Steve's Blog

The 2015 Otis Report on the Creative Economy of the Los Angeles Region, is now available online. The annual report is prepared for Otis College of Art and Design by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, a lobbying organization funded by LA businesses.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has announced a new grant program to strengthen and sustain quality humanities programs that benefit youth, communities of color, and economically disadvantaged populations. Humanities Access Grants offer matching grants toward term endowments for programming at cultural institutions that broadens access to excellent humanities content for underserved groups.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is conducting a survey of US-based artists to better understand their needs related to careers, income, health, and overall well-being. The survey is live now and through March 15th. It takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.

A new website aims to assert the essential role of arts and cultural organizations in rural economic and community development. Next Generation: The Future of Arts & Culture Placemaking in Rural America — the full title of a “digital learning commons” announced by Art of the Rural (AOTR) and the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) — is designed to provide a platform for storytelling, research, and best practices as well as an inclusive space for deeper collaboration. The Learning Commons wants to address two major challenges facing rural arts practitioners — geographic distance and access to information and networks — and establishes a digital intermediary through which these partnerships can develop.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has announced the launch of the Rising Leaders of Color (RLC) Program and is taking nominations for participants to a DC-area cohort. RLC is an expansion and re-envisioning of TCG’s Young Leaders of Color Program that was launched in 2008. The program will work to change the face of the theatre field by nurturing and supporting an intergenerational network of leaders of color at various stages in their careers.

The National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) convened national leaders and advocates, master teaching artists and researchers for the regional launch of the NCCA Creative Caregiving Guide on February 23 in Los Angeles, California. The guide is a web-based and community-shared resource specially designed for both family and professional caregivers of adults who live with Alzheimer's disease and related cognitive disorders.

The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) has published the results of a survey examining the diversity of staff and leadership at nonprofit cultural organizations that are funded by the city. The survey release marks a major milestone in DCLA’s initiative to promote and cultivate diversity in the cultural community. The survey found that while New York City’s cultural sector is far more diverse than cultural organizations on the national level, it lags behind the demographic diversity of the city’s population.

From Sherry Lucas, writing for The Clarion-Ledger:

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has announced the appointment of Maurine Knighton as the new program director of the foundation’s Performing Arts Program. Knighton currently is senior vice president at the Nathan Cummings Foundation as well as a member of the Grantmakers in the Arts Board of Directors. She joined Cummings five years ago as the Arts and Culture Program Director, building and expanding on NCF’s track record and commitment to work in the arts funding sector. “NCF is a stronger foundation than when she first began, and we are grateful for her wisdom and generosity over the years,” said Sharon Alpert, President & CEO of the Nathan Cummings Foundation. “Maurine will be with us until March 11, 2015 and we plan to use every minute to soak up her wise counsel.”

By Howard Reich, writing for the Chicago Tribune: