Commissioning / New Works

In February 2018, the portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Within this institution of power, a Greek Revival building lined with marble floors and white columns, images of presidents and other US leaders are captured in traditional oil paintings. In envisioning their own portraits, the Obamas made bold choices, which differed from most of their predecessors’ in the artists who were chosen to paint them and the styles in which they were portrayed.

Art is not magic; most artists are not all that different from other people. However, many of them developed a skill or asset that most of us haven’t: a fascination for the undercurrent in our society, in our social encounters, in our practices, in our organizations.
 —  Jaap Warmenhoven, Stanford Social Innovation Review

2013, 16 pages, Media Impact Funders, Philadelphia, PA

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This original work of theater, commissioned by Grantmakers in the Arts for the 58th Council on Foundations Conference, was presented at conference plenary sessions, Monday, April 30 and Tuesday, May 1, 2007. Directed by KJ Sanchez and written by KJ Sanchez, Emily Ackerman, Aysan Çelik, Darrick Clayton, Michael Place, and Amy Kim Waschke.

Spurred on by technological advances, the number of aspiring professional artists in the United States has reached unprecedented levels. The arts’ current system of philanthropic support is woefully underequipped to evaluate this explosion of content — but we believe that the solution to the crisis is sitting right in front of us. Philanthropic institutions, in their efforts to provide stewardship to a thriving arts community, have largely overlooked perhaps the single most valuable resource at their disposal: audience members.

May 2010, 49 pages. Center for Strategic Philanthropy and Civil Society, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, Box 90524, Durham, NC, 27708, 919-613-7432 www.sanford.duke.edu

October 2009, 105 pages. PennPraxis, 409 Durham Wing, School of Design, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 10003, 215-573-8719, www.design.upenn.edu/pennpraxis

Download at: http://issuu.com/pennpraxis/docs/report_publicart

On May 12th, more than 60 artists and creative organizers engaged in civic participation, community development, education, social justice activism, and philanthropy came together for a White House briefing on Art, Community, Social Justice, National Recovery.

In late January GIA polled its 309 member organizations about their organization's responses to the economic downturn. 117 (38%) members responded, which provides a healthy sample of the membership.

Members reported their expected 2009 arts grantmaking would likely compare to 2008 as follows:

• 41% expected that 2009 would be the same as 2008.
• 13% expected that it would be reduced to 90% of 2008.
• 12% expected that it would be reduced to 80% of 2008.
• 11% expected that it would be reduced to 70% of 2008.