GIA Blog

Watts House Project Lands $370,000 Grant from ArtPlace
Posted on by Steve

From Culture Monster at the Los Angeles Times:

The Watts House Project, in which artists lend their talents to community improvement, has landed a $370,000 grant that will enable it to finish converting three houses across the street from the Watts Towers into a headquarters it has dubbed “The Platform.”
How Kiva CEO Uses Social Media to Spark a Dialogue of Change
Posted on by Steve

Matt Silverman of Mashable holds a Q&A with Kiva CEO Matt Flannery:

What does it mean to lead a non-profit in the social media age? For Matt Flannery, the CEO of micro-lending network Kiva.org, it’s about maintaining personal connections with thought leaders and engaging in constructive dialogue with his organization’s supporters.
Whiplash: Moving From K-12 to Higher Education
Posted on by Steve

Richard Kessler reports in on his blog, Dewey 21C:

For those who have followed Dewey21C, hopefully you’ve noticed that I have been silent since the end of July. A month off from work followed that last post, and as we’re blowing through September, I have started a new chapter in my career as Dean of the Mannes College The New School for Music. It’s not all that often that one gets a month off. It was a month that I viewed as time to leave behind the past seven years at The Center for Arts Education, while clearing my mind for the very new challenge of leading a music conservatory that is part of a fairly unorthodox university (The New School). It didn’t hurt that one of the founders of The New School, and father of its initial educational design was none other than John Dewey.
ArtPlace: A Moment to Build On
Posted on by Janet

The arts blogosphere is a buzz with news about ArtPlace America, a new nonprofit regranting organization funded by several major foundations, in partnership with commercial financial institutions, and involving seven government agencies. Add the Nonprofit Finance Fund in the mix as fiscal management and you have a pretty complex new initiative.

Alliance for Justice Releases Guide to Laws and Regulations for Online Advocacy
Posted on by Steve

Alliance for Justice has released Influencing Public Policy in the Digital Age: The Law of Online Lobbying and Election-related Activities. This publication was created to address the many questions nonprofit organizations have about advocacy in the new environment of the Internet and social media. It aims to help ensure that nonprofit advocates stay within the law and to demonstrate that robust participation in our nation's democratic process is not just possible, but actually enhanced by these new technologies.

22 New MacArthur Fellows Announced
Posted on by Steve

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today named 22 new MacArthur Fellows for 2011. Working across a broad spectrum of endeavors, the Fellows include an architect, a sports medicine researcher, a cellist, a developmental biologist, a radio producer, a neuropathologist, a conservator, a poet, a technologist, and a public historian. All were selected for their creativity, originality, and potential to make important contributions in the future.

Artist Will Barnet's First Retrospective At Age 100
Posted on by Steve

From Huffington Post Arts blog:

The art world can be a fickle beast. A young artist may find themselves rapidly ascending to the top only to feel the sting of Warhol's '15 minutes of fame' after they drift back into obscurity. For New York painter, Will Barnet, this is a phenomenon that he has never had to experience. Barnet will be getting his first retrospective show at the National Academy Museum in New York City at the age of 100.
50+ years of backing away from the hazardous ledge of imagination
Posted on by Steve

Diane Ragsdale from her blog Jumper:

Luis A. Ubiñas, president of the Ford Foundation and chairman of the ArtPlace Presidents’ Council, is quoted saying: “The arts are inherently valuable, and they’re also part of what’s going to get us out of this economic problem we’re in.” I must admit I winced as I read this quote.
Meet the bloggers: Hoong Yee Lee Krakauer
Posted on by giarts-ts-admin

Hoong Yee Lee Krakauer is the Executive Director of the Queens Council on the Arts. As a lifelong Queens resident, she is a firm believer in the power of the arts to mobilize and transform community. She is a blogger … Continue reading →

Quality of Place + Quality of Opportunity = ArtPlace
Posted on by Steve

Carol Coletta, Director, ArtPlace writes for the NEA's Art Works blog:

In record time, ArtPlace announced its first round of grants, investing $11.5 million in 34 locally initiated projects in cities from Honolulu to Miami.

ArtPlace will also be supported by a $12 million loan fund capitalized by six major financial institutions and managed by the Nonprofit Finance Fund. Participating institutions are Bank of America, Chase, Citi, Deutsche Bank, MetLife and Morgan Stanley.

To some, the timing of ArtPlace may seem counterintuitive. More money for art and design in a challenged economy?