Grantmakers in the Arts

February 4, 2012 by Steve

A Q&A with John Maeda, president, Rhode Island School of Design from Molly Petrilla at Smart Planet:

While some have touted science, technology, engineering and math (often shortened to “STEM”) as the foundations for a high-achieving country, John Maeda believes that true innovation requires an additional letter—an “A” for art and design. Since becoming president of the Rhode Island School of Design in 2008, Maeda has championed a “STEM to STEAM” movement in education and research. He recently spoke with me about what he’s accomplished so far, what still lies ahead and why Apple is the best example of STEAM at work. Here are some of the highlights from our conversation.

February 3, 2012 by Steve

How Do We Engage the Next Generation of Arts Lovers? A recent series of studies supported by The Wallace Foundation offers some “21st century answers.” For arts organizations nationwide, the challenge has been engaging new and younger audiences without alienating loyal and likely older constituencies. The new studies offer findings showing that bridging both groups may not be as divergent as feared:

Artists Bring What Schools Need

February 3, 2012 by Steve

From Nick Rabkin for The Huffington Post:

The practice of teachers in classrooms is what matters most when it comes to students learning in school. The principle strategies of school reform — 'higher' standards, school and teacher 'accountability', intensified testing, and 'choice' — may affect teacher practice indirectly, but the the relatively poor record of school reform over the last three decades, especially in schools serving low-income students, suggests that those strategies are of no great consequence to the quality of teaching. They may even be counterproductive.

February 2, 2012 by Abigail

New on the GIA website: The 2012 Web Conference Series schedule. This year's lineup of arts philanthropy leaders and innovators will address key topics of interest to arts grantmakers, including arts and health, arts journalism, and GIA's new Arts Education Funders' Coalition. Read about the presentations and register here. As always, all Web Conferences are free to GIA members.

February 2, 2012 by Abigail

This month's GIA website slide show of member-supported projects was provided by our colleagues at ArtsWave in Cincinnati. Founded in 1927 as the Cincinnati institute of Fine Arts, the organization has evolved several times in response to changing economic and cultural conditions. Today, through advocacy, partnerships, and grantmaking, ArtsWave acheives its mission of acting as a leader in advancing the vitality of Greater Cincinnati by mobilizing the creative energy of the entire community.

February 1, 2012 by Steve

The National Endowment for the Arts will host Improving Arts Learning through Standards & Assessment: A National Endowment for the Arts Research Roundtable, a webcast and roundtable discussion, on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 beginning at 8:30AM and running to 3:00PM EST. No pre-registration is necessary. To view the webcast simply log on to the NEA’s website at the scheduled date and time.

January 31, 2012 by Steve

From Glenn Peoples at Billboard:

The first results of the Future of Music Coalition's Artist Revenue Stream project show the average musician gets more from fans and grants than merchandise and corporate sponsorships. The cross-genre research project collected data on over 5,000 US-based musicians and composers.

Lead or Follow?

January 31, 2012 by Steve

ArtsJournal.com has a rich discussion underway with many contributors. The question being considered is this:

Increasingly, audiences have more visibility for their opinions about the culture they consume. Cultural institutions know more and more about their audiences and their wants. Some suggest this new transparency argues for a different relationship between artists and audience. So the question: In this age of self expression and information overload, do our artists and arts organizations need to lead more or learn to follow their communities more?

Explore Solidarity Economy resources here

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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