Advocacy and Public Policy

Under Marian Godfrey's direction, GIA held a pre-conference immediately before its 2005 conference called "New Directions in Cultural Policy Research." As part of that meeting, four well-respected individuals were asked to assess the impact and importance of research in the arts. They were asked to specify the big ideas currently in play and to speculate about the future of those ideas. Predictably perhaps, the four argued for the importance of research to the cultural sector. More surprisingly, they agreed that the platform for cultural research needs serious re-planking.

2005, 67 pages. Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law, 161 Avenue of the Americas, 12th floor, New York, NY 10003, 212-992-8847, www.fepproject.org

Download PDF: www.fepproject.org/policyreports/WillFairUseSurvive.pdf

2005, 12 pages. Americans for the Arts, 1000 Vermont Northwest, 6th floor, Washington, DC, 20005, 202-371-2830, www.artsusa.org

This monograph explores the role of culture in diplomacy with a specific focus on international cultural exchange. Case histories and examples of successful efforts are used to make the case for greater public support of cultural exchange programs.

2005, 28 pages. California Alliance for Arts Education, 495 East Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA, 91191, 626-578-9315.

This briefing paper describes the benefits of arts learning for all students, current policies in the state of California and nationwide supporting arts education in public schools, and current implementation practices affecting access and equity. It also offers policy recommendations.

A few years ago, Laura Penn, managing director of Intiman Theatre in Seattle, met me for coffee at the Saint Francis Hotel. I was between sessions of the Independent Sector's (IS) national conference in San Francisco. Laura had never heard of IS and was curious about it. The Independent Sector is a coalition of corporations, foundations, and private voluntary organizations that works to strengthen nonprofit organizations and is committed to advancing the common good in the U.S.

2005, 48 pages. Published by American Public Media, 45 East 7th Street, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, 651-290-1225, www.classicalmusicinitiative.org

The second in a series of Working Papers, this report contains ideas and tips for partnering with local public radio stations and national distributors, information on funding resources, rights and clearances, Web initiatives, and audience research.

2004, 58 pages. Free Expression Policy Project, Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law, 161 Avenue of the Americas, 12th floor, New York, NY, 10013, 212-998-6730, http://www.fepproject.org

Download pdf: http://www.fepproject.org/policyreports/InformationCommons.pdf

The full text of this article is not yet available on this site. Below is a brief excerpt.

Three briefings for funders on electronic media policy were held January—March 2005, organized by Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media, hosted by the Ford Foundation, and co-sponsored by other interested parties, including Grantmakers in the Arts. The first session, “Securing Our Rights to Public Knowledge, Creativity, and Freedom of Expression,” was reported on by Helen Brunner in the spring 2005 Reader. (Please note that web addresses for most of the organizations mentioned are listed at the end of this article.)

“What the FCC Is Going On?”

Lawrence Lessig sees Big Media waging war against culture in America. And he, for one, is fighting the battle. A professor at Stanford Law School, Lessig achieved notoriety when he represented web site operator Eric Eldred in the ground-breaking case Eldred v. Ashcroft, a challenge to the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. Eric Eldred was a man who wanted to build a library of derivative versions of public domain books (e.g., Hawthorne's A Scarlet Letter) and make them available for free on the Internet.