GIA Blog

Barry's Blog Week 2: Fieldbuilding for Arts Education
Posted on August 4, 2011 by Steve

This week's beat is Fieldbuilding, and the second question posed to the participants is this:

How is the field addressing barriers to arts education beyond budget decreases – the need for relevant assessment and accountability methods, lack of equity and access, high turnover of education and arts leadership, the unspoken territorial divide between arts education people and the general nonprofit arts sector, and the history of the arts education segment’s ability to organize itself? How do we get to innovation in the field?
Charitable Deduction Not Touched in Debt-Ceiling Deal
Posted on August 3, 2011 by Steve

From Lisa Chiu and Suzanne Perry at The Chronicle of Philanthropy:

A new law to increase the debt-ceiling limit does not make any changes in the tax deduction that donors receive for making charitable gifts...

“We assume that the new committee will certainly consider the cap on deductions,” said Jason Lee, a lawyer for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, a trade group that is opposed to reducing the value of the charitable deduction. “So we’re working under the premise that we still have our work cut out for us.”

Arts Funding Fosters Bi-partisanship in South Carolina
Posted on August 3, 2011 by Steve

From Robin Pogebrin in The New York Times:

Who knew that government funding for the arts would represent the kind of common ground where Republicans and Democrats could meet?

But when Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina tried to zero out money for the arts in her state budget last month, both parties said no. The House and the Senate, both controlled by Republicans, voted to override the Republican governor’s veto of $1.9 million in funding for the South Carolina Arts Commission. The House vote was 105-8; the Senate 32-6.

Your Inspirational Moment for Tuesday
Posted on August 2, 2011 by Tommer

Enjoy the first cut "Overture" on this awesome album.

The Reality of Federal Arts Education Policy. Well, Sort Of.
Posted on August 1, 2011 by Janet

Sometimes the very ingredients that offered success in one political and economic climate become liabilities or less successful when politics and economics change. That’s what’s happened in the arts at the federal policy level. Fifty years ago, America was feeling pretty damn good about itself, post WWII boom had occurred, industry was skyrocketing and we were going to the moon. If we could do that, we, as a society, could do anything. This was the political outlook on American life in the early 60s.

Cultural Policy Database for European Countries!
Posted on August 1, 2011 by Tommer

Here's an amazing site that provides a great deal of information on cultural policy and cultural funding for 43 European countries.

Field Building in Arts Education Now the Topic on Barry's Blog
Posted on August 1, 2011 by Steve

Barry Hessenius has a new panel and a new topic, Field building, to talk about for week 2 of his 4-week examination of Arts Education. Todays question:

What are we doing to help parents and the public understand: a) Why arts education is essential to their child’s future, and b) What constitutes a high level arts education component?
Arts Education Gets White House Attention
Posted on August 1, 2011 by Steve

From U.S. News & World Report:

Officials from President Obama's administration met with arts education activists in late July, including nonprofit executives, actors, and school administration officials, to discuss the impact of arts education and express concerns about its diminished role in school curricula.
Tucson Pima Arts Council Receives $225,000 in National Grants
Posted on August 1, 2011 by Steve

From Tucson Citizen:

The Tucson Pima Arts Council has received grants from two national foundations totaling $225,000 to support local projects that use the arts as a tool to address social issues in the community.

The Nathan Cummings Foundation awarded TPAC $75,000 and the Open Society Institute $150,000. Both awards support the Arts in Tucson P.L.A.C.E initiative launched by TPAC two years ago with $200,000 from The Kresge Foundation. P.L.A.C.E stands for People, Land, Arts, Culture and Engagement.

The Nathan Cummings Foundation Names Simon Greer as President and CEO
Posted on August 1, 2011 by Steve

The Nathan Cummings Foundation announced today the selection of Simon Greer as its new President and CEO. Simon will succeed Lance Lindblom, who is retiring from NCF after more than a decade at the helm of the family foundation. Greer will be coming from the Jewish Funds for Justice where he has served as president and CEO since 2005. He brings more than 20 years of experience as a leader in the movement for social change.