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Monica's Blog

Boston Announces New 'Boston Creates' 10-Year Cultural Plan
Posted on by Monica

Boston has announced its new Boston Creates ten-year cultural plan, which includes over one million dollars in new arts funding.

From Malcolm Gay, writing for the Boston Globe:

Initiatives include a program linking public art to new city construction and infrastructure projects, a plan to provide affordable housing to artists, a pilot program to make new rehearsal spaces available to performers, and a collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts to conserve city-owned artworks. Meanwhile the Boston Foundation, in conjunction with the Barr Foundation, is set to establish a pooled fund providing grants to small theater and dance troupes.
Judith Rodin Announces Departure from The Rockefeller Foundation
Posted on by Monica

After nearly 12 years at the helm, Judith Rodin, the first female president of The Rockefeller Foundation, has announced her decision to depart the institution once a new president is identified and takes office. Rodin’s leadership ushered The Rockefeller Foundation into a new era of strategic philanthropy that emphasized partnerships with business, government, and the philanthropic community to address and solve for the complex challenges of the 21st century.

Five Tips for Financial Success in Cultural Organizations from Janet Brown and Brian Bonde
Posted on by Monica

From The NonProfit Times:

Arts and cultural organizations struggle to survive. Even as they try to ennoble or enlighten the world, leaders sometimes wonder if it is possible to reconcile two endeavors that appear incompatible.

During the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Fundraising Conference, Janet Brown of Grantmakers in the Arts and Brian Bonde of Advanced Certified Fundraising offered five suggestions for cultural organizations to help them find financial success, not just security, as they continue their operations.

Jason Tseng of Fractured Atlas Reflects on Turning Equity Statements into Action
Posted on by Monica

In a recent blog post from Fractured Atlas, Jason Tseng reflects on how organizations can follow up their racial equity statements with action:

And as organizations like AFTA and GIA have already acknowledged in their statements, ours is a sector that is built on decades of exclusionary practices and reproduces institutionalized oppression. But if we are truly looking forward to the changing demographics of our nation, as AFTA’s cultural equity statement suggests, we must also adapt our platform to reflect the issues that will foster the arts sector of tomorrow.
Department of Justice Publishes Literature Review of Arts-Based Juvenile Justice Programs
Posted on by Monica

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has published a literature review entitled "Arts-Based Programs and Arts Therapies for At-Risk, Justice-Involved, and Traumatized Youths." The report, conducted with assistance from the National Endowment for the Arts, explores recent research on arts-based programs and arts therapies. Programs were considered arts-based if at least one of the main components was an arts-related activity, or if there was a deliberate use of arts in the program to bring about a change in behavior.

Lisa Hoffman Named New Executive Director of Alliance of Artists Communities
Posted on by Monica

International artist residency network Alliance of Artists Communities has named Lisa Hoffman as its next executive director, effective July 2016. Hoffman succeeds former Executive Director Caitlin Strokosch, who led the Alliance for nearly a decade. As the associate director at the McColl Center for Art + Innovation, Hoffman pioneered internationally recognized models of artist-led community engagement. Prior to McColl, Hoffman served as director of the Charlotte Nature Museum.

New Data Tool by ArtsWave Maps Local Arts Resources to Locate Underserved Communities
Posted on by Monica

From Julie Carpenter, writing for Soapbox:

ArtsWave [Cincinnati's local arts agency] has created a first-in-the-nation model with the new Arts Atlas online tool that integrates data on arts organizations and their programming with community demographic data.

“Arts Atlas evolved from the need for a place to collect and analyze data while also understanding the gap in access to the arts around the region,” [says ArtsWave Chief Impact Strategy Officer Tara Townsend].

How Artists Can Advocate for Affordable Space
Posted on by Monica

In a recent blog post on Creativz.us, artist Caroline Woolard describes the decline of affordable creative spaces and what artists can do to advocate for their needs:

I’ve seen how sharing economy platforms build resilience and mutual aid (for those of us on the privileged side of the digital divide). I’ve also seen that online platforms are not enough. We need affordable space, so that we can take risks and fail. And where will we meet to swap or share goods and services without spaces? Ensuring affordable space is the only way creative innovation can occur.
Heron President Clara Miller on Building a Foundation for the 21st Century
Posted on by Monica

In a recent article in Nonprofit Quarterly, Clara Miller, president of The F.B. Heron Foundation, describes the "reinvention" of Heron's change in business model:

Reinvention has involved three basic guiding principles. First, we must go beyond marginal and auxiliary philanthropy (the traditional and appropriate model for charity) to engage actively with the whole economy, positioning ourselves to be fully engaged for mission both inside the foundation and outside in the economy. Second, we must develop and adopt practices that allow us and our allies to have broader influence, always looking to fulfill our mission beyond our own walls.
Interview with Rip Rapson of The Kresge Foundation on Arts and Community Development
Posted on by Monica

Rip Rapson, president and CEO of The Kresge Foundation, was recently interviewed on Shelterforce:

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to speak with him, trace his experiences and the projects he conceived or championed over the years … and drill into the opportunities and difficulties faced by a large philanthropic organization as it works to integrate its grant making interests with the way real communities operate … One interest Kresge has is in arts and culture, and we spent some extra time talking with him about the importance and role of arts and culture in community health and development.