Grantmakers in the Arts

Lessons Learned from talking about the Nature of Creativity in the Brain

July 31, 2014 by Steve

Bill O'Brien, NEA Senior Adviser for Program Innovation, reports from the Santa Fe Institute:

Sunil Iyengar (NEA Director of Research and Analysis) and I had the privilege of attending a Nature of Creativity in the Brain working group at the Santa Fe Institute earlier this month. We co-organized the event with Jennifer Dunn, the Institute’s faculty chair. The purpose of the meeting was to “evaluate the legacy of creativity research and to look for ways to mine new knowledge at the intersections of cognitive psychology, neurobiology, neurotechnology, learning, and the arts.”

What is a Justice Funder?

July 28, 2014 by Steve

An initiative is underway to stimulate a broader conversation within the field of philanthropy to articulate the values and practices of justice funders. This conversation is being facilitated through a weekly blog series that seeks new voices for inspiration, stimulation, and provocation that will “generate contemplation and discussion now, as well as serve to generate content for a framework for social justice philanthropy that we can begin layering with examples of existing practice over the course of the next year.” Do join this conversation and tag your social media with #justicefunder.

July 25, 2014 by Steve in Arts Education

GIA, on behalf of the Arts Education Funders Coalition, commented on how arts education and the arts generally could be better infused into a number of the priorities proposed by the Department of Education. DoE will now consider our comments as well as other public comments in fashioning final priorities to be used for its discretionary grant programs.

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July 25, 2014 by Steve

Online registration for the National Guild for Community Arts Education 77th annual Conference for Community Arts Education is now open! The Conference will be held November 20-22 at the Westin Bonaventure, in Los Angeles, with preconference institutes on grantwriting, board development, evaluation, leadership, and creative youth development on Wednesday, November 19. The early registration deadline is August 21.

July 22, 2014 by Steve

President Barack Obama will present the National Medals of Arts in conjunction with the National Humanities Medals on Monday, July 28, 2014, at 3:00 p.m. ET, in an East Room ceremony at the White House. First Lady Michelle Obama will attend. The event will be live streamed at WH.gov/Live.

The National Medal of Arts is the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the federal government. It is awarded by the President of the United States to individuals or groups who are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support, and availability of the arts in the United States.

NAS Names Gail Crider CEO Designate

July 21, 2014 by Steve

National Arts Strategies, the Virginia-based arts leadership organization, has announced that Gail Crider will take the position of President and CEO at the beginning of 2015. After having served as Vice President at NAS for over a decade, Crider will replace Russell Willis Taylor. In her tenure at NAS she has been integral to the organization’s transition from the National Arts Stabilization Fund to National Arts Strategies as well as the development of the range of services they offer currently.

July 20, 2014 by Steve

Reuben Roqueñi will join The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation as a program officer in the Performing Arts Program beginning September 2, the Foundation has announced. Since 2010, Roqueñi has worked as program director at the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF), a national indigenous arts foundation based in Vancouver, Washington. In that position, he was responsible for program development and managing over 85 grants to individuals, organizations, and communities.

July 18, 2014 by Steve

From Randy Lewis, at the Los Angeles Times:

First Lady Michelle Obama took to an entertainment-industry pulpit in Los Angeles to stump for expanding the role of arts in education, saying that 6 million children in the U.S. have no exposure to any form of arts in school. Speaking before an audience of several hundred including L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and California Sen. Holly Mitchell, Mrs. Obama stressed that music and other forms of art often connect with students and enhance their interest in core subjects such as math, science and history.

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Future of the Field: Cross-Sector Creative Placemaking Series

Video from the GIA 2021 Conference are now available for streaming.

The Racial Equity Coding Project: Unpacking The “Why”

In this first of a three-part discussion, we are joined by Susan Feder, Adam Fong, and Maurine Knighton, as they discuss the Racial Equity Coding Project, why it was started, their experience with the earliest iterations of the coding measures, and how their reflections will inform steps forward.

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