Grantmakers in the Arts

October 13, 2011 by Steve

Barry Hessenius' final blog for the GIA 2011conference.

My take-away from this conference is that the arts funder’s legacy of acting pretty much alone is no longer thought to be the preferred way to approach goals, and certainly not a viable way to deal with the “velocity of change” that was the theme of the gathering. I think the potential of this sleeping giant may in the not too distant future surprise even themselves.

October 13, 2011 by Steve

Richard Kessler's final blog post of the GIA 2011 conference:

October 12, 2011 by Steve

Richard Kessler gives his high points on Tuesday at the San Francisco conference:

Mason Bates represents change in a vitally important way. He is, in so many respects, representative of the modern American composer. He’s hip, smart, also a DJ, draws upon a palatte that is not limited, by a long shot, by what most consider to be “classical” music, and here’s the best part, he’s one of two composers in residence with the orchestra that I consider to be among the most tradition bound. It’s the orchestra considered by many to be the standard bearer of quality and tradition. Not known for relationships with the American experimentalists nor great shape shifters of the 20th and 21st centuries, in my mind, the appointment of Mason Bates should be enough for people to rethink their long held opinions of what canonical organizations are and aren’t. Oh, and yes, by the way, he can compose.

Day 2 Report from Barry Hessenius

October 12, 2011 by Steve

Barry checks in from San Francisco on Tuesday:

October 11, 2011 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.

October 11, 2011 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.

October 11, 2011 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.

October 10, 2011 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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