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State & Local News

California taxpayers who want to donate to arts education in the public schools will again be able to do so by checking off a box on income tax forms. Tax forms for 2010 and 2011, included similar check boxes labeled “Arts Council Fund”, but the check box did not generate enough funds to continue its inclusion on 2012 forms. The form for 2013, which was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown, will read “Keep Arts in Schools Fund.” Another difference in the new law is that the money can be used only for education programs in preschool through 12th grade, instead of the full gamut of grants overseen by the California Arts Council. Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County president Milton Rhodes retired from the position at the end of September. This was his second stint as the arts council’s president, following a previous term as president and CEO from 1971 to 1985. After he left the arts council in 1985, he became president and CEO of the American Council for the Arts, which is now a part of Americans for the Arts. Rhodes’ accomplishments in Winston-Salem including doubling the size of council grants from just under $1 million a year to about $2 million a year, and raising $5 million for the arts council’s endowment. Jim Sparrow, formerly the executive director of Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne in northeast Indiana, assumed the position as president and CEO of the arts council on October 1. San Francisco, California Mayor Ed Lee credits the gradual rise of the city’s downtrodden Mid-Market area with the rise of arts organizations. "It wasn't Twitter that revitalized Market Street," Lee said at the groundbreaking for a new theater. It began with arts organizations, grassroots art organizations taking the risk. "Without that culture of San Francisco and the arts, I don't think the technology workers would actually want to be here," Lee added later. Desert Harbor, an Arizona school, began an arts integration program in 2002, the Peoria Unified School district entered a partnership with the Kennedy Center, Arizona State University and Mesa Public Schools. The school was chosen to pilot arts integrated work to impact student learning, teachers’ educational practice, and school culture by integrating the arts across the curriculum. In testing at Desert Harbor one year after studying through an arts integration form, 50 percent of the arts integration (AI) students scored 100 percent, while just 17 percent of non-arts integration (NAI) students had perfect scores; 68 percent of AI students missed two or less, while 37 percent of NAI students missed two or less; class average in AI students was 79.3 percent, while NAI class average was 62 percent. The school’s principal Laurie Little said the arts integration program at Desert Harbor has had researchers and teachers from other states and countries visit the campus to learn how the system works and about student achievement. In all the debate about federal charitable tax deductions, there has been another charitable tax deduction fight occurring in some state legislatures. Nonprofit Quarterly analyzed a variety of state taxes and tax incentives, including state charitable deduction, neighborhood assistance tax credits, and more.  During the recession, Michigan did away with its very popular program of tax credits for donations to food banks, homeless shelters, and, highly supported by institutional philanthropy, community foundations. Rather than entirely scrapping its charitable deductions, Hawaii capped them (although this was eventually reversed), New York State also established caps and Vermont is considering a possible cap as well. States are all over the ballpark on charitable deductions. Missouri restored seven tax credits for charitable activities, Kansas and North Carolina cut other itemized deductions, but left charitable deductions intact. Misplaced money at the Houma Regional Arts Council in Louisiana has led to new accountability standards for arts councils across the state, said Jacques Berry, spokesman for the lieutenant governor's office. About $40,000 of state money administered by the Houma Regional Arts Council to support the arts was reported missing last month instead of being sent to local arts groups. Arts councils across the state will now have to produce proof that money has cleared their accounts for all grant payments, Berry said. Previously, each arts council had to submit one report a year. The Minneapolis Arts Commission joined the Arts and Culture Policy Study Group to sponsor a candidate forum on placemaking for the upcoming mayoral election. There are 35 candidates running, leaving the chance that the top few could cancel each other out and a common second or third choice could take the city’s reins. Candidates discussed their personal experiences in the arts and shared their thoughts on the adequacy of the current mayors proposed $600,000 budget for public art and creative economy.

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A pilot program in will offer Native American artists affordable loans, comprehensive entrepreneurship training, and better access to arts markets in an effort to reduce poverty and strengthen local reservation economies. The grant to the First Peoples Fund is based on evidence presented in their latest report, Establishing a Creative Economy: Art as an Economic Engine in Native Communities. The report reveals that many Native artists and cultural bearers are capable of transforming their market-based arts activities into greater self-sufficiency for themselves and their families on or near reservations when they have access to capital, financial and business training, markets and distribution networks. The research also revealed that artists who received training in basic financial management, internet usage, pricing and marketing were able to sell their artwork at higher prices, obtain financial services and credit, and strengthen their network of support. Those who applied this entrepreneurial lens to their artwork have been able to travel farther and more often to shows, art markets and galleries. First Lady of Delaware Carla Markell penned an opinion piece for Delaware newspaper The News Journal about the benefits of arts education in the state’s schools. Markell outlined numerous studies that note the various benefits of arts education as well as the civic benefits. “We don’t teach science or math to every student, expecting that each will become a scientist or a mathematician. We do so because we believe that the skills gained in those subjects will help students better understand their world and contribute to it. Teaching the arts is no different. Not every student will become a professional artist or musician, though I hope some will. Even so, the arts teach life skills that carry across the curriculum and into every walk of life.” In partnership with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), Americans for the Arts launched The National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military in January 2012. Since its founding, the National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military has held two national convenings: the Arts and Health in the Military National Roundtable (November 2012) and the National Summit: Arts, Health, and Wellness Across the Military Continuum (April 2013). From these meetings came a series of recommendations in the areas of research, practice, and policy, detailed in the seminal report: Arts, Health, and Well-Being Across the Military Continuum - White Paper and Framing a National Plan for Action.

