GIA Blog

Multiplying Presence: 3 Lessons from red, black and GREEN: a blues
Posted on by Steve

Writer Eboni Senai Hawkins posts on ARTSblog about the current work of Marc Bamuthi Smith and Theaster Gates:

I am stunned at the synergy in practices between Bamuthi (artist/educator and director of performing arts at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts) and Theaster (artist/urban planner and director of arts and public life at the University of Chicago). For both Bamuthi and Theaster, the “relationship economy” is intrinsic to their work. As I become immersed in Emerging Leaders Network – Chicago (ELN) and the city as a whole, I’ve observed three areas highlighted by rbGb, activated in ELN and others, and rich with opportunities for greater impact in the arts.
Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools
Posted on by Steve

A ten-year study of arts education in public schools was released on April 2 from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools: 1999-2000 and 2009-10 presents selected findings from a congressionally mandated study with data collected through seven Fast Response Survey System surveys during the 2009-10 school year. Comparisons with data from the 1999–2000 FRSS arts education study are included where applicable. Here are some responses to the study from the Arts Ed community

If It Seems Too Good To Be True...
Posted on by Janet

There comes a point when our professional lives are informed not just by statistics, consultants or wise mentors but also by plain common sense based on personal knowledge and experience. The survey released April 2 by the Department of Education has my common sense antenna about ready to explode. Just one example: 94% of all American elementary schools offer music programs. Really? What does that mean?

NEA Releases Audience Impact Study Literature Review
Posted on by Steve

The National Endowment for the Arts announces a new literature review, Audience Impact Study Literature Review. This literature review is one of the NEA's latest efforts to conduct and commission research that examines evidence of the value and impactof the arts in other domains of American life, such as education, health and well-being, community livability, and economic prosperity.

Nonprofit Finance Fund State Of The Sector 2012: A System Under Pressure
Posted on by Steve

From Alice Korngold at Fast Company:

The Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) 2012 State of the Sector Survey fourth annual survey of nonprofits nationwide was released on Monday, showing responses from 4,607 nonprofits. Nonprofits have been reporting a steady rise in demand for services over the course of the survey’s four years, with 85% reporting an increase in 2011, compared to 67% of nonprofits in 2009. Financially, however, the picture continues to decline. Only 43% of nonprofits have more than three months of cash reserves, and only 56% broke even at year end.
LACMA, Getty among 134 museums joining Google's art site
Posted on by Steve

From the Culture Monster blog at the Los Aneles Times:

Google Art Project, which launched last year with virtual tours and digitized artworks from 17 museums, has added 134 new museums to its site, including four from California.

Initially, no museums from the state were included in the project; now the Getty Museum, the L.A. County Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the De Young Museum in San Francisco are participating.

Ten Tips to Help You Succeed on Kickstarter
Posted on by Steve

Barry Hessenius has advice for using Kickstarter:

Kickstarter is enormously appealing if you want to raise money for a single project and do it relatively quickly. Yet, just having a good idea and / or a worthy cause isn't necessarily enough to succeed. Like any appeal for funding, you can increase your odds of success by listening to the sound advice of those who have successfully used the platform.

Read the full post.

April Photo Spotlight: The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Featured on GIA Website
Posted on by Abigail

The April slide show of member-supported projects is provided by our colleagues at The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation in Morristown, NJ. For almost forty years, the foundation has funded arts, education, environment, and media initiatives that are innovative, take a big-picture view, and promote collaboration and community-driven decision making—all in service of a mission to foster a better New Jersey.

Tomorrow, April 2: GIA Web Conference on Arts Education with Alex Nock
Posted on by Abigail

Registration is still open for the next installment of GIA's 2012 Web Conference Series. Arts Education: Local Impact of Federal Policy, presented by Alex Nock, executive vice president at Penn Hill Group, a Washington, D.C.-based education policy firm. The webinar begins tomorrow, April 3, at 11:00 PDT, 2:00 EDT.

Chicago Cultural Commissioner lays out her dreams for Chicago's cultural future
Posted on by Steve

Michelle Boone, Commissioner Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and a member of the GIA Board of Directors, talks to Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune:

In her first extended interview since taking office, Boone, 50, recently shared her own vision of Chicago's cultural future. She trumpeted a dramatically re-envisioned Chicago Gospel Music Festival that will unfold both downtown and on the South Side. She emphasized the return of the World Music Festival, Chicago SummerDance, Downtown Sound and other programs that some have feared would be eliminated in this year's budget crunch (the Music Without Borders series will not be returning).