Americans for the Arts | News

The Second Week in September Designated "Arts in Education Week"

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:04:03 EDT

Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.Con.Res. 275, legislation designating the second week of September as "Arts in Education Week." Authored and introduced by California Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA), this resolution is the first Congressional expression of support celebrating all the disciplines comprising arts education. This is a very positive showing of support for arts education and comes at a key time when Congress is making plans to overhaul federal education policy.

The resolution seeks to support the attributes of arts education that are recognized as instrumental to developing a well-rounded education such as creativity, imagination, and cross-cultural understanding. H.Con.Res. 275 also highlights the critical link between those skills and preparing our children for gaining a competitive edge in the global economy. This is an important message for policy makers to acknowledge as they prepare to reauthorize federal education policy. To send a message to your member of Congress in support for arts education, please visit our E-Advocacy Center.

As a House resolution, the bill does not require signature by the President upon its passage. You can read the resolution here.

Americans for the Arts is planning an Arts Education Blog Salon for the celebratory week. The Americans for the Arts Action Fund’s 50 States 50 Days initiative will also be a way underway during this time. Resources on the Arts Action Fund website help arts advocates to use their arts institutions at home to convey their message about the arts in a setting that reinforces themes of economic development; jobs in the arts; arts education; and partnerships between artists, institutions, and local policymakers.

We realize that September 12 is right around the corner, so please get the word out to make the first Arts in Education Week a successful one!

Be Seen on MTV's 44 1/2 Screen in NYC

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:30:18 EDT

Americans for the Arts is back on MTV’s 44 ½ to find out why the arts matter to you! The Why Arts Matter Video Contest call for proposals ad will be running on the MTV 44 ½ screen located in Times Square from Monday, July 19 through Sunday, July 25. Those of you in New York City can see the ad being playing :10, :20, :30, :40 minutes after the hour every hour. The MTV 44 ½ screen is directly across from the MTV studios.

Why Arts Matter Video Contest is created in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Americans for the Arts. Join us in celebrating the arts in America by creating a video that tells "Why the Arts Matter" to you!

To find read about contest rules and submission details please visit the Why Arts Matter Video Contest website.

Redford Speaks on Creativity in Business

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 14:46:07 EDT

Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, interviewed Redford at an event on June 24 at the Philadelphia Theater Company presented by the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia (an affiliate of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce) and professional services company Towers Watson. Redford spoke about his childhood, his business experiences and the importance of creativity in business.

Two Federal Funding Opportunities

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:09:16 EDT

On July 7, 2010, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) held a joint webinar and announced two new funding opportunities for the arts community. NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman has been spearheading negotiations with multiple federal agencies to broaden their grant guidelines to include components for arts and culture. Local arts agencies are encouraged to work with their city and county governments to apply for these new funding opportunities to create more livable communities through the arts. The two new opportunities are the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant and a combination of the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program and the Sustainable Community Challenge Grant program.

The webinar covered both new funding opportunities, highlighting where nonprofit arts groups can participate. Access the full PowerPoint now, and check back at www.hud.gov/webcasts in the coming days for the full webinar. Additionally, you can read HUD’s press release.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: The pre-application deadline is July 26, 2010 and full applications are due August 23, 2010.

Click here for the full synopsis.

Half-Century Summit a Success in Baltimore

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:29:53 EDT

Baltimore, MD — June 30, 2010 — More than 1,000 arts professionals, elected officials, community leaders, artists, educators, students, and corporate and foundation leaders gathered from June 25-27 in Baltimore, Maryland for the Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit, the organization’s 50th Anniversary Annual Convention. The Summit featured a number of high-level speakers and presenters including Robert Redford, award-winning actor and arts advocate; Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor of the Huffington Post; Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts; and John Waters, noted filmmaker and best-selling author.

The conference afforded a broad spectrum of leaders the necessary tools to make a positive impact on their communities back home as well as an opportunity to plan for the dynamic future of the arts in America. The Half-Century Summit included an array of professional development sessions, visionary panels and small group discussions and was preceded by arts education and public art preconferences. Participants took advantage of a number of special events including a 50-year retrospective of public art, a one-man show by John Waters, a reception at the American Visionary Art Museum, a performance by the New York Neofuturists, and arts and cultural tours of Baltimore and the region.

Find more information on the Summit including videos, photos, blog posts, and tweets, by clicking here.

