GIA Blog

2012 Fifty Most Powerful and Influential People in the Nonprofit Arts
Posted on by Steve

From Barry Hessenius at Barry's Blog:

This is the fifth annual Barry’s Blog listing of the Most Powerful and Influential Leaders in the Nonprofit Arts. It has become far and away the most popular of my postings (last year it attracted 5,000 page hits in addition to the subscriber base circulation)... This year there are a couple of changes in the format. First, this year’s list includes 50 people. And rather than do a rigid ranking (in past years the list has been a ranking of 1 - 25 — including in the past couple of years — multiple people under some of the numbers
Irvine Foundation Produces 2011 Performance Report
Posted on by Steve

The James Irvine Foundation has reinvented their annual report with an interactive design intended to be more inviting and accessible.

At the heart of the report is the Program Impact section, which offers highlights of key developments in each of our three grantmaking programs and Special Initiatives. In the Leadership section, we describe ways we have used Irvine's voice to enhance the work we're supporting through grants. And finally, we look at Irvine's financial and organizational health using a variety of quantitative measures.
Philanthropy Northwest Announces Webinar Series on Evaluation
Posted on by Steve

Philanthropy Northwest will host a four-session series of webinars this Fall to explore in depth issues of evaluation. The series, Embedding Evaluation Thinking & Practices into Your Strategy and Programs begins Wednesday, September 19, with the session Current Thinking and Practices in Evaluation.

Squaring Off on New Models in the Arts
Posted on by Steve

From Kim Cook, Nonprofit Finance Fund, for #artsmgtchat:

In a recent Huffington Post exchange, Michael Kaiser, President of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Adam Huttler, Executive Director of Fractured Atlas squared off on the topic of new business models in the arts. As a colleague (and I hope friend) of both, I thought I might navigate the “both are true” spaces between their arguments. While Adam is careful to say that he does agree on some points with Michael, they diverge when it comes to thinking about institutions.
The Curators Of Dixon School
Posted on by Steve

From Hallie Sekoff at Huffington Post:

There’s something special about Arthur Dixon Elementary School on Chicago’s South Side. Over two-hundred works of art fill the building and spill outside into the schoolyard. Sculptures, oil paintings, watercolors, mosaics, and textiles present an education experience filled with color, texture, and creativity.
You Gotta Work the Culture If You Wanna Change the Politics
Posted on by Steve

From Rinku Sen at Colorlines:

I was at the Sundance Resort in Utah recently, attending the annual Creative Change retreat that the Opportunity Agenda hosts for people working at the intersection of arts and social justice. Lots of interesting discussions took place about the purpose of art, the differences/similarities in artistic process and political process, and what makes good/effective political art—or if there is even such a category.
SNAAP Releases Its 2011 Snaapshot
Posted on by Tommer

The Strategic National Arts Alumni Project, which has been gathering data on arts graduates since 2008, has published its annual update, accessible through a cool online dashboard.  Or, there's a quick executive summary by Sally Gaskill on ArtsBlog.

Cultural Data Project CEO Search Underway
Posted on by Steve

The CDP’s upcoming transition to an independent nonprofit will put the organization in an even stronger position to serve the arts and cultural community. With the recent election of a 14-member national board, a search is underway to select the Cheif Executive Officer who will lead the newly independent CDP. Securing this new leader is among the board’s top priorities. Applications are being accepted through August 31, 2012.

Nonprofit arts/culture a multi-million local industry
Posted on by Steve

From Charles McMahon for Seacoastonline.com (Portsmouth, New Hampshire):

Despite the recession, arts and culture nonprofit organizations have had a major impact on the local economy over the last five years, as their industry accounted for more than $41 million in total economic activity in fiscal year 2010, according to a recent report released by the city's cultural commission, Art-Speak.
Controversial Nonprofit Compensation: Are We Missing the Point?
Posted on by Steve

From Angela Francis, Senior Associate at the Nonprofit Finance Fund, for the ASU Lodestar Center blog:

We often talk about nonprofit executive compensation in skeptical terms: how much is too much? While no one supports wasteful public spending or abuse of power, the cases that grab headlines and provoke legislation are actually far from the norm. At Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), what we see far more often is staff turnover due to burnout and low pay.