Monica's Blog

A recent article on Hyperallergic discusses how the National Endowment for the Arts distributes funding across the US, and how important that funding is for rural states in particular: According to the National Association of State Arts Agencies’ Fiscal Year 2017 Revenue Report (the source of many of the funding statistics included here), American Samoa, Georgia, Idaho, … Continue reading Why Eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts Would Hurt Rural Americans the Most →

The most recent installment of the Otis Report on the Creative Economy of California, supported by the California Arts Council, takes a deep dive into California’s creative industries; more specifically, into their impact on the state’s economy. This year, California Arts Council funded an addendum to the report on the need for affordable housing and workspaces for artists, offering solutions for the future.

A report from the National Center for Arts Research examines the economic impacts of nonprofit arts and culture organizations across the country. The report also illustrates the wide geographic distribution of these organizations, stating that “arts and cultural organizations are where people live, not just in big cities or on the coasts.” Read the report.

Christy Morse, CEO of Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies (MACP) and board chair of the organization’s grantmaking entities, announced that after more than 20 years of leading the organization, she is stepping down from her role as CEO.

Current MACP president, Paul Busch, will assume the CEO role on July 1, 2017, while Christy will remain as CEO Emeritus through January 31, 2018, when she will formally retire as CEO. Christy will continue serving as board chair of Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and Anne Ray Foundation, leading the efforts of each board in developing organization strategies, evaluating funding priorities, and assessing program effectiveness.

A recent article on Quartz offers a wealth of data showing how arts impact the economy, public health, and education in America: The numbers pointing to the importance of the arts in America are astounding. For example, from 2006 to 2013, the arts industry consistently outperformed the overall US balance of trade, increasing the national … Continue reading The Data that Proves Why the Arts Are Good for the American Economy →

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has approved funding for a second cohort of a new program that supports long-time executive directors who are planning a transition. The program, called What’s Next: Leading a Thriving Transition, is administered by Third Sector New England. Leadership transitions — especially those of long-time leaders — can raise specific challenges and opportunities for executives, boards, and the organizations they lead.

In a recent article on The Hill, country commissioner and arts leader Natalia D. Macker writes about how funding from the National Endowment for the arts supports rural areas like Wyoming: In a rural state like Wyoming, where I serve as a local elected official and the artistic director of a nonprofit theater, arts funding … Continue reading NEA Funding Cuts Mean More than Starving Artists in American Countryside →

From Education Week: President Donald Trump’s full budget proposal for the U.S. Department of Education, released on Tuesday, includes big shifts in funding priorities and makes cuts to spending for teacher development, after-school enrichment, and career and technical education, while ramping up investments in school choice. A $1 billion cash infusion for Title I’s services … Continue reading How President Trump’s Budget Plan Would Change Spending on Education →

Animating Democracy, a program of Americans for the Arts, has released a new framework for evaluating creative work at the intersection of arts and civic engagement, community development, and justice. Aesthetic Perspectives: Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change presents eleven artistic attributes that “address the potency of creative expression to embody and motivate change.” The framework aims to elevate aesthetics in civically and socially engaged art, help describe and assess the work, expand criteria for considering aesthetics in the work, address historical domination of Euro-American aesthetic standards, and promote deeper appreciation of the rigor required for effective creative work.

After more than a decade as the executive director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts and a 40-year career in the arts field, Robert C. Booker will retire from his current position on August 7, 2017. He will be succeeded by Jaime Dempsey, who has served as the agency's Deputy Director since 2006. Booker served as chair of the Grantmakers in the Arts board of directors from 2015–2016.