GIA Conference D2: 4:30 am Pacific Time. Considering the unfortunate length of my Day One entry yesterday, I thought it might be a good idea to post something today a bit more concise. So, let’s focus on two sessions. Enabling … Continue reading
GIA Blog
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by Barry Hessenius
Good morning. “And the beat goes on……………………….” GIA in San Francisco, Tuesday: Day 2 This day started out with a continental breakfast that included scrambled eggs, fresh fruit and croissants — a definite step up from the usual hotel continental … Continue reading
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by Steve
Richard Kessler, one of three official bloggers for the GIA conference (which is happening now in San Francisco) has posted his Day 1 report:
The opening plenary featured Marc Bamuthi Joseph, sporting one heck of a stingy brim fedora.
“I am a grantmaker, I give and receive, I sustain culture, I am an artist, I give and receive, I sustain culture.”
Getting quickly to a sweeping review of the history of the NEA, Marc got to his point, a good way to set the tone for the entire conference and underscore the theme: Embracing the Velocity of Change.
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by Steve
The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy has released the report Fusing Arts, Culture and Social Change, written by Holly Sidford of Helicon Collaborative and a report in which Grantmakers in the Arts served an advisory role.
From the NCRP website:
Fusing Arts, Culture and Social Change outlines compelling demographic, aesthetic and economic reasons for foundations to rethink their grantmaking practices to stay current with changes in the cultural sector and to continue to be relevant to the evolving needs of our communities. Regardless of its history or primary philanthropic focus, every foundation investing in the arts can make fairness and equity core principles of its grantmaking. It can do so by intentionally prioritizing underserved communities in its philanthropy and by investing substantially in community organizing and civic engagement work in the arts and culture sector. By doing so, arts funders—individually and collectively—can make meaningful contributions toward a more inclusive and dynamic cultural sector, and a fairer, more democratic world.
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by Richard Kessler
So, how does one take a dozen pages of hastily typed notes covering approximately seven hours of a conference day, including plenary, panel presentations, and forum-type sessions? Hell if I know. Let’s call it a blog in process. I have … Continue reading
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by Steve
Read Barry's Day 1 Report:
My overall impression of this first (long day) was that despite the bad news of the last year—all the cuts to state arts agencies, all the organizations struggling to stay alive, all the money that is no longer available, the drop in audience attendance, the competition for ever scarce individual donations—there is ample evidence of just how resilient the arts sector is, and there are a lot of success stories too.
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by Barry Hessenius
Good morning. “And the beat goes on………………………..” GIA in San Francisco, Monday: Day 1 As I live in Marin just across the bay from San Francisco, I got up early and in very San Francisco style made my way over … Continue reading
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by Steve
Richard Kessler from San Francisco:
Can any of us remember a time where so many things were changing all at the same time? I am not so sure it’s the velocity of change that I find most remarkable, but rather the sheer mass of what’s been tossed up into the air, all while we wait for it to fall to the ground so we can begin to understand what it all really means. That’s right, it feels to me like we’re trying to understand things while they are still up in the air. Think about it, the economy, the politics, the technology, the Arab Spring, nations on the verge of default, at least one decade long war, and more. It’s a time where business models are challenged, relevancy is called into greater question than ever before, the charitable contribution is scrutinized, and issues of equity rise no matter who you define the term or to which particular context you place it. You have a Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street. You have those calling for an expansion of K-12 curriculum while creating and implementing policies that accelerate the narrowing.
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by Steve
Barry Hessenius from San Francisco:
I had a great time at GIA’s Chicago gathering last year, and I have been waiting in eager anticipation for this conference all year. Having been a major funder at one point in California when I was at the helm of the California Arts Council, and having had the pleasure to know and work with a lot of arts program officers at foundations of all sizes and stripes over a decade or more now – AND as this conference is in my own back yard – it is been on my radar screen as something I have been looking forward to covering.
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by Richard Kessler
It’s Columbus Day morning in San Francisco. A great city to visit is what I always think upon arrival and when departing for home. So, it’s 5:00 in the morning, and since I am on eastern time, I thought, what … Continue reading