Tech Talk

October is Funding for Arts Month at the Foundation Center Program offerings are designed to strengthen organizations working towards improving the arts. §  Focus on Arts: Virtual Coffee & Conversation with the Doris Duke Charitable FoundationThursday, October 10, 2013 4:00 - 5:00 pm ET §  How to Apply to the Creative Work Fund Monday, October 14, 2013 12:00 - 1:00 pm §  Recent Trends & Future Prospects for Arts & Culture FundingFriday, October 25, 2013 1:00 - 2:00 pm ET §  Grantseeking Basics for Individuals in the ArtsMonday, October 28, 2013 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET §  How to Apply to Creative Capital Monday, October 28, 2013 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm ET Webinars Presented by Americans for the Arts: Be the Change You Want to See in Your Arts Organization: Reaching Diverse AudiencesOctober 8, 2013 at 3:00 PM EDT Many arts organization know that they want to expand their reach and grow their audiences, but they don't know where to start. In this webinar, you'll learn why in order to see change within your arts organization, YOU need to become a change agent. We will explore the tools and technology to reach new, diverse audiences: reaching across demographics, different income levels, and education levels. The Basics of Local Arts Management SeriesAre you new to managing an organization? Or just need a refresher course in the basics. Join us for this dynamic series on the basics of local arts management. §  The Basics of Local Arts Management: Planning October 16, 2013 at 3:00 PM EDT What's the best planning approach for your organization? How do you know what type of planning you need? During this webinar you will learn about the different types of plans including: Strategic, Financial, Program, Cultural, and Operational and ways to determine which one is right for your organization. The Cultural Districts/Arts and Entertainment Districts SeriesLocal Districts have sprung up in nearly every state across the country and are not just confined to urban communities or the traditional centers of arts and culture venues. They represent a growing trend for communities to capitalize on arts and culture as tools for economic development and revitalization. Engage in this series to find out ways in which you can learn more about Districts and ways to plan and develop one in your community. §  Planning and Creating Successful Cultural, Arts, and Entertainment Districts October 24, 2013 at 3:00 PM EDT Do you have an area in which you want to create a District? What are the planning steps needed to move you forward? During this webinar you will also hear from experts on how they planned and developed successful and thriving Districts. Business Speak: Can We Talk? Series With the launch of The pARTnership Movement in 2012 we explored mutually beneficial ways of partnering with business to further both arts and business goals. With this series we will provide detailed instructions for the methods and models to create successful partnerships. §  2013 BCA 10 Case Studies November 21, 2013 at 3:00 PM EST Each year the BCA 10 honors ten businesses that have been exceptional partners with the arts. These companies set the standard of excellence and serve as role models for other businesses to follow. Hear directly from 2013 honorees about why they partner with the arts and learn how to create successful partnerships with the businesses in your community.

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October is National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM) in America. NAHM is a coast-to-coast collective recognition of the importance of culture and the arts in America. It is designed to encourage all Americans to explore new facets of the arts and humanities in their lives, and to begin a lifelong habit of active participation in the arts and humanities. For more information visit the NAHM webpage, featuring events you can attend in your community as well as a toolkit to create your own. Also, become a fan of our NAHM Facebook page and follow @Americans4Artson Twitter (hashtag #NAHM) for timely updates and stories on how local organizations are celebrating this month. Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch has been elected to Independent Sector’s Board of Directors. For many years, Americans for the Arts and Independent Sector have had a strong partnership, and Bob’s election to the board serves to deepen the work the two organizations will do in the future. Indeed, Bob’s election to the Independent Sector board represents an important recognition of the critical and significant part that the arts sector can and does play in offering solutions to the core social and economic issues with which we are grappling as a nation. Registration Now Open! The 2013 National Arts Marketing Project Conference Community empowers your art. What does it take for your arts organization to deeply connect with the people that matter? At the 2013 National Arts Marketing Project (NAMP) Conference in Portland, OR, you’ll learn the marketing strategies that your organization needs to revolutionize the way communities engage with your organization. Join us in a city infused with a DIY atmosphere and a strong collaborative spirit, where you’ll embrace the interactive tools and forward-thinking strategies needed to create a sense of community around your work. Now Accepting Public Leadership in the Arts Nominations for Mayors and GovernorsPublic Leadership in the Arts awards are given in recognition of an elected official or artist who plays an important role in the advancement of the arts and arts education within his or her community, and whose vision and leadership provide heightened visibility to the value of the arts. Applications are now being accepted for Mayors and Governors to be presented in partnership with the United States Conference of Mayors at their Winter Meeting, January 22- 24 in Washington DC. For further information, please contact the Senior Director of State and Local Government Affairs Jay Dick at jay@artsusa.org.

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Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania was recently honored by the Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC) with the 2013 Partners Award. Citizens has partnered with EPLC on advocacy issues surrounding arts education and is a member of the Pennsylvania Arts Education Network (PAEN) as well as a member of PAEN’s steering committee. Citizens has also worked with EPLC on their Arts Education Initiative. Congratulations to Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania!