GIA Blog

Has Minnesota Orchestra dispute found a new tune?
Posted on by Steve

From Graydon Royce, writing for the Star Tribune:

The Minnesota Orchestra’s management and musicians — now in the 11th month of a bitter labor lockout — are quietly talking again behind the scenes. Multiple sources close to the dispute say representatives of the two sides met with an independent mediator this week to see whether ground rules can be set for formal bargaining.
To Live and Die in Newspaper Art Journalism in LA
Posted on by Steve

From Mostafa Heddaya at Hyperallergic:

The crisis of print media has been a long time coming, though it feels like it is now, finally, coming home to roost with the seismic umooring of some of America’s most iconic print journalism brands. And the proverbial tallest blade in those once-august pages is, of course, cultural coverage, the type of writing that simply cannot be converted into easy pageviews or, on its own, sell subscriptions to news-focused dailies. Many embattled publications are killing Books and Arts sections, firing critics, and in general demonstrating little regard for the significant role such reportage has held in the history of broadsheets.
Don't Do Your Organization Any Favors
Posted on by Janet

By Janet Brown from her blog Better Together

I toured Europe for a year in the 80s as general manager of an American musical. It was a crazy tour with a less than experienced producer. I actually encouraged him several times to shut down the tour because we had gaps between bookings and were continually getting advances from future dates to pay current salaries. But, he was the boss and the tour continued. Along the way, I ended up using my own salary (and the production stage manager’s) to keep the company afloat. I left the tour with the producer owing me several thousand dollars. Does this sound like a financially healthy business to you? It wasn’t.

President Obama to Award 2012 National Medal of Arts
Posted on by Steve

On Wednesday, July 10, 2013, President Barack Obama will present the National Medal of Arts in conjunction with the National Humanities Medals. The medals will be presented by the President during an East Room ceremony at the White House. First Lady Michelle Obama will also be in attendance. The National Medal of Arts is a White House initiative managed by the National Endowment for the Arts. Each year, the NEA organizes and oversees the National Medal of Arts nomination process and notifies the artists of their selection to receive a medal, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence.

This event will also be live streamed at WH.gov/Live and an archive of the video will be available after the event on the White House YouTube page.

Seniors Flex Creative Muscles In Retirement Arts Colonies
Posted on by Steve

From NPR's Morning Edition comes this story about retirement institutions designed around arts:

Some famous writers, painters and musicians have done some of their best work in their later years — impressionist Claude Monet, for one. But at the North Hollywood Senior Arts Colony, older people are proving that you don't have to be famous — or even a professional artist — to live a creatively fulfilling life in old age.
Art Groups Fear Losing a Mayor, and His Money
Posted on by Steve

From Robin Pogrebin, writing for The New York Times:

With less than six months remaining in Mr. Bloomberg’s tenure, a cloud of unease has descended over arts executives, fund-raisers and artists. Over the last 12 years, they have grown accustomed to a City Hall that was receptive to their needs, as well as to a billionaire mayor who could privately bolster their budgets.

Now these organizations are facing two unknowns: Will a new mayor continue to support them? And, just as important, will Citizen Bloomberg?

Positive Trends in Arts and Culture Funding—At Least on the Surface
Posted on by Tommer

On the heels of the Giving USA finding that arts and culture was America’s fastest-growing philanthropic cause in 2012, Americans for the Arts (AFTA) has reported an uptick in business support for the sector. The latest edition of Giving USAcites an estimated 7.8 percent increase in arts and culture funding to $14.44 billion in 2012, compared with 2011.

Canada's Arts Sector Assesses Flood Impact
Posted on by Steve

Calgary Arts Development, in partnership with the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, is working to assess the impact of a generational flood on the arts sector. Their website, www.calgaryartsdevelopment.com has lots of good information on their activities in the aftermath of last month's disaster.

Calgarians have witnessed a tremendous outpouring of offers to assist in recovery efforts. As The City’s arts development authority, Calgary Arts Development is assuming the role of an “arts responder hub,” playing three key roles:
The Story Behind the Common Core Is Different from Duncan’s Version
Posted on by Steve

Diane Ravitch posts to her blog:

Arne Duncan has been vigorously defending the Common Core standards and vigorously insisting that they were created by the governors and the states. Of course, he must do this because it is illegal for the U.S. Department of Education to interfere in curriculum and instruction in the nation’s schools.

But his version of how the Common Core came to be adopted by nearly every state since 2009 is not accurate. It would be interesting to ask the nation’s governors what they know about the Common Core and even more interesting to ask them to take one of the two federally-funded tests of the Common Core. If that seems a stretch, how about having the nation’s chief state school officers–who are cheerleading for the Common Core–take the test?

The Head and The Heart: Two Paths for Charitable Giving
Posted on by Steve

From Paul Sullivan, writing for The New York Times:

“We feel that people do start with this heartfelt desire to do good and they have all the good intentions in the world,” said Debra Treyz, global head of the philanthropy center at J. P. Morgan Private Bank. “But giving dollars does not always translate into results.”

She said she coached clients to focus on something they care about — that’s the heart part — and then gain expertise in the field to be able to make more intelligent decisions. “There are often ramp-up periods,” she said. “There’s a little bit of trial and error around that. We need to acknowledge what we need to do better, learn from mistakes and move on.”