A Portland city audit—released July 28—reported that nearly 200,000 city residents have not paid or filed tax exemption paperwork for Portland’s $35 arts tax. Approved by voters in 2012, the income tax is required of all Portland residents, 18 years or older, with an income over $1,000. 

Americans for the Arts and Cultural Data Project (CDP) announced Monday a new collaboration between the two organizations as we begin our fifth national economic impact study of the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry, Arts & Economic Prosperity 5.

Livability.com has just identified the top 10 best downtowns in America. Here is the list:

1.Pittsburgh, PA
2.Minneapolis, MN
3.Indianapolis, IN
4.Greenville, SC
5.Salt Lake City, UT
6.Alexandria, VA
7.Fargo, ND
8.Lincoln, NE
9.Somerville, MA
10.Evanston, IL

In developing the list Livability.com used the following criteria:

Apply now for Colorado Creates, the Colorado Creative Industries' largest grant program. Grants are awarded to support nonprofit cultural organizations and communities for arts and cultural activities. Last year,150 grants totaling $1,125,000 were awarded across Colorado. The funding period for projects is Oct. 1, 2015 - Sept. 30, 2016, and the deadline for receipt of online applications is 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2015.

Boston mayor Martin J. Walsh is making good on a campaign promise to increase focus on culture and the arts in the city. Walsh will reveal details of an 18-month initiative, spearheaded by new chief of arts and culture Julie Burros, which will bring city officials into the streets to meet with artists and cultural professionals. Through the initiative, called “Boston Creates,” information will be collected and analyzed for the city to then formulate a plan of action to address the issues cultural leaders and artists are facing.

The Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) will receive the National Planning Achievement Award for Economic Planning & Development from the American Planning Association (APA) at the 2015 National Planning Awards Luncheon in Seattle Washington on Monday, April 20, 2015. The 12 Achievement Award recipients were selected by a prestigious awards panel and the awards range from transportation planning to environmental improvements to urban design, among others.

Arts Wisconsin sat down with Americans for the Arts Vice President of Research and Policy Randy Cohen recently. Check out their discussion of the current stare of arts and creativity in Wisconsin!

Learn about how art helps transform communities AND get the opportunity to write for Americans for the Arts’ ARTSBlog this Summer!

In December 2014, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed SB 84 into law, which created the post of Ohio Poet Laureate. Ohio joined forty-four other states, including the District of Columbia, that already have an official poet laureate.

Americans for the Arts has partnered again with Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) for the 2015 Arts Destination Marketing Award.

In this month’s Smithsonian.com magazine you will find their top picks for amazing small towns across the United States. These towns all have populations under 20,000, and were selected because of their number of cultural and historic attractions, food and drink destinations, and nature opportunities. The article states: “Think of this list not as a ranking but as a menu, with something for every taste—whether it’s country bluegrass, Florida’s white beaches, or Alaska’s blue mountains.”

In February, USA Today asked the public to vote for their favorite art and cultural districts based on a set of hand-picked districts and neighborhoods within the U.S. and the results are in.

The winners in the 'Best Art District' contest category for USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice are as follows:

Americans for the Arts has announced the New Community Visions Initiative, part of the large-scale Transforming America’s Communities Through the Arts, a $10.5 million suite of programs set to generate national dialogue and engage key stakeholders over the next three years. The New Community Visions Initiative will explore the future of local arts in America and the role of community-based arts that enable organizations, funders, cultural institutions, and artists to shape healthier communities over time. 

Americans for the Arts and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) today presented the Public Leadership in the Arts Award for State Arts Leadership to the four founding chairs of the Pennsylvania Legislative Arts & Culture Caucus—Sen. Patrick Browne (R-16, representing part of Lehigh County), Sen. Jay Costa (D-43 representing part of Allegheny County), Rep. Tim Briggs (D-149, representing part of Montgomery County), and Rep. Stan Saylor (R-94, representing part of York County). The annual award was presented at the NCSL Fall Forum in Washington, DC, and honors public officials who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts at the state level. 

