GIA Blog

Posted on by Steve

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.

Posted on by Steve

Barry Hessenius posts his observations from the GIA Conference:

Roberto Bedoya (Executive Director Tucson Pima Arts Council) and Rick Lowe (Founder Project Row Houses, Houston, and 2014 MacArthur Fellow) are two very highly articulate leaders in the conversations – within and without our sector – on issues of diversity, equity, race, color and the arts (among other conversations). They have both been around long enough to know what they are talking about, and they both offer comments that are incisive, yet intended to educate and inform rather than accuse or corner.
Posted on by Latoya Peterson

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

Posted on by Barry Hessenius

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.

Posted on by Steve

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

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.
Posted on by Steve

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.

Posted on by Latoya Peterson

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.

Posted on by Sarah Lutman

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.

Posted on by Barry Hessenius

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.

Posted on by Steve

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:

Note: There is no way I can possibly cover all the material I absorbed in today’s sessions and do justice to it all tonight. So, I am going to hit a couple of highlights and then come back later in the week and cover the rest, together with some personal comments and insights. And that is likely to be my approach tomorrow as well. I also plan on a separate post on the GIA Preconference on the Unique Practice of Arts Grantmaking this weekend.