Laura Barnett writes this article in The Guardian stating United Kingdom arts organizations are compensating for the lack of arts in schools. This is the slippery slope the USA has been on for decades relying on the nonprofit sector to provide accessibility to arts learning that should be inherent for every child in every pubilc school.
Grantmakers in the Arts
by Tommer
"There are 2.1 million artists in the United States workforce, and a large portion of them -- designers -- contribute to industries whose products Americans use every day, according to new research from the National Endowment for the Arts. Artists and Arts Workers in the United States offers the first combined analysis of artists and industries, state and metro employment rates, and new demographic information such as age, education levels, income, ethnicity, and other social characteristics."
by Steve
Ian David Moss reports on his GIA conference experience at his blog, createquity.com:
It’s hard to generalize from my experience this year, and I am always conscious of the fact that the intellectual diet that I feed on at the conference is shaped by my own tastes. But in general, there seemed to be a real thirst for innovation that was just a bit more urgent than in previous years. The sessions that drew the most positive attention were, by and large, the boldest: the ones that dared to seriously question the status quo or chart forward a path that hasn’t been tried before.
by Steve
ARTSblog's continuing coverage of the 2011 GIA conference continues today with a report from Marete Wester on her Roundtable discussion, “Funding & Changing Business Models”:
Ian David Moss and Dianne Debicella of Fractured Atlas, and Dennis Scholl of the Knight Foundation started off the discussion on how different funding strategies and new business models can be employed to support creative ventures, and provide “risk-funding” artists need to launch a new project or artistic enterprise.
by Tommer
Fleishhacker Foundation Trustee, Mortimer Fleishhacker III, always known to his family as "Mort," passed away peacefully at Davies Medical Center on October 25 from complications resulting from a series of strokes. Mort's primary interest centered upon serving the community in the tradition of his family. He was a member of the Fleishhacker Foundation Board for many decades. He served as President of Temple Emanuel (a role his father once held) from 1987 to 1990, during which time he led the campaign to rebuild its historic structure. Additional organizations he led or served with passion and zeal included SPUR, A.C.T., the Greenbelt Alliance, the San Francisco Jewish Family Services Agency, The Big Brothers, the Guardsmen and The San Francisco Development Fund.
by Steve
On her blog Bridging Differences, Diane Ravitch examines the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind:
Most people now recognize that NCLB is a train wreck. Its mandates have imposed on American public education an unhealthy obsession with standardized testing.
- It has incentivized cheating, as we have seen in the well-publicized cheating scandals in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta.
- It has encouraged states to game the system, as we saw in New York state, where the state tests were made easier and more predictable so as to bolster the number of children who reached "proficiency."
- It has narrowed the curriculum; many districts and schools have reduced or eliminated time for the arts, physical education, and other non-tested subjects.
- It has caused states to squander billions of dollars on testing and test preparation, while teachers are laid off and essential services slashed. Now we will squander millions more on test security to detect cheating.
by Tommer
Unsurprising comments on philanthropy from the late Steve Jobs, consistent with his practice. From the new biography Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.
by Steve
Since 2003, the Council on Foundations and the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers have co-sponsored Foundations on the Hill, an annual opportunity for grantmakers to meet with their federal lawmakers in Washington, D.C. This partnership effectively combines the Council's expertise on legal and legislative matters with the regional associations' expertise on local philanthropy and the leverage they bring as local constituents.