Grantmakers in the Arts

A recent article from Createquity identifies and discusses four different visions for cultural equity:

The further we delved into the literature around cultural equity, and the more we consulted experts and connected with some of the activists who precede us, the more we came to realize that shared understanding simply doesn’t exist. . . . But in our own conversations, we found it helpful to divide the visions for success we were reading and hearing from advocates into four archetypes: Diversity, Prosperity, Redistribution, and Self-Determination.

A new blog post from the Johnson Scholarship Foundations highlights the work of four Native American women in nonprofits and philanthropy who are driving change in their communities. Lori Pourier, executive director of First People’s Fund, is recognized as “a leader in the field – not just for Native arts and culture – but arts and culture period. She is the go-to person for the ‘creative economy’ in Indian Country."

Read the article.

The Los Angeles County Arts Commission has released a new literature review on Public Engagement in the Arts. The report explores different ways in which “public engagement” can be defined and practiced, the purposes public engagement has been used for in the arts, and how the terms “audience” and “participant” have evolved and blurred over time. It also places public engagement in the context of one of the most urgent conversations taking place in arts and culture today, that of cultural equity and inclusion.

By Tom Teicholz, writing for Forbes:

The Los Angeles City College Foundation announced a $10.1 million gift from The Herb Alpert Foundation, creating an endowment that will provide tuition free attendance at Los Angeles City College to all music majors. This is the largest gift ever for a Southern California Community College.