The newest United Arts Fund in the country, Arts Alliance Tulsa (AAT), recently announced that 39 local arts nonprofits will be the recipients of funds raised in its inaugural campaign season. As a group, the organizations serve more than 1 million people every year, and produce more than $62 million in revenue for the local economy.

There is nothing like art to bring people together and heal, even in the face of human tragedy on a massive scale.

With more than 4 million Syrians having fled their country to build new lives, local St. Louis artist and muralist Chelsea Ritter-Soronen, wanted to build awareness about the struggles they are facing. "When we look at images of warfare through a screen, it’s very easy to become immune to those images," she says. "I wanted to take the images from the media, take them away from a screen and put them into a real world setting." 

The Indianapolis City Council approved its own "percent for art" program with a vote of 18-9 on November 30, 2015. The newly passed ordinance will require city developers to “devote 1 percent of any city tax-increment financing incentives they receive to public art.” The new program has long been in the works—the city’s public art master plan released in 2003 called for a similar program, and City