Americans for the Arts is pleased to announce the newly elected leadership of its four National Network Advisory Councils.
Throughout the course of each year, Americans for the Arts honors nearly 40 individuals and organizations who support the arts. These leaders and change-makers come from all sectors - business, philanthropy, the arts, and government. This year, we placed an ad in the inside front cover of the November 20 issue of Chronicle of Philanthropy to highlight these amazing leaders, who we are truly thankful to work alongside.
With everyone celebrating our nation's veterans today, Americans for the Arts' President and CEO, Robert Lynch, writes to the Huffington Post about the connection between the arts and the healing of our nation's veterans. Americans for the Arts has been engaged in this work through our National Initiative for Arts and Health in the Military, in collaboration with the American Legion Auxiliary and more than 16 national partners, working for policy that supports these programs and services and towards serving as the national nexus for knowledge and connection.
In September, we held a call for nominations for our Network Councils. Now it's time for you, our members, to cast your vote to determine which nominees will be elected to the following four Americans for the Arts' Network Councils.
October is the month to #ShowYourArt, meet up for Creative Conversations, and celebrate the role the arts and humanities have in shaping and improving our communities - it's National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM)!
The greatest month of the year is upon us - National Arts & Humanities Month!
Americans for the Arts congratulates State Arts Action Network (SAAN) member Anne Katz, Executive Director of ArtsWisconsin, on being selected for the third class of the National Arts Strategies’ (NAS) Chief Executive Program.
KRIS wine and Americans for the Arts have teamed up again to help support arts education through the Art of Education contest. Now in its 5th year, the contest awards 16 schools in the US a total of $25,000 in grants to improve academic achievement through quality arts education. As more states continue to cut arts education budgets, every extra dollar towards arts education helps!
For the past seven years, Barry's Blog - an independent service of the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) - publishes an annual list of the most influential individuals in the nonprofit arts.
Public Art Network Council member Constance White will be the next Vice President of Public Art at the Arts & Science Council of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Originally from Texas, White earned her BFA in art history from Southern Methodist University and worked for nine years for the Percent for Public Art Program at the Office of Cultural Affairs with the city of Dallas. Most recently she has spent the last eight years as the Art Program Manager for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.
It's that time again: Americans for the Arts is seeking at least 200 partners to make this Arts and Economic Prosperity Study larger and more comprehensive than ever before--and we invite YOU to be a part of it!
Today, the Independent Sector announced the 2014 American Express NGen Fellows - 12 individuals who will contribute to Independent Sector's work on nonprofit impact and leadership over the next year. These fellows are already innovators and leaders in the nonprofit sector, and through the Fellowship will interact with established mentors and collaborate with other leaders under 40 years of age.
Asthmatic Kitty Records, a tiny record label co-owned by alternative artist Sufjans Stevens, is putting Indianapolis on the arts map.
Last Monday, the San Diego City Council approved $100,000 in extra funding to the troubled San Diego Opera. Due to the opera company’s structural instability and its board’s recommendation to shut down for financial reasons, the city council voted to slash city funding from $383,322 to $160,000. In the aftermath, over half of the San Diego Opera’s board left and its leadership resigned. Since then, under the guidance of a new board and interim executive director, the company is appearing more stable and successfully raised $2 million through a crowdfunding campaign.
On July 11, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law the final state budget of $36.5 billion, including the appropriation of $12 million to the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). Before signing the Massachusetts budget, Governor Patrick announced on July 7 at the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield that he would allocate $15 million to the state’s Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF).
Jay Dick, Americans for the Arts' Senior Director of State and Local Government Affairs, was sworn in as a Comissioner for the Virginia Commission on the Arts last month and will serve a 5 year term with them starting July 1, 2014.
American for the Arts CEO and President Robert L. Lynch wrote an article in The Tennessean on May 31 highlighting the recent Periscope: Arts Entrepreneur Training in Nashville as well as the economic impact of arts-related businesses, specifically in Tennessee. Lynch writes that Nashville is a perfect of example of how arts nonprofits, for-profit organizations, and the local government can work together to create a rich environment and a strong economy.
Consumers spend nearly $150 billion annually on entertainment and the arts. How does this breakdown to spending on the arts in your individual community?
CEO and President of the Aspen Institute and acclaimed author, Walter Isaacson, delivered the 43rd Annual Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities on May 12, 2014 at the Kennedy Center. The Jefferson Lecture is sponsored annually by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, announced the recipients of the 2014 Americans for the Arts Annual Local Arts Leadership Awards.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, announced the recipients of the 2014 Americans for the Arts Annual Local Arts Leadership Awards. Presented each year, these awards recognize the achievements of individuals, organizations or programs committed to enriching their communities through the arts
Arts Advocacy Day 2014 on March 24-25 brought together 500 arts advocates from 45 states to Washington, D.C., last month for National Arts Advocacy Day, which is organized by Americans for the Arts and cosponsored by more than 85 national organizations. In a time where the arts are currently facing many challenges and there are many voices competing for the same pool of money on Capitol Hill, the timing of this event couldn't have been better.
Our President and CEO, Bob Lynch, will be in Columbus, Ohio this week to participate in a series of events, site visits, and meetings hosted by the Cultural Arts Center (CAC) and Greater Columbus Arts Council.
The Tennessee Arts Commission is offering grants to Tennessee-based arts organizations and individuals for Americans for the Arts' Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee this June 12 - 15.
With less than 30 days left to reach its $1.70 million Campaign for the Arts goal, United Arts of Central Florida announced that it has attained 77 percent or $1.31 million. This places them ahead of last year’s campaign by 9.7 percent. Additionally, United Arts is expanding its United ArtsCard donor benefit, a buy-one-ticket-get-one-free and discount card, to include Broadway Across America.
Things are looking up for the nation’s state arts agencies. The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies reports that legislative appropriations increased 10.5 percent in 2014, to $306.6 million. This is the second year of growth following four Great Recession years of budget cuts.
KEY FINDINGS
1) State and jurisdictional arts agencies (SAAs) reported $306.6 million in legislative appropriations for fiscal year 2014.
In September 2013, Governor Martin O’Malley’s P-20 Leadership Council unanimously voted to establish a statewide task force on arts education in Maryland schools. The task force is in place to ensure that all students in Maryland have access to a quality education, which includes the arts. In order for this to happen, the task force will make recommendations on policy, regulations, curriculum, instruction, professional development, and resources regarding student’s PreK-12 education in dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts.
This past month, 13 arts organizations in small and rural communities throughout the state of Arizona were awarded $111,000 in Community Catalyst Grants from the Governor-appointed Arizona Commission on the Arts. The competitive grant program was established by a one-time state budget allocation for Fiscal Year 2014 and awarded funding of up to $10,000 to support community-focused partnerships between arts and non-arts organizations in communities with populations fewer than 100,000.
The Boston mayoral race between state Rep. Martin Walsh and Boston City Councilor John Conolly may show the two candidate’s differences, but there is certainly one common theme shining through—art and culture as the centerpiece for both campaigns. As the first open mayoral race in 20 years, there seems to be more room for different ideas and influence from Boston’s cultural communities.
Today at 12:00 noon, The Association of Performing Arts Presenters will honor Americans for the Arts' CEO and President, Robert L. (Bob) Lynch, and their other 2014 APAP Awards recipients at a luncheon at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City. The APAP Awards honor individuals whose service to the performing arts has had a significant impact on the industry and on communities worldwide.
