GIA Blog

Artists and Gentrification: Sticky Myths, Slippery Realities
Posted on by Steve

Anne Gadwa Nicodemus writes for Createquity:

We have an unfortunate tendency in the U.S. to view artists as special/different/other. Larry Gross likens it to artists being on a reservation or special island in his On the Margins of Art Worlds. As early as elementary school, teachers single out a few students with god-given talent from the apparently uncreative masses. This is a cultural construct. In Native American cultures, art is an integral part of life, not a separate vocation/occupation.
Deadline Coming to Nominate Music Educator for GRAMMY Foundation Award
Posted on by Steve

The GRAMMY® Foundation and The Recording Academy are partnering to present their first-ever Music Educator Award to recognize music educators for their contributions to our musical landscape and their positive influence on their students' musical experiences. The nomination process is open now and the deadline for nominations is April 15, 2013.

Taking Note: Stress, Music, and Epigenetics in Heart Disease Patients
Posted on by Steve

Sunil Iyengar, NEA Director of Research & Analysis, posts to ArtWorks blog:

Last September, in opening remarks during a National Academy of Sciences workshop on the arts and aging, I posed some questions about research in this field. As reported in Aging and the Arts: Building the Science (2013), an account of the workshop, jointly sponsored by the NEA and the National Institutes of Health, I asked, “Are there theoretical models that explain how participation in the arts affects the health and well-being of older Americans?”
Arts Groups Add Extras to Build Audiences
Posted on by Steve

From Karen D'Souza at the San Jose Mercury News:

Pull a lever and out pops a work of art. Meet Art-o-mat! – art for the instant gratification generation. Vending machines are among the many innovations that arts organizations are embracing in an attempt to grow their audiences. From smart-phone apps and pre-theater commercials to specialty cocktails in your seat, these programs fly in the face of artistic convention. While purists bemoan the cheapening of the aesthetic experience, others say it's a sign of times: The arts, like most sectors of the economy, must evolve or die.
The Artist as Philanthropist: Artist-Endowed Foundations as a New Force in Cultural Philanthropy
Posted on by Steve

In Chicago, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts will host a panel discussion on April 10, 2013, 6pm EDT. The discussion will explore the emerging role of artist-endowed foundations as a force in cultural philanthropy and in the stewardship of contemporary art and design.

Understanding and Undoing Structural Racism
Posted on by Janet

By Janet Brown from her blog Better Together

My first year at GIA was 2009. When I travelled the country to meet members and learn about their work, I was surprised by my conversations with most private funders. These funders said their work was different from others because they were focused on small organizations; African, Latino(a), Asian, and Native American (ALANA) organizations, artists or communities; issues of equity; and the changing demographics in their communities.

April Member Spotlight on Coby Foundation
Posted on by Abigail

In April our photo banner will feature projects and exhibitions supported by GIA member The Coby Foundation, Ltd. Located in New York City, the foundation funds projects in the textile and needle art fields throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Below, Coby Foundation executive director Ward Mintz, describes the outset of the foundation and its 2012 grantees:

Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation Announces Leadership Change
Posted on by Steve

Thomas C. Layton, president of the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation for the past 38 years, will retire effective at the end of 2013. Mr. Layton will assume the title of President Emeritus. He will be succeeded by Stacie Ma’a, the Foundation’s Vice President and a staff member for the last 14 years.

The Boston Review asks “What are Foundations For?”
Posted on by Tommer

The Boston Review kicks off an online conversation What are Foundations For? with a lead essay by Bob Reich, and responses by Stanley Katz, Diane Ravitch, Christopher Coyn, Paul Brest, and a host of others.

Dan Pallotta: The way we think about charity is dead wrong
Posted on by Steve

In a just-published TED Talk, activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta calls out the double standard that drives our broken relationship to charities. Too many nonprofits, he says, are rewarded for how little they spend – not for what they get done. Instead of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start rewarding charities for their big goals and big accomplishments (even if that comes with big expenses). In this bold talk, he says: Let's change the way we think about changing the world.