Arts institutions bring in big money from New York City tourists, but they get the short end of the stick from the city, according to arts supporters last week as they launched a campaign to increase cultural funding. “The economy of the city could not stand without culture and the arts,” said Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Queens), who is spearheading the One Percent for Culture campaign. Van Bramer and others are asking the city to allocate one percent of its roughly $70 billion budget for the city’s roughly 1,200 culture and arts groups. The city now gives less than one-quarter of a percent, or about $155 million, according to the Department of Cultural Affairs. That’s up from $152 million in 2012. The groups generate about $6 billion for the city’s economy annually, a city official said.
When Idaho Sen. Steve Vick was a state representative in Montana, he asked his fellow lawmakers, “What are the essential functions that government should be responsible for doing?” The question was posed as the basis for his argument to eliminate the Montana Arts Council. Twice he tried to eliminate the arts councils in Montana, and now as a senator in Idaho he’s looking for support from his colleagues. Idaho Gov. Butch Otter is recommending a $1.8 million budget for the Idaho Arts Commission this year, which doesn’t convince many other lawmakers that the fight is worth it. Currently, Vick says he’s not planning on proposing legislation this session, though he would “certainly” consider it if he could get enough support. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for a person with a view of limited government to funds arts,” he says, "whether it is in Montana or Idaho.”
Two years ago the Texas state legislature slashed funding for fine arts education and the Parent Teacher Association in the Pine Tree School District took action. The school formed a partnership with the Longview Museum of Fine Arts and now representatives from the museum go to the district's intermediate and primary schools on a regular basis to provide arts education. The PTA helped with the partnership so that the school didn’t have to budget funds for the museum staff to come to campus.
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American folk musician, storyteller and dance caller, Slim Harrison,
visits the Tubman Head Start Center in Howard County, Maryland
courtesy of the Howard County Arts Council's Head Start in Art program,
which provides hands-on experiences in the arts for the county's
low-income families. The program began in 2000 in conjunction with
another Head Start center and expanded to the Tubman Center last year.
Harrison is a member of the Maryland State Arts Council and is among
about a half-dozen artists-in-residence who conduct classes for the Head
Start in Art program. Officials of the Howard County Arts Council note
that Head Start in Art has been cited as a model early arts education
program by the National Endowment for the Arts, and has provided the
county with a way to bring arts to students in Head Start, a federally
funded program that was established in 1965 to assist impoverished
preschool-age children. Minnesota artists in the Twin Cities are cobbling together work to cover the basics while they remain in the area to enjoy a high quality of life and a healthy cultural community. The region is home to many arts organizations, including several theatre companies, dance troupes and art galleries, but the challenges artists face include low pay, temporary work and a highly competitive market. A 2005 survey by Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (MCA) found that full-time artists in the state earned an average of $44,204 annually, but only $34,342 came strictly from their art. 11,805 part-time artists fared a bit better overall ($45,888) -- perhaps because they spent more time in better-paying day jobs. Artist Chuck Close, best known internationally for his hyper-realist huge-scale portrait paintings, met and chatted with 34 students from Bridgeport, Connecticut's Roosevelt School. Close met with the students as part of his volunteer role with the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and its national Turnaround Arts Initiative pilot program. Close acts as the school’s "arts mentor." As one of eight schools in the nation to participate in the two-year public-private funded program, Roosevelt School was chosen through a competitive process in which it demonstrated its commitment to arts education. The project aims to improve low-performing schools by increasing student "engagement" through the arts. Each school is paired with a celebrated musician, dancer, visual artist or actor -- all of whom have been appointed to the committee by President Barack Obama. In addition to Close, those volunteering are cellist Yo-Yo Ma; actors Sarah Jessica Parker, Kerry Washington, Forest Whitaker and Alfre Woodard; and classical dancer Damian Woetzel. |
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| Exploring the Possibilities of Mobile Giving Thursday, January 17, 2 PM EST As mobile phones maintain their prominence in worldwide communications, it is increasingly important for nonprofits and libraries to know how to use mobile services to help fulfill their organization's mission. Join this free webinar to learn more about how different organizations are creating innovative mobile solutions for your organization. During this webinar, you will hear from Scott Heit and Lars Hjoerne from Connect2Give, an organization that provides mobile web services, as well as text donation and messaging assistance, and from the Mobile Giving Foundation's Jim Manis about how his organization helps create wireless charitable giving campaigns. Why Research Matters to GrantseekersFriday, January 18, 2 PM EST Access to quality research provides nonprofits and libraries the ability to improve services, strengthen funding proposals, and share knowledge within the field. This free webinar will discuss the importance of social sector research and how it can help your organization fulfill its mission. During this one hour online event, you will receive an introduction to IssueLab, the Foundation Center's free database of more than 12,000 white papers, case studies, and evaluations. Webinars Hosted by Americans for the Arts: A Look at the Future of Dynamic PricingMonday, January 21, 2013 at 3 PM EST The Evolution of Local Arts Grantmaking Series The Evolution of Local Arts Grantmaking: Addressing Shifting Demographics - Equity and Access? |
