Watching the local news recently, there was an article about public art funding being in jeopardy in the state of Washington. The reporter ended the story by implying the big losers here would be the artists who have received funds from the program. This was a reminder to me of how we are losing the public relations war about the importance of the arts in our lives and communities. Actually, it is not the artists who are the big losers (although they are one loser). It is all the people who live and visit the state of Washington.
GIA Blog
Posted on July 12, 2011 by Steve
The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies has announced the release of the State Arts Agency Fiscal Year 2012 Legislative Appropriations Preview report. This document summarizes how state arts agencies fared during this year's budget deliberations and includes information on the appropriations each state arts agency expects to receive for FY2012.
Posted on July 12, 2011 by Steve
The National Endowment for the Arts has announced the inaugural round of "Our Town" funding, totaling $6.575 million in grants to 51 communities in 34 states that have created public-private partnerships to strengthen the arts while shaping the social, physical, and economic characters of their neighborhoods, towns, cities, and regions. NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman made the announcement during an online press conference today. A full listing of grants is available here.
Posted on July 8, 2011 by Abigail
Re-aired and released via podcast last weekend, Act V is a 2002 This American Life episode about the piecemeal performance of Hamlet by a group of prisoners at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center. The performance was organized by St. Louis-based Prison Performing Arts, a multi-discipline literacy and performing arts program that serves incarcerated adults and children.
Posted on July 8, 2011 by Abigail
Join us next Tuesday, July 12, at 2:00 EDT/11:00 PDT for the next webinar in our 2011 Web Conference Series, Cultural Participation in a Changing Society, presented by Salvador Acevedo, President of Contemporanea.
Posted on July 8, 2011 by Steve
The BC Arts Council received $16,831,000 from the provincial government to help fund artists and cultural organizations in British Columbia for 2011-12.
Arts groups large and small apply to the BC Arts Council – an independent agency of the Province – to support opportunities for artists, strengthen local economies and enhance quality of life for citizens in communities across British Columbia.
Posted on July 8, 2011 by Steve
From Jared Keller at the Atlantic:
If you can't imagine doing anything outside of the arts, you're in luck. Designers, writers, painters, and other creatives have a surprisingly bright future, according to a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts (see also: NEA Announces New Research on Artist Employment Projections Through 2018.
Posted on July 7, 2011 by Steve
Malissa Feruzzi Shriver, Chair, California Arts Council, today announced the appointment of Craig Watson as the new Director for the state agency. Watson's appointment represents the first time in the 36-year history of the state agency that the Director has been hired directly by the Council rather than by appointment of the Governor. Watson is currently the Executive Director of the Arts Council for Long Beach, and will start with the California Arts Council on August 15, 2011.
Posted on July 7, 2011 by Steve
Americans for the Arts has an alert regarding NEA funding. Take a moment to look it over:
Once again, the budget of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is facing cuts. This morning, a U.S. House of Representatives appropriations subcommittee began the funding cycle for Fiscal Year 2012 by approving legislation to fund the NEA at $135.2 million, which is a reduction of $20 million from the current year. If enacted, it would be the deepest cut to the NEA in 16 years. Please take two minutes to send a customizable message to your member of Congress calling on them to reject these funding cuts.
Posted on July 7, 2011 by Abigail
A new month, a new slide show of member-supported projects on the GIA website! Our July featured member is Artadia: The Fund for Art and Dialogue. Based in New York City, Artadia's mission is to encourage innovative practice and meaningful dialogue across the United States by providing visual artists in specific communities with unrestricted awards and a national network of support. Our gratitude to Ute Zimmermann, program manager at Artadia, for the photo selection.