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Takeaways: Arts Administration Educators Conference
Posted on by Steve

Linda Essig, director of the Arizona State University arts entrepreneurship program, posts to her blog Creative Infrastructure:

I attended the annual conference of the Association of Arts Administration Educators for the first time, having now taught arts entrepreneurship for three semesters and seeing a course in arts management and another on arts policy on the not-too-distant horizon. This was not only an opportunity for me to share the work we’ve been doing on arts entrepreneurship in the Pave Program, but a far larger opportunity to learn what colleagues across the country (and some internationally) think about what is important to teach, learn, and research in arts management and administration and cultural policy. Here are some highlights from the formal programming.
NEA Offers Research Grants
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For the first time in the 47-year history of the National Endowment for the Arts, the agency's Office of Research & Analysis will award grants to 15 research projects to investigate the value and impact of the arts in the United States. These grants, totaling $250,000, support projects designed to use existing, high-quality datasets to examine novel and significant research questions about the arts. The grantees are from 11 states and their awards range from $10,000 to $30,000.

Gerbode and Hewlett Foundations Partner for New Theater Works
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The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation have announced a $300,000 fund for the creation and production of new plays by California playwrights. The works are to be commissioned and premiered by Bay Area nonprofit organizations that can apply for grants of $50,000 each. These grants will support projects that encourage the creative endeavors and professional development of promising California playwrights. The resulting works will have their world premieres in Bay Area public performances between June 2013 and June 2015.

NEA Webinar Looks at Digital Storytelling in Native Aspirations
Posted on by Steve

On Wednesday May 30, the National Endowment for the Arts will host a public webinar to extend the conversation of the Interagency Task Force on the Arts and Human Development, an alliance of 15 federal agencies, offices, divisions, and departments to encourage more and better research on how the arts help people reach their full potential at all stages of life.

Romney Campaign Focuses on Education Policy
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Presidential candidate Mitt Romney makes his first education specific speech of the campaign today (Wednesday, May 23) in Washington. He has named an education committee and has released an education policy document. As with most campaign documents, it is light on specifics but does give a picture of what Romney would prioritize should he win the presidency.

Cultural Data Project partners with Nonprofit Finance Fund for Financial Health Analysis
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Financial Health Analysis (FHA) is a suite of financial reports produced as a collaborative effort of Nonprofit Finance Fund and Cultural Data Project with support from the William Penn Foundation. The FHA is a free tool for arts and cultural organizations participating in the Cultural Data Project and is part of larger efforts by NFF and the CDP that seeks to bring to the sector comprehensive, uniform and comparable data that can support improved communications and decision-making by arts leaders and their supporters.

Neil Gaiman Gives Graduates 10 Essential Tips for Working in the Arts
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This past weekend, author Neil Gaiman spoke at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and told the graduating class all the things he wish he knew at their age. The talk runs 19 minutes.

Why Chicago Needs Bigger Place on World's Stage
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From Chris Jones, Theater critic for the Chicago Tribune:

It is a large part of the big lag between spending on the arts and culture in New York, where international visitors crowd Broadway theaters and the Midtown entertainment district, and in Chicago, where arts groups must, for the most part, focus on a more limited pool of locals and visiting Midwesterners. Chicago's cultural organizations remain a key to increased international visibility for Chicago: One need only to have read the reports of the rapturous reception afforded the touring Chicago Symphony Orchestra in St. Petersburg and Moscow last month or seen the recent pictures from London of Chicago Shakespeare Theater's hip-hop "Othello" steaming up audiences packed into the Globe Theatre, experiencing Shakespeare from across the world as part of an international festival attached to the upcoming Olympic Games.
The Impact of Funding Cuts on DC Theaters
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From Chad Bauman at DC Theatre Scene:

Although we struggle like other cities, we are unique. Given that DC is not a state, government funding is a little different. We don’t have a state arts agency, and some funding comes directly from Congress. In the District, there are two major sources of government support—the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program. In recent years, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities was cut by 70% going from $13 million to $3.9 million and the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program was cut by 74% going from $9.5 million to $2 million. In comparison to our peers nationally which on average faced cuts of 6-10% range, cuts in the 70%+ range seem crippling and disproportionate.
From Kansas: Arts bill a good one
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The Topeka Capital-Journal Advisory Board gets behind legislation to restore State arts funding:

After a year of turmoil and anxiety about Gov. Sam Brownback’s decision last year to eliminate public funding for the arts in Kansas, a solution is at hand that appears to be acceptable to the governor, members of the arts community and an overwhelming majority of the state’s legislators.