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| The SAANBox Takes a Vacation The SAANBox will take a day off next Monday, January 21 in observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Inauguration Day. We will see you again on January 28! NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA)Deadline: Thursday, January 24, 2013 Launched by the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures with major support from the Ford Foundation, the NALAC Fund for the Arts provides a variety of grants to assist US-based Latino artists and arts organizations in the development, creation, presentation and sustainability of artistic excellence, as well as the opportunity to participate in activities that contribute to professional and organizational growth. The NFA is a national grant program open to US-based Latino working artists, ensembles and small to mid-sized Latino arts organizations that demonstrate artistic excellence in pursuit of social justice through the arts. For more information visit: NALAC Fund for the Arts NALAC Transnational Cultural Remittances (TCR)Deadline: Thursday, April 4, 2013 Transnational Cultural Remittances funding supports exemplary cultural exchanges that promote grassroots artistic collaboration and strengthen social networks between the United States, Mexico and Central America. The competitive TCR grant program is open to individuals, collectives and community-based organizations in the United States, Mexico and Central America. Successful projects demonstrate a continuous and ongoing exchange whereby artistic activity supports, preserves or extends the cultural practices between linked communities in two or more of the following countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the United States. To date, the TCR grant program has awarded more than a quarter-million dollars reaching sixty communities. For more information visit: Transnational Cultural Remittances Americans for the Arts is teaming up with American Girl to help promote the arts in U.S. schools through the Elevate the Arts School Grant Contest and Saige Learning Guide. This partnership dovetails with American Girl’s introduction of its 2013 Girl of the Year, Saige Copeland. Elementary schools throughout the United States with students in grades 3-6 can submit entries to support their art program through the Elevate the Arts School Grant Contest. Further details regarding the Elevate the Arts School Grant Program, including specific contest rules and regulations, and the Saige Learning Guide can be found here. Register Now for Arts Advocacy Day April 8–9, 2013 The 2012 election has made a dramatic impact on Congress with more than 80 new members of Congress taking office in early January. The 113th Congress will renew the focus on reducing the federal deficit through program cuts and revenue raisers that could detrimentally impact nonprofit arts organizations. It is imperative that arts advocates work together to help educate members of Congress about the role the arts play in spurring economic growth and job creation. Register Now! The Americans for the Arts 26th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall Washington, DC, April 8, 2013, 6:30 p.m. Grammy Award®-winning musician Yo-Yo Ma will deliver the Americans for the Arts 26th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy. Receive two free tickets to the lecture with your Arts Advocacy Day registration or reserve your general admission single ticket online today. |
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| Texans for the Arts
is a grassroots non-profit organization representing individual and
organizational members in Texas by advocating for the arts and
supporting the programs and services of the Texas Commission on the
Arts. Texans for the Arts manages a State Arts Advocate Program that encourages individuals to increase their knowledge of the process of effective advocacy and to become and remain active advocates. To obtain your Program Certification, individuals can complete TFA Arts Funding and Leadership Development Workshop and then accomplish three goals such as attending a school board meeting and speaking on behalf of the arts or attending Arts Advocacy Day. The Texas legislature meets biennially during odd-numbered years, which means that the legislature is meeting for 2013 and Arts Advocacy Day is scheduled for January 31. Arts Advocacy Day coincides with the TCA State of the Arts Conference, which will feature topics ranging from gaining financial stability to building new audiences, using social media to effective marketing, arts education to ADA compliance. One of the highlights of the conference will be developing an effective strategy for marketing your organization to funders, donors and new audiences. State of the Arts Conference: Strategies for Success will bring together experts in the areas of foundation funding, social media marketing, and crowd-sourcing to answer questions and provide insight. For more information about Texans for the Arts, visit their website and like them on Facebook. |
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