At-risk students who have access to the arts in or out of school also tend to have better academic results, better workforce opportunities, and more civic engagement, according to a new NEA report, The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies. The study reports these and other positive outcomes associated with high levels of arts exposure for youth of low socioeconomic status.
GIA Blog
Posted on
by Steve
From Brian M. Rosenthal at The Seattle Times:
Seattle school officials are using a $1 million grant to try to craft a comprehensive, K-12 arts curriculum — something that the district hasn't had in decades, if ever...
In general, white students in wealthy areas are more likely to have access (to arts education). Seattle Public Schools officials recently received a $1 million grant from The Wallace Foundation to confront that reality. The money comes with a January 2013 deadline for the district to develop a districtwide arts curriculum — essentially, minimum requirements for visual arts, music, dance and theater — as well as strategies to enlist support from principals and community partners.
Posted on
by Steve
From Sean Bowie at Technology in the Arts:
While some may feel that cuts to the arts in Europe would have little effect on the arts here in the United States, one of the expenses artists in Europe are cutting back on are trips and performances overseas, to countries like the United States. Artists are canceling trips and forcing festivals to find alternative performers.
Another effect this is going to have on the American arts community is over the issue of fundraising. As we discussed with the Consulate of the Netherlands on Friday, there are different views towards art funding in Europe than there are here. In a country like the Netherlands, a resident pays higher taxes to pay for additional services like health care, transportation, and safety net measures. Another element of those increased taxes is funding for the arts; with the government taking a higher percentage out of every paycheck, many Dutch residents feel they are less inclined to donate their own money to the arts because they feel like the government is already doing it for them.
Posted on
by Steve
The Board of Directors of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation announced today that it has selected Larry Kramer to be the Foundation’s next president. Mr. Kramer, a noted constitutional lawyer, has been dean of Stanford Law School since 2004.
Posted on
by Janet
What does it mean to “support a creative America?” Do we think of major arts institutions that are the pride of many communities? Do we think of the music we listen to, books we read, film we just saw, or building design that impressed us? Do we think about innovators and designers who create systems and products that drive markets and trends? Do we think about the choir at our church or our children’s performances in the play at school? At Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA), we think of it all.
Posted on
by Steve
Angelique Power, senior program officer for Culture at the Joyce Foundation, writes for the McKnight Foundation blog State of the Artist:
The art world cannot continue to expect visitors to cross barriers, enter unknown territories, and seek out artists on view in their hallowed halls. It ain’t a 1.0 world. While I do not deny the importance of curators and artist programmers, their intellect, their research, their knowledge base—we also can no longer deny that the world is large, and the majority of artists that are doing important, sophisticated, resonant work are outside of these institutions.
Posted on
by Steve
From Joann Pan at Mashable:
A small Philadelphia-based company called New Paradise Laboratories is re-creating theater for the connected generation. It’s incorporating social networks like Facebook, Skype and Chatroulette into the production and presentation of shows, pulling theater into the virtual space.
Posted on
by Tommer
Europe’s economic problems, and the austerity programs meant to address them, are forcing arts institutions there to curtail programs, tours and grants. As a result, some ensembles are scaling down their productions and trying to raise money from private donors, some in the United States, potentially putting them in competition with American arts organizations.
Posted on
by Steve
Just added to the GIA Library is Creating Pennsylvania’s Future Through the Arts and Education, a report from The Education Policy and Leadership Center. The report follows a year-long process of discussions by a 32-member Study Group, a comprehensive review of relevant public policies in Pennsylvania and other states, eight regional community forums, and surveys of several stakeholder groups by EPLC.
Posted on
by Steve
Quick roundup of commentary on the Mike Daisey controversy:
- 'This American Life' Pulls Apple Story from All Things Considered
- What’s Done Cannot be Undone: Lies in the Theater and Some Thoughts on Mike Daisey from Polly Carl at HowlRound
- Is Mike Daisey a fabulist or a truthsayer? from John Killacky at Burlington Free Press
- Public Theater Artistic Director Says ‘Our Audience Was Misled’ by Daisey, from Scott Heller at The New York Times
- Daisy attempts to move on.