Traditional / Folk arts

A Report on the Ford Foundation Initiative
Edited by Mindy Levine

1999, 64 pages. Developed by New England Foundation for the Arts, edited and published by Arts International, ISBN 0-9676467-0-7, 212-674-9744

Executive Summary and Report
Based on interviews by Morrie Warshawski and Dinah Zeiger
Contributors to preparation and editing: Sonja K. Foss, Krista Lewis, Glynis Jones, Daniel Buehler, and Daisy Whitney

1999, 54 pages; Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), Denver, Colorado, 303-629-1166.

1995, 14 pages. Roadside Theater, 306 Madison Street, Whitesburg, Kentucky, 41858, 606-633-0108.

Founded in 1947, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission is a unit of county government housed within the executive office of the county board of supervisors. Each of the five supervisors appoints three commissioners who advise the board on issues of governance, policy, and funding allocation. For fiscal year 2000-2001, the total budget of the Commission is approximately $3,815,000, reflecting a four-fold increase in only eight years. For this year, $1,902,000 has been awarded in grants to 146 organizations.

The so-called new economy, driven by an explosion in technological innovation and new communication tools, has especially affected California's San Francisco Bay Area, where web-based start-ups are overabundant and everything seems to be preceded by an "e". Perhaps because of their innovative nature, technology firms often locate offices in marginalized neighborhoods or abandoned industrial zones. At first this trend seemed to revitalize former nadirs of economic activity with new neighborhood restaurants, cafés, and other service-oriented businesses.

A recently released study of giving in Hawai'i confirms what many culture and arts groups in the state already know — it's hard to raise money! A local firm, SMS Research, conducted the study for Hawai'i Community Foundation in spring 1999. Titled Hawai'i Giving Study 1999, the study's purpose was to better understand charitable giving among Hawai'i residents.

How can the arts promote positive social change? That's what the staff and board of the Kentucky Foundation for Women wanted to find out. We thought we knew. Or at least we thought we had a pretty good idea. After all, our mission is to promote positive social change through varied feminist expression in the arts, and we have been around for fifteen years.

The Philadelphia arts sector has been a hotbed of activity recently, on both a political and civic level, with some exciting developments underway as well as some new challenges. Last November, the city elected a new mayor — John F. Street, former city council president during the Rendell administration. Philadelphians had enjoyed broad support of the arts from former Mayor Edward Rendell, who was especially tuned into its economic impact. Mr.

Attending arts events is exhilarating, inspiring, and full of meaning. For years I've wished more people could have that experience. Why don't more people enjoy and appreciate the work that means so much to me? It's not just those who have different values, but people who are similar, with the same educational and demographic attributes — even members of my own family. If I can't convince them to become active participants, who can I convince?

1999, 316 pages, $22.50 (softcover); New York University Press, New York and London