GIA Blog

Join Flannel & Blade and Catnip Comms in an expert panel discussion and open conversation, as we unpack these big and important questions. Our teams are keeping our ears to the ground, reading not only national news outlets, but also the comment sections on TikTok and diving into different subreddits. We're seeing how Twitter users who have taken flight are enjoying their migration to Mastodon to see what we can learn.

"The official podcast of ESII – we dive deeply into the life, practice and experimentation of a person or group who we see as living embodiments of emergent strategy. Hosts are Sage Crump, Mia Herndon and adrienne maree brown."

"Vicki Meek is an artist, curator, arts administrator, and cultural critic whose career spans decades. This week, Vicki joins Sage to talk about Elizabeth's Catlett's influence, collaborating with artists from different disciplines, and reimagining the Black archive."

"Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced the launch of the 2022 Public Art Challenge, which invites mayors of U.S. cities with 30,000 residents or more to apply for up to $1 million in funding to create temporary public art projects that address important civic issues. Submissions for dynamic works of art across all disciplines will be considered, and proposed projects will be evaluated on their ability to generate public-private collaborations, celebrate creativity and urban identity, and strengthen local economies. The Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge encourages mayors to partner with artists, elevating the value of including the creative sector when developing solutions to significant urban problems."

On Thursday, August 25, 2022,  the Support for Individual Artist Committee hosted a presentation and discussion led by Randi Berry, executive director, IndieSpace, and Brea Clemons, former programs manager, indieSpace. The Committee’s 2022 thematic focus was mental health and health care for artists and arts administrators. As such, the monthly discussions centered how the Committee, as stewards of wealth, could better support artists’ needs, as well as self-care within members’ institutions.

The Indigenous Solidarity Network (ISD), a community collective group of indigenous people and their allies seeking social justice, issues an invitation to a free on-line webinar titled for “Rethinking Thanksgiving: From Land Acknowledgement to LANDBACK” on Sunday, November 20 at 1pm PT/4pm ET.

"Long before the pandemic hit, Americans living in rural areas have faced a daunting list of problems—a diminishing number of hospitals, limited transportation options, population decline, lack of broadband access, high levels of poverty, and more."

"According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Rural America at a Glance 2021” report, about 46 million people—or 14% of the total U.S. population—live in rural areas. The report found that people who live in these areas “often face greater difficulties accessing provisions and services or commuting to work, among other economic challenges.” These challenges have made it all the more difficult for rural Americans to cope with and recover from shocks and stresses, including but not limited to the pandemic."

From Wallace Foundation: "​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Arts ​organizations founded by, with and for communities of color are relatively underrepresented in research, with limited information available about their founding histories and how these histories might shape an organization’s purpose, culture and work. That’s why, when we launched o​ur latest arts initiative beginning with 18 organizations rooted in communities of color, we commissioned the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) to create a fellowship that could not only ​help document the organizations’ history and culture, but could also build research capacity in the field through the support of early career scholars​."

"SSRC has now selected a group of research fellows, who will receive funding to conduct 12-month qualitative ethnographic studies in collaboration with the organizations in the initiative. The fellowship program seeks to support early career researchers who are deeply engaged with the arts organizations of color. The group will participate in conversations with one another and with the broader network of researchers and practitioners in the Wallace initiative."

"In 2016, the New Orleans-based National Performance Network (NPN) launched Leveraging a Network for Equity (LANE) to support arts organizations of color and rural arts organizations. In the ensuing years, the network provided its cohort members with general operating support, technical assistance, and consulting services 'to ensure these organizations can thrive in ways that are consistent with their values.'"

"Fast-forward to July 2022. With the initiative set to wind down, the NPN announced the formation of the Department of Racial Justice and Movement Building to continue and expand the work. In doing so, the network named Sage Crump, who led and helped shape LANE since its inception, as the department’s director."

"A new virtual event will bring together Indigenous designers, artists, illustrators, and other practitioners to discuss the challenges and triumphs involved in designing typefaces for Native language," said Julianne Aguilar for Hyperallergic. "Co-curated by Ksenya Samarskaya and Neebinnaukzhik Southall (Chippewas of Rama First Nation), Ezhishin is the first-ever conference on Native North American typography."

From the Center for Effective Philanthropy: "In late July 2020, MacKenzie Scott shocked the philanthropic and nonprofit worlds with the announcement that she had given $1.7 billion to 116 nonprofit organizations. The gifts came in the form of massive, unrestricted grants, with a significant proportion targeted to organizations focused on issues of equity, and were made with no restrictions – only an expectation of an annual three-page letter back to the donor for the three years following their receipt."