Private Foundation

America's Performing Art
A Study of Choruses, Choral Singers, and Their Impact
Chorus America
2003. Funded by the James Irvine Foundation, the Kiplinger Foundation, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, and the Helen F. Whitaker Fund

Reggae to Rachmaninoff
How and Why People Participate in Arts and Culture
Chris Walker and Stephanie Scott-Melnyk, with Kay Sherwood. 2003. The Urban Institute (Washington, D.C.), Funded by the Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds

Overview
The information presented here by no means represents an exhaustive review of arts-related advocacy Web sites. I have reviewed three national sites, one state site, and one local site.

The standard I used for defining and rating "advocacy material" was that the information could be printed or in other ways readily utilized by grassroots advocates in their interactions with elected officials on timely issues of concern to the arts community.

Artadia, formerly known as The ArtCouncil, revolves around visual artists. Chris Vroom founded Artadia on the belief that direct support for artists will make an impact on the development of the nation's cultural heritage. Artadia is constantly searching for new ways to introduce artists to a larger audience.

The Arts Education Partnership (AEP) held its winter forum on January 26 and 27 in San Francisco. The focus of the meeting was "Critical Issues in Arts Education: Partnering with Philanthropy."

The theme of education in the arts can be found throughout GIA's programs. The role that the arts can play in education is one of four primary themes that will be explored at our 2002 conference, Creative Connections; and the "Bookmarks" column in this issue of the Reader concentrates on "Arts Education Resources on the Web". The following two articles take a look at recent research, specifically research that explores the connections between education in the arts and student learning in other realms.The theme of education in the arts can be found throughout GIA's programs.

March 8, 2001 New Haven, CT

Woke up. Couldn't make tea 'cause it's my first night in these Eldorado Apartments, my second night at Yale, and I haven't got any tea 'cause yesterday when I arrived there was a big snow storm and all the stores were closed.

Swallowed my meds and took a shower. Quickly turned on my laptop to review the work I'd done on the BROTHER script last night.

For more than a decade the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has been among the nation's leading supporters of symphony orchestras, based on a longstanding commitment to help orchestra institutions strengthen, deepen, and broaden the relationships with their audiences.

First of all, it's a delight to be here this morning because I meet so many old friends, and I knew that you would be here related in some way or other to this gathering of foundations. The foundations you represent are doing what in an ideal situation, all governments would, should do. What you do with your contributions, with your interest, is help keep this world relatively sane. I say relatively for obvious reasons. What you do is feed a hunger for all the people of the world. Not simply food, clothing, shelter of course, but there is in everybody a hunger for beauty.

Spring 2002, 43 pages. Surdna Foundation, 330 Madison Avenue, 30th floor, New York, NY 10017-5001, 212-557-0010, powerfulvoices@surdna.org

In early 2001, Emc.Arts completed its two-volume review of five years of the Surdna Foundation's arts program grants with the catchy title, "Evaluation of the Surdna Foundation Arts Program: Investigation and Diagnostic Findings." This spring, Surdna did us all a service by providing a useful distillation of its findings in an economical, easy-to-read report, Powerful Voices

June 2002, 368 pages (executive summary, May 2002, 21 pages). The Chicago Center for Arts Policy at Columbia College, 600 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60605, 312-344-7985. The executive summary and full report can be downloaded here.