KID smART Wins the Arts Education Award

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:42:42 EDT

Americans for the Arts presents the 2010 Arts Education Award to KID smART, a New Orleans-based arts education organization. This award is given each year to an arts education program with the best program design and leadership. KID smART has been serving New Orleans for more than 10 years, serving more than 16,000 underserved students at 110 different locations. Last year alone, the program helped nearly 3,000 students. In 2006 KID smART developed a program called Arts Experiences in Schools (AXIS), which was an arts integration professional development program for teachers. This is just one example of how the program provides assistance and support for students, teachers, and administrators at the over 100 schools the program serves. KID smART uses its passionate group members and innovative ideas and techniques to transform schools using the arts and arts programming.

KID smART Executive Director Echo Olander accepted the award at the Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit. Visit the press room for more information.

Judy Baca Accepts the Public Art Network Award

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:40:24 EDT

Americans for the Arts presents the 2010 Public Art Network (PAN) Award to community arts activist Judy Baca. This award acknowledges original and inspired involvement in the field of public art. In 1974 Baca founded the first city of Los Angeles mural program, and then two years later started SPARC: Social & Public Art Resource Center in Los Angeles where she is still the founder and artistic director. She has worked with the community to create many large scale murals in the Los Angeles area, most notably The Great Wall of Los Angeles, a representation of interracial harmony that is nationally recognized and is a combined work of 400 inner-city youth, 40 ethnic historians, and hundreds of community residents.

Baca is also a full-time professor at UCLA, and is currently working on the Cesar Chavez Memorial at San Jose State University, the Robert F. Kennedy monument at the Old Ambassador Hotel site, the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in San Diego, and a digital painted mural for the Richmond Arts Center.

She received her award at the Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit. Visit the press room for more information.

2010 Public Art Year in Review Projects Selected

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:47:44 EDT

Today, Americans for the Arts announces the 40 winners for the 2010 Public Art Year in Review. Each June, the Public Art Network recognizes the best works of public art debuted throughout the United States and Canada in the past year. Projects from 29 cities in 15 states are represented in this year's selections, and the works were chosen from more than 300 entries from across the country. This year’s Year in Review was curated by public art artists and experts Helen Lessick and Fred Wilson.

A full list of the 40 Public Arts Year in Review selections is available here. This is the 10th year that Americans for the Arts has recognized the most outstanding and innovative public art displays from across the country.

Photos and descriptions of each award winning are available as part of the 2010 Public Art Year in Review CD-ROM, a great tool for community public art development, which can be purchased at the Americans for the Arts store.

Countdown to the Half-Century Summit

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:44:05 EDT

The Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit will take place at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Friday, June 25–Sunday, June 27.

10. Last minute planners can register on site!

9. Paddleboats and Edgar Allen Poe impersonators? Does any other convention offer both?

8. More than 150 of the brightest and best minds in the arts are ready to share their ideas with you.

7. Crab cakes? Sure! But this isn’t your grandmother’s Baltimore. With a reinvented Harbor Place, cool neighborhoods, and cultural gems, Charm City is well worth exploring.

6. With special discounts on hotel rooms and Amtrak travel, the convention is a deal!

5. Be a star at late night jam sessions, in a skit by the Neo-Futurists, and at the photo booth and Wii gaming in CenterStage.

4. Take the opportunity to be creative and skirt travel restrictions—fake a cough or take a well deserved vacation day. (Just kidding!)

3. Calories don’t count when you travel for work.

2. You haven’t seen giftshops until you’ve seen the one at the American Visionary Art Museum—one of the coolest museums in the country!

1. Times are tough and we’ve commiserated, so now get strategizing! Arts leaders are innovative. Join your peers as we plan for a stronger future for the arts.

Video of "Arts Build Communities" Congressional Hearing

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:06:06 EDT

Video of all testimony from the "Arts Build Communities" Congressional hearing on art funding is available on the Americans for the Arts Arts Action Fund site.

Americans for the Arts witnesses at the “Arts Build Communities” hearing included acclaimed actors Jeff Daniels and Kyle MacLachlan; Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter; U.S. Army Brigadier General Nolen V. Bivens (ret.); Terri Aldrich, Executive Director, Minot Area Council of the Arts; Charles Segars, CEO, Ovation; and Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO, Americans for the Arts.

