GIA Blog

With the conference upcoming, Philadelphia is on our minds this month — and on the GIA website. Images featured on the photo banner throughout October were provided by GIA member the William Penn Foundation. Founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, the William Penn Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Greater Philadelphia region through efforts that close the achievement gap for low-income children, ensure a sustainable environment, foster creativity that enhances civic life, and advance philanthropy in the Philadelphia region.

Barry Hessenius will be on the team of bloggers covering the GIA 2013 Conference. He posts to the GIA Conference Blog on the issues he hopes to see discussed.

"Thanks to the arts, Philadelphia feels different today. But now that the building boom of new facilities is over, the question is whether the city and its benefactors can muster the support to become savior to the arts. With operating costs up and philanthropy and ticket sales failing to keep pace, stress cracks are appearing in institutions all over town. Some groups, saddled with debt payments, are adjusting offerings to become more commercial.

Following closely, but not in response to, the NEA's participation study, is related commentary by Doug Borwick on the Metamission of Arts Organizations.

The 2012 survey on public participation scheduled to be released today by the National Endowment for the Arts, reports that one out of every three Americans, or about 78 million people, visited an art exhibition or attended a performing arts event in 2012. That figure represents a drop across the board since the last survey in 2008, but the slide was steepest for musicals and plays.

The National Endowment for the Arts has released guidelines and application materials for Our Town, the agency's primary creative placemaking grants program. Pending availability of funding, grants will range from $25,000 to $200,000. Application deadline is January 13, 2014 at 11:59 PM ET, and a webinar to learn more about this funding opportunity will be held on November 4, 2013 at 2:00 PM ET.

The 2013 MacArthur Fellows include pinist/composer Vijay Iyer, choreographer Alexi Ratmansky of American Ballet Theatre, author Karen Russell, and photographer Carrie Mae Weems (who was featured in the GIA Reader in 2010).

Announced by President Clinton at this June’s Clinton Global Initiative America, the US2020 City Competition seeks to capitalize on the role of cities as centers for innovation, supporting outstanding efforts to build STEM mentoring capacity at the local level. 3-5 cities from across the country will share over $1 million in resources from US2020, based on their plans to significantly increase STEM mentoring for girls, low-income youth, and students of color. Proposals will be accepted from self-organized coalitions including representatives from city government, corporations, nonprofits, schools, and philanthropy.

AFTA's Randy Coen on ARTSblog:

Talia Gibas, Associate Editor at Createquity, also is Arts for All Manager at the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. Arts for All works to restore and sustain high quality arts education throughout Los Angeles County. Working closely with the Los … Continue reading →