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Taking Note: Varieties of Research Networking
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From Sunil Iyengar for the NEA's ArtWorks blog:

Earlier this year, the ever-prolific Barry Hessenius asked some of us in arts research to take part in a weeklong round of interviews for his blog at WESTAF. Reading that exchange, I was struck by how many piquant observations were left hanging in mid-air, not owing to inarticulateness, but because there’s only so much space to devote to a particular issue or problem. After all, each day of Barry’s blog-a-thon began with a new question.
NFF State of the Sector Survey Arts Data Analyzed
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Rebecca Thomas, Vice President at Nonprofit Finance Fund, has released an analysis of the 2013 State of the Sector Survey results with a focus on the arts and culture sector data:

Last month, Nonprofit Finance Fund released its fifth annual State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey, generously supported by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. Of the nearly 6000 respondents, more than 900 hailed from the arts and culture sector, representing 47 states.

The data provide a wealth of information about how arts and culture organizations are managing through an unprecedented time of economic and artistic flux. Current trends point to lasting changes in the way the sector operates and is funded. The arts specific survey results are available in their entirety here.

Farmer/Author Masumoto Joins National Council on the Arts
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From Rafu Shimpo:

David Mas Masumoto of Del Rey, a noted farmer and author, is now a member of the National Council on the Arts. Nominated by President Obama last June, he was confirmed in January, took the oath of office in February, and attended his first meeting in March. His six-year term expires in September 2018... He is a board member of the James Irvine Foundation and the Public Policy Institute of California and has served as chair of the California Council for the Humanities.
Slow Art Day: Leaning Towards a Different Way of Looking at and Loving Art
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The Smithsonian American Art Museum's EyeLevel blog interviews Phil Terry about Slow Art Day, an event he founded:

Slow Art Day is the annual event in more than 240 museums and galleries around the world with a simple mission: help more people discover the joy of looking at and loving art. This year participants show up on Saturday, April 27 at one of the participating museums and then look slowly, 5-10 minutes, at each of five pre-assigned works of art.
CultureHive a New Online Resource from England
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CultureHive is a newly launched website that could help Arts and Culture funders discover and share best practice in cultural marketing. It features case studies, toolkits, research, articles and more. Resources have been sourced from across the UK and beyond – from cultural organisations, audience development agencies and consultants. As part of Arts Council England’s Audience Focus program, the website aims to make everything available to access and download for free.

Why Hewlett-Packard is Hiring Dancers
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From Cheryl Strauss Einhorn, writing for CNNMoney:

Most dance companies make money by selling tickets to their performances. Boise-based troupe Trey McIntyre Project has a more expansive business model: “We've decided that we have a real asset, which is the creative process itself. We're selling that,” says John Michael Schert, the company's co-founder and executive director. Companies are buying the pitch. Corporate giants such as Hewlett-Packard and Aetna have signed on, and The University of Chicago Booth Business School recently hired Schert for advice on getting inspired.
Interview with Knight Foundation's Carol Coletta
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Barry's Blog interviews Carol Coletta, who was recently hired by the Knight Foundation as vice president/community and national initiatives, a position she will take up next month.

Barry: What are your thoughts on the issue of diversity within the arts? Should we be funding more efforts for all arts organizations to be more diverse - in their support, art, audiences and structures - or should we be focusing on supporting primarily diverse groups and organizations themselves? What is your thinking on the equity argument - that too much philanthropic support has gone to the larger, more traditional euro-centric arts organizations, and more ought to go to the smaller, and diverse organizations?
Seeking to Pare Standardized Tests, Legislators Take Aim at Testing Firm
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From Morgan Smith at The New York Times:

As the Texas Legislature moves to uproot the state’s standardized testing program amid an outcry from parents and school leaders, state lawmakers have focused their criticism on Pearson, the publishing and testing company that develops the tests.
Business Schools Embrace the Liberal Arts
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From Louis Lavelle at Bloomberg Businessweek:

Undergraduate business programs are, for the most part, no-nonsense degrees. You have your finance, your marketing, and your management—and the connection between what is taught in the classroom and the skills used on the job is pretty straightforward. But a number of business schools are beginning to experiment with something that might have been considered sacrilege a few years ago: incorporating the liberal arts—literature, history, science, and philosophy—into the business curriculum.
PCAH Turnaround Arts Initiative Featured on NPR
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From Elizabeth Blair for National Public Radio's All Things Considered:

Over the years, there have been a lot of claims about the benefits of the arts on the mind: Listening to Mozart makes you smarter; playing an instrument makes you better at math. One program — funded in part by the federal government — is putting these theories to the test.