Also presenting testimony was NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman and Congressional Arts Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY).

Click the names below to read their official testimony.

Terri Aldrich, Executive Director, Minot Area Council of the Arts (North Dakota)
Brig. Gen. Nolen V. Bivens, U.S. Army (ret.)
Jeff Daniels, Golden Globe-nominated film and stage actor
Kyle MacLachlan, Emmy-nominated TV, film, and stage actor
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter
Charles Segars, CEO, Ovation
Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO, Americans for the Arts

Michael Nutter, Philadelphia Mayor

For a full "Behind the Scenes of Arts Advocacy Day", check out ARTSblog!

Ruth Lilly, Arts Patron, Passes Away

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:49:10 EST

The Board and Staff of Americans for the Arts are saddened to share the news that Ruth Lilly, noted philanthropist and arts patron, died on Dec 30 at age 94. Ms. Lilly was a lifelong supporter of the arts, in both her home state of Indiana and throughout the country. In 2002 Ms. Lilly generously presented a $120 million gift to Americans for the Arts.

"The selfless vision and generosity of Ms. Ruth Lilly has benefitted numerous arts groups, artists, and cultural audiences across the United states. Her extraordinary gift to Americans for the Arts allowed us to greatly expand our work in serving nonprofit arts groups and local arts agencies, as well as advancing the arts for all. She will be deeply missed." said Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts.

Ruth Lilly was the last surviving great-grandchild of pharmaceutical magnate Eli Lilly. Over the course of her life, Lilly gave away the bulk of her inheritance; an estimated $800 million reported USA Today. A great deal of her philanthropic focus was given to institutions in her native Indiana. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said Lilly ''personified the family tradition of overwhelming generosity and special devotion to the state of Indiana.'' ''Her countless gifts will keep on giving for generations,'' he said.

Councils Elect Members

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:57:16 EST

The Arts Education, Emerging Leader, and Public Art networks of Americans for the Arts announce the election of new members to serve on their advisory councils.

ARTS EDUCATION COUNCIL

Ron Jones - Dean of the College of the Arts, University of South Florida - Tampa, FL
Stephanie Riven - Director, Center of Creative Arts - St. Louis, MO
Victoria J. Saunders - Victoria J. Saunders Consulting - San Diego, CA
Donna Collins (re-elected)- Executive Director, Ohio Alliance for Arts Education - Columbus, OH
Steven Tennen (re-elected) - Executive Director, Arts Connection - New York, NY

EMERGING LEADER COUNCIL

Michelle Grove - Events and Grants Manager, Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County - Silver Spring, MD
Letitia Ivins - Civic Art Coordinator, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Civic Art Program - Los Angeles, CA
Charles Jensen - Director, The Writer’s Center - Bethesda, MD
Gabriela Jirasek - Marketing and New Media Associate, Chicago Humanities Festival - Chicago, IL
Ian David Moss - Blogger, Createquity.com - Providence, RI
Scarlett Swerdlow - Advocacy and Communications Director, Arts Alliance Illinois - Chicago, IL
Bettina Swigger - Executive Director, Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region - Colorado Springs, CO

PUBLIC ART NETWORK COUNCIL

Renee Piechocki - Artist/Public Art Consultant - Pittsburgh, PA
Lajos Héder - Environmental Artist/Architect, Harries/Héder - Cambridge, MA
Martha Peters (re-elected) - Vice President, Public Art, Arts Council of Fort Worth & Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX

For more information on the council elections, please visit the press room.

Let Your Professional Needs be Heard

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:02:12 EST

If you are an arts leader, please take less than 15 minutes to complete this survey and let Americans for the Arts hear about your needs and trends!

As part of the 10th anniversary of the Emerging Leader Network, Americans for the Arts and the Emerging Leader Council wants to survey the current professional development needs and trends of emerging arts leaders.

The Americans for the Arts Emerging Leader Program works to identify and cultivate the next generation of arts leaders in America. It is an ideal way for new leaders to share their interests with others as they continue to develop their skills and their commitment to the arts. The Emerging Leader Program targets professionals who are either new to the field, with up to five years of experience, or are 35 years of age or younger.

The information gathered from the survey is intended to address the following objectives:

To strengthen the connection between Americans for the Arts and the Emerging Leaders Council and Networks, as well as to connect with new emerging leaders
To help shape future emerging leader professional development offerings
To help form and prioritize Emerging Leaders Council goals
To provide insight to Americans for the Arts on how to better assist emerging leaders in their career development

Peggy Amsterdam, Philly Arts Leader, Passes Away

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:33:00 EST

Americans for the Arts regretfully shares the news that Peggy Amsterdam, president of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and board member of Americans for the Arts, passed away on Saturday after a long battle with illness. She was a champion of the arts in Philadelphia. Writes the Philadelphia Business Journal:

Ms. Amsterdam was a key advocate for arts and cultural organizations in the Philadelphia region and she helped lead the charge this year in defeating a proposal in Harrisburg that would have expanded the state sales tax to include tickets for arts performances. She helped Mayor Michael Nutter to re-establish Philadelphia's city arts office, which had been closed the previous administration, as a new Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.

In 2008, she received the Ray Hanley Innovation Award, presented by the United States Urban Arts Federation (USUAF) in recognition of outstanding individual contributions to arts and culture in American cities. Under her leadership, the GPCA transformed into a leading community asset that shapes regional policy decisions and focuses on culture as a key component of the city's business.

BCA TEN 2009 Businesses Announced

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:06:20 EST

Business Committee for the Arts (BCA), a division of Americans for the Arts, announces THE BCA TEN: Best Companies Supporting the Arts in America. Since 2005, BCA has annually recognized ten companies for their exceptional support of the arts in the United States. These companies have exhibited exemplary support for the arts in recent years through grants, volunteer programs, matching gifts, local partnerships, sponsorships, and board membership.

The BCA TEN awards will be presented by Americans for the Arts during a black-tie gala at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on November 19.

THE BCA TEN – 2009 companies are:

Adobe Systems Incorporated, San Jose, CA
Applied Materials, Santa Clara, CA
Arketype Inc., Green Bay, WI
Brainforest Inc., Chicago, IL
Dollar Bank, Pittsburgh, PA
Duke Energy, Charlotte, NC
Hanesbrands Inc., Winston-Salem, NC
Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, Philadelphia, PA
UMB Financial Corporation, Kansas City, MO
Williams & Fudge Inc., Rock Hill, SC

Additional awards include:

BCA Leadership Award—Thomas A. James, chairman and chief executive officer of Raymond James Financial in St. Petersburg, FL
BCA Hall of Fame—Movado Group, Inc., based in Paramus, NJ

The Media Sponsor of THE BCA TEN is USA TODAY and the Presenting Sponsor is The Principal Financial Group. The Sustaining Sponsor is The First American Corporation and Leadership Circle supporters are C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, Martha and Bronson Ingram Foundation, Morgan Stanley, and Vinson & Elkins LLP.

For information about BCA and its programs and events, visit www.AmericansForTheArts.org/bca.

Leaders in the Arts? Partner With Us During Arts Advocacy Day 2010!

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:36:55 EST

Are you a state, regional, or local arts organization? NEW this year, raise your organization's profile by becoming a Grassroots Partner at the 23rd annual Arts Advocacy Day. Register by January 31, 2010 in order to ensure your organization is included in all printed materials.

Grassroots Partner organizations receive national recognition for their advocacy leadership efforts on Capitol Hill in April as well as the opportunity to lead coordinated congressional visits back home during the August recess.

The 23rd annual Arts Advocacy Day is the only national event that brings together a broad cross-section of America’s cultural and civic organizations, along with hundreds of grassroots advocates from across the country, to underscore the importance of developing strong public policies and appropriating increased public funding for the arts.

Click here for more information on how your organization can partner with us to advocate for arts!

Zac Efron and Claire Danes Advocate for Arts

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:01:29 EST

On Tuesday, the stars and director of the upcoming movie Me and Orson Welles—Claire Danes, Zac Efron, and Richard Linklater—were in Washington, DC, speaking about the importance of arts education. The filmmaker and actors joined Americans for the Arts and Impact Film + Arts Fund at advocacy meetings on Capitol Hill and at the White House to discuss with policy makers the critical issues facing arts education in schools today. They met with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Kalpen Modi, Heather Higginbottom, and Rachel Goslins, among others.

Following a screening of the movie, they assembled for a panel discussion about the film and spoke about how exposure to the arts growing up impacted them. The panel was moderated by Washington Post education writer Valerie Strauss and also included Bob Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts.

Arts Marketing in Providence

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:59:01 EDT

Arts Marketers from across the country are convening in Providence RI for Americans for the Arts annual National Arts Marketing Conference. Yesterday's preconferences were well attended focusing on sponsorship, successful pricing, and marketing techniques for independent artists. Staff member John Cloys talked with speakers from the various preconference so we could share major take away from the day's session. You can watch the video on the National Arts Marketing channel at http://vimeo.com/channels/67044.

Marketing for the Independent Artists co-speaker Deborah Obalil of Obalil & Associates in Lincoln, RI says "arts marketing is possible for independent artists" and goes onto give some advice on how to start.

The Pricing Institute Preconference gave answers to persistent pricing questions. Do your prices accurately reflect the full value of your programs? Are you offering discounts to the very customers who are the most able to pay? Presenters Tim Baker from Baker Richards Consulting and Steven Roth from the Pricing Institute talk about their topic.

Join the conversations at the conference on Twitter by using the hash tag #nampc09 and read blog posts at http://blog.artsusa.org/tag/nampc09/.

NEA and NEH Each Receive $12.5 Million Boost

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:35:36 EDT

Yesterday, the House and Senate each approved $12.5 million increases for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The FY 2010 Interior Appropriations Bill sets budgets for the two federal grant-making cultural agencies at $167.5 million each. President Obama will sign the bill into law by October 31. With the President's signature, the NEA will be funded at its highest level in 16 years.

“For nearly 45 years the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded grants to support a network of 5,000 local, state, and regional arts agencies that serve as the infrastructure of support for the arts and arts education in America,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “This important budget increase recognizes the essential role the arts play in our lives, schools, and communities. This funding boost also serves as a warm welcome to the new NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman as he kicks off his nationwide ‘Art Works’ tour next week.” Read his full statement in the press room.

For more information about this important legislation and to contact your member of Congress, visit the Online Arts Action Center.

Emerging Leaders Salon on ARTSblog

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:12:40 EDT

Are the voices of emerging leaders in the arts too loud or not loud enough? The grumblings of both young arts practitioners and discerning seasoned veterans raise a number of important questions: Are we squelching the voices of emerging professionals in the arts field? And are we causing an exodus of committed young talent to leave the field for work in other domains? Visit our Emerging Leader Salon all this week on ARTSblog.

For the first time in history there are four generational cohorts in the workplace. The residual clash of generational perspectives has surfaced a number of undeniable challenges—and opportunities—for arts professionals and organizations. Unlike other industries, the arts sector seems to be struggling particularly hard with the inevitable generational shift in leadership.

Join the Emerging Leaders Network of Americans for the Arts and the 20UNDER40 anthology for the Emerging Leaders Salon on ARTSblog the week of October 19-23. More than 15 diverse arts professionals from across the country will discuss the impending generational shift in arts leadership, the value of emerging leaders to the field, and the necessity of a platform for young arts professionals. We invite you to follow these posts and continue the conversation through your ideas, comments, and personal stories.

Are you a young arts leader? Does the field value your creativity, innovation, and professional experience?
Are you a veteran arts practitioner? Does this view of the field as an entity unable to let loose the reigns of leadership resonate with you?
Is the arts field successful in its attempt to foster young leaders? Is something out of synch with our planning for succession—or is it an unwarranted overdose of arrogance being exercised by those new to the field?

Americans for the Arts has worked to address these issues for ten years through the Emerging Leaders Network. This same work is also being advanced by an exciting new anthology of critical discourse called 20UNDER40, established to collect twenty essays about the future of the arts and arts education—each written by a young arts professional under the age of forty. In doing so, 20UNDER40 aims to bring the voices of tomorrow’s arts leaders out of the margins and into the forefront of our cultural dialogue.
Don’t be left out of this important conversation!

This national dialogue will leverage the voices of 20UNDER40’s founders and the Americans for the Arts Emerging Leader Network and membership, in concert with guest bloggers. The bloggers represent emerging and veteran leaders from across the arts sector and will discuss arts leadership and the 20UNDER40 project as it relates to the following:

The value of emerging leaders—and how to best foster their growth
The exodus of young talent from the arts sector—and strategies for talent retention
Power distribution in our field—and new visions for establishing a balance
The necessity of building a platform for young arts professionals
Bias inherent in the arts, and specifically exercised by the proposed publication
…and other issues.