video of the performance below, if you haven't already seen it.

Based on interviews with arts funders, artists, arts managers, and (a few) politicians, A Night at the Opera addresses two basic questions. Are the arts elitist? and Are the arts leftist propaganda? (Well “leftist propaganda” is not the word they used. They said “progressive” to be less confrontational, I’m sure.)
National Arts Marketing Project Conference Storified
Posted on November 19, 2011 by Steve

David Dombrosky has assembled, via Storify, the best of the NAMP Conference: "Thoughts, content, zingers, multimedia, and more from the 2011 National Arts Marketing Project Conference in Louisville, Kentucky."