Detroit Saxophonist Marcus Elliot to Open the GIA Conference

The Opening Reception will kick off the 2017 GIA Conference in a fun and casual atmosphere, with music provided by Detroit-based jazz saxophonist Marcus Elliot. Elliot has led a quartet for the past eight years, and his latest record, Sonic Refuge, was released in 2017. He has performed internationally with James Carter, Jimmy Cobb, Marcus Belgrave, Jimmy Heath, Talib Kweli, and many others. He is the artist in residence at Troy High School (Troy, MI) and was the director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Jazz Band in 2012–2013.

Learn more and register for the 2017 GIA Conference.

Next Webinar: Arts Funding Programs for ALAANA Artists and Arts Organizations

The next GIA webinar, Arts Funding Programs for ALAANA Artists and Arts Organizations will be held on Tuesday, September 26, 2:00pm EDT / 11:00am PDT. The explicit goal of Grantmakers in the Arts’ statement of purpose on racial equity in arts philanthropy is “to increase arts funding for ALAANA (African, Latino/a, Asian, Arab, and Native American) artists, arts organizations, children, and adults.” This webinar will feature programs by two public funders and one private funder that each direct their funding support to artists and arts organizations from historically underfunded identity groups within their geographic focus areas. Bushra Junaid from Ontario Arts Council, Dana Payne from Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and Tracie D. Hall from The Joyce Foundation will discuss how their programs developed, whom they serve, and how their programs are strategically used to help close the racial gap in arts philanthropy.

Related reading: Not Just Money: Equity Issues in Cultural Philanthropy, published July 2017 by Helicon Collaborative with support from Surdna Foundation.

Arts Funders Respond: The Latest News

GIA’s Arts Funders Respond is an online resource to learn and share strategies, statements, news, and other resources to support arts grantmakers as they navigate and respond to the changing political landscape. In recent news, the Hill-Snowdon Foundation, General Service Foundation, Jesse Smith Noyes Foundation, the Whitman Institute, and other partners have announced the 2nd round of the Defending the Dream Fund to support grassroots organizing.

Is your organization taking action to support artists and arts organizations in response to the political climate? Send submissions to Monica Thomas to be considered for the website.

Grantmakers in the Arts on LinkedIn

Connect with GIA on LinkedIn for updates on national arts philanthropy news.

Arts patron and philanthropist Alice Walton announced the formation of Art Bridges, a 501(c)(3) foundation focused on sharing outstanding works of American art…

At the completion of his five-year term, Lewis will return to the academy, and launch a new initiative, The Center for Social Solutions, to focus efforts on three core areas of concern…

Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the fellowship aims to promote equity in the residency field through direct support of emerging arts administrators of color and administrators with disabilities…