GIA Reader (2000-present)

August 26, 2003 by admin

What follows are excerpts from a lecture that W. McNeil Lowry gave at Brandeis University on December 10, 1962 when he was director of the Ford Foundation's Program in the Humanities and the Arts. GIA member Ben Cameron called the speech to our attention, noting that it continues to have relevance today. The date, 1962, is important to keep in mind when reading Lowry's talk: the National Council on Community Foundations was renamed the Council on Foundations in 1964; the National Endowment for the Arts was established in 1965.

Why Do We Do What We Do?

August 26, 2003 by admin

“Why have we become so inadequate, as arts leaders, at really talking about the inherent value of the arts?” asked Claire Peeps (Durfee Foundation) in a 1999 article titled “Why Art?” in the GIA Newsletter (precursor to the Reader). Claire's question was stimulated by her experience with a sabbatical program through which the Durfee Foundation provided “time off” to leaders in the nonprofit sector in Los Angeles.

Is Theater Important?

August 26, 2003 by admin

This was one of several responses to the question "Is Theater Important?" published by The New York Times on Sunday, February 23, 2003.

Artists on Audiences

August 26, 2003 by admin

Introduction

In February 2002, the Walter and Elise Haas Fund convened 150 representatives of San Francisco Bay Area arts and cultural organizations, philanthropic organizations, and government to discuss audience development in the context of a changing economy. The first day of the program was made up of panels and speakers. The second day was dedicated to an open space meeting – inspired by a previous collaboration with the Wallace Reader's Digest Funds in November 2000.

Nurturing Artistic Creativity

August 26, 2003 by admin

The following is an excerpt from a longer address given at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on June 23, 1998 at the presentation of the Philadelphia Award. The award, given annually to a man or woman who has "done the most to advance the best and largest interests of the community," was given to Anne d'Harnoncourt and to Jane Golden.

The Arts Dynamic in Education

August 26, 2003 by admin

The following piece was excerpted from The Arts Dynamic, a report of the San Antonio Arts in Education Task Force (see review on page 36), published earlier this year. The study's principal funder was GIA member, the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation.

Why the fine arts in education are vital

Ramon C. Cortines, executive director of the Pew Network for Standards-Based Reform at Stanford University, comments:

August 26, 2003 by admin

As a nonprofit publisher, I sometimes scan databases for foundations who might support what we do. Often, I’ll find myself reading about a foundation whose values and scale seem totally compatible with our programs. Ah, an ally against the forces of ignorance! My heart warms, my hopes rise. Then, under “restrictions,” the red light flashes: “We do not fund publications.”

Everyone Is Hispanic

August 26, 2003 by admin

Richard Rodriquez made these remarks on May 23, 1997 to the Convocation on Providing Public Library Service to California’s 21st Century Population. The California State Library convened the convocation with the goal of creating a vision of public library service in California.

August 26, 2003 by admin

In 1996, Neal Cuthbert, program director at the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis, was interviewed by the James Irvine Foundation as part of a series of conversations about arts funding. This excerpt offers an example of a GIA member describing the importance of the arts program to the overall goals of the foundation.

Why Be Concerned with Artists?

August 26, 2003 by admin

The Urban Institute's study of the support structure for U.S. artists, Investing in Creativity: A Study of the Support Structure for U.S. Artists, was undertaken to expand thinking about who artists are, what they do, and what mechanisms are needed to support their work. (See page 41 for a preview of the report.) The report began with the following section about the study's motivation and why society should be concerned.