GIA Blog

The third session in a four-part Native American Educational Series from Philanthropy Southwest will explore the interplay of policy, philanthropy and the Native American and Alaska Native communities. Maximizing the Return on Your Investment will take place Tuesday, October 21, 2014 at 2:30 pm (EST)/11:30 (PST), and is presented by Native Americans in Philanthropy in partnership with Casey Family Programs, Center for Native American Youth, Philanthropy Northwest and Philanthropy Southwest.

Barry Hessenius posts his observations from the GIA Conference:

Movement. Motion. Swag. The Tuesday Lunheon Plenary had a dance battle break (complete with Google Glass intro) when Dance Houston took the stage.

I. Session: Funding Commercial Creative Businesses: Sell Out or Smart Strategy? The City of San Jose (CA), in partnership with the Center for Cultural Innovation, has started providing small “investment grants” to creative entrepreneurs with goals at the nexus of cultural and economic development. Basically this project is still in its infancy, as only two rounds of funding have been completed, and only a total of $40,000 has been awarded in total to 12 grantees, with the $40,000 third round coming up.

Conference blogger Latoya Peterson turns in her first set of observations from Houston:

Days One and Two at the 2014 GIA conference in Houston have gone by quickly — jam packed days with sessions from early morning (8:00) through evening (9:00 or 10:00 + socializing) and almost no breaks... On Monday the very first session I attended was Art and Tech: Bending New Technologies to Native Traditions, organized by Wendy Red Star, Program Associate, and T. Lulani Arquette, President and CEO, of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, based in Vancouver, Washington.

Can a conversation about race be a performance? What does that simple framework shift do to the conversation? The answer: everything. The long table conversation is a fascinating thing to watch unfold. Participants come in and out as they please. There is snacking and scribbling, mostly on topic. Some people were determined watchers, setting up camp on the chairs on the far edge of the perimeter. And others eagerly queued up in the seats closest to the table, waiting for the moment they could tap someone on the shoulder, sending that performer out and putting themselves into the conversation.

Days One and Two at the 2014 GIA conference in Houston have gone by quickly — jam packed days with sessions from early morning (8:00) through evening (9:00 or 10:00 + socializing) and almost no breaks. I have been Tweeting during several sessions @Lutman_Sarah and taking copious notes for future posts that will take some time to compose. So stay tuned.

Day Two was long and full of sessions and content worth reporting on.  I have a very early flight, want to be thoughtful, and so I will be posting several blogs beginning tomorrow and through the weekend.  It was a very good conference and I feel fortunate to have been able to share it with so many smart people. Safe journeys home.

With the GIA 2014 Conference well underway in Houston, you can follow the thoughts and observations of the three conference bloggers at blogs.giarts.org/gia2014/. Barry Hessenius has posted his day one experience: