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President Obama to Award 2012 National Medal of Arts
Posted on by Steve

On Wednesday, July 10, 2013, President Barack Obama will present the National Medal of Arts in conjunction with the National Humanities Medals. The medals will be presented by the President during an East Room ceremony at the White House. First Lady Michelle Obama will also be in attendance. The National Medal of Arts is a White House initiative managed by the National Endowment for the Arts. Each year, the NEA organizes and oversees the National Medal of Arts nomination process and notifies the artists of their selection to receive a medal, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence.

This event will also be live streamed at WH.gov/Live and an archive of the video will be available after the event on the White House YouTube page.

Seniors Flex Creative Muscles In Retirement Arts Colonies
Posted on by Steve

From NPR's Morning Edition comes this story about retirement institutions designed around arts:

Some famous writers, painters and musicians have done some of their best work in their later years — impressionist Claude Monet, for one. But at the North Hollywood Senior Arts Colony, older people are proving that you don't have to be famous — or even a professional artist — to live a creatively fulfilling life in old age.
Art Groups Fear Losing a Mayor, and His Money
Posted on by Steve

From Robin Pogrebin, writing for The New York Times:

With less than six months remaining in Mr. Bloomberg’s tenure, a cloud of unease has descended over arts executives, fund-raisers and artists. Over the last 12 years, they have grown accustomed to a City Hall that was receptive to their needs, as well as to a billionaire mayor who could privately bolster their budgets.

Now these organizations are facing two unknowns: Will a new mayor continue to support them? And, just as important, will Citizen Bloomberg?

Canada's Arts Sector Assesses Flood Impact
Posted on by Steve

Calgary Arts Development, in partnership with the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, is working to assess the impact of a generational flood on the arts sector. Their website, www.calgaryartsdevelopment.com has lots of good information on their activities in the aftermath of last month's disaster.

Calgarians have witnessed a tremendous outpouring of offers to assist in recovery efforts. As The City’s arts development authority, Calgary Arts Development is assuming the role of an “arts responder hub,” playing three key roles:
The Story Behind the Common Core Is Different from Duncan’s Version
Posted on by Steve

Diane Ravitch posts to her blog:

Arne Duncan has been vigorously defending the Common Core standards and vigorously insisting that they were created by the governors and the states. Of course, he must do this because it is illegal for the U.S. Department of Education to interfere in curriculum and instruction in the nation’s schools.

But his version of how the Common Core came to be adopted by nearly every state since 2009 is not accurate. It would be interesting to ask the nation’s governors what they know about the Common Core and even more interesting to ask them to take one of the two federally-funded tests of the Common Core. If that seems a stretch, how about having the nation’s chief state school officers–who are cheerleading for the Common Core–take the test?

The Head and The Heart: Two Paths for Charitable Giving
Posted on by Steve

From Paul Sullivan, writing for The New York Times:

“We feel that people do start with this heartfelt desire to do good and they have all the good intentions in the world,” said Debra Treyz, global head of the philanthropy center at J. P. Morgan Private Bank. “But giving dollars does not always translate into results.”

She said she coached clients to focus on something they care about — that’s the heart part — and then gain expertise in the field to be able to make more intelligent decisions. “There are often ramp-up periods,” she said. “There’s a little bit of trial and error around that. We need to acknowledge what we need to do better, learn from mistakes and move on.”

Grant Makers Need to Work on Resiliency to Climate Change
Posted on by Steve

Robert Searle and Karim Al-Khafaji for The Chronicle of Philanthropy:

Philanthropy’s role in fighting climate change has focused mostly on supporting projects to mitigate the effects of greenhouse gases on global warming. But Hurricane Sandy’s unwelcome arrival last fall underscored the need to put front and center efforts to help people and communities adapt to the weather changes that are already putting lives and businesses in jeopardy.
Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Names Gary Steuer as President
Posted on by Steve

Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, of Denver, Colorado, has announced new leadership with the naming of its new President Gary Steuer effective October 2, 2013. Steuer’s predecessor, Dorothy Horrell, announced her retirement earlier this year after 13 years with the Foundation. Since 2008, Steuer has served as the Chief Cultural Officer and Director of the Office of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy for the City of Philadelphia.

HUD, NEA Partner to Promote Post-Sandy Resilience
Posted on by Steve

In an effort to promote resilience for the Sandy-affected region on the east coast, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development is launching the Rebuild by Design design competition. The goal of the competition is to attract world-class talent, promote innovation and develop projects that will actually be built. The Rockefeller Foundation, as the lead funding partner, will provide support for the analysis and design process and its support of the competition builds upon a strong commitment to promoting urban resilience through a $100 million investment, which includes their recent announcement of the “100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge.”

Tom Kaiden Stepping Down at Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
Posted on by Steve

Tom Kaiden announced this week that he will step down as President of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance to join the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association as their Chief Operating Officer in Alexandria, Virginia. His departure will take place on July 26. Michael Norris, V.P. of External Relations, will serve as the interim Executive Director while the board’s Search and Transition Committee conducts a national search for the next president.