Station North, one of three Baltimore Arts and Entertainment Districts, has been working to assist the community after last week's protests. Located in the heart of Baltimore and spanning the neighborhoods of Charles North, Greenmount West, and Barclay, Station North is a diverse collection of artist live-work spaces, galleries, rowhomes, and businesses.

The Americans for the Arts 2015 Public Art Network (PAN) Year in Review is open for submissions. The annual PAN Year in Review recognizes exemplary, innovative and creative public art projects completed in the previous calendar year, 2014. Up to 50 projects will be selected and presented at the Americans for the Arts Public Art & Placemaking Preconference happening June 10-12, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.

The winter meeting of the United States Urban Arts Federation (USUAF) took place in New Orleans, LA on January 21-23, 2015 at the InterContinental New Orleans. The USUAF was updated on Americans for the Arts current programs and initiatives for 2015, and many conversations were had over the weekend around central themes of arts and diversity, creative equity, placemaking, and more.

In his State of the City address on Tuesday New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio introduced plans to create 1,500 affordable living spaces and 500 affordable workspaces for artists across the city, according to the New York Times.

In Nashville, a $200 grant to the Nashville nonprofit the Housing Fund will provide housing assistance for artists live/work spaces. The “Make a Mark Program” is funded by the Kresge and Surdna Foundations and will provide financing to artists and creatives to live permanently in Nashville and Davidson County. 

Today, USA Today launched an exciting contest that highlights cultural districts. They are asking the public to vote for their favorite art and cultural districts based on a set of hand-picked districts and neighborhoods within the U.S. You have until Monday, March 2 at Noon, ET to vote for your favorite cultural district on the USA Today website below!

Get the conversation about encouraging creativity and ensuring arts education in your community with a new series of videos by Americans for the Arts. These videos convey the stories behind importance of arts education, as told by children whose lives have been postiviely impacted by the arts. 

In 2014, South Carolina ratified legislation for the creation of cultural districts, and it was signed into law by Governor Nikki Haley. The legislation authorizes the S.C. Arts Commission to grant official state designation to cultural districts. The goals of this program are the following:

The recently introduced Ohio House Bill 666 would provide Ohio artists an income tax credit on profits that they make from selling their work within a designated arts and entertainment district. “Movies are a form of art … be it the script, be it the act or the entire production,” Stinziano told The Lantern, referencing a tax credit that’s currently in place to incentivize film productions in Ohio.

Property Management Insider recently ranked downtown Indianapolis 8th in the nation’s busiest submarkets. The article features the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, a  $63 million world-class urban bike and pedestrian path that connects the city’s 6 cultural districts. The trail delivers users to every significant arts, cultural, heritage, sports, and an entertainment venue downtown.

Longtime Arts supporter Stan Rosenberg was sworn in today as the President of the Massachusetts Senate.  Americans for the Arts wishes to convey our congratulations to the Senator on this great accomplishment.

He has been a constant supporter of the arts and culture over his decades of service to the people of Massachusetts. One of his greatest legislative accomplishments was the passage of the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund that provides a source of funding to arts organizations for capital projects.   

Americans for the Arts has launched the National Cultural District Exchange this week - a new web-based resource, produced in part with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts, that includes a host of tools and resources specific to cultural districts. Cultural districts play an important role in helping to strengthen local economies, create an enhanced sense of place, and deepen local cultural capacity.

Following the retirement of John Bryan this past fall, CultureWorks recently announced that Scott Garka will take the reins as the new President on January 20, 2015. Though Garka does not come from the arts field (he is currently the Senior Director for Consulting Services with Virginia Health Quality Center), he is very active in the arts community as a board member and treasurer for the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen.

Americans for the Arts has just released its 2015-2017 strategic plan with a key focus on building recognition for the transformative power of the arts in all of our lives and communities in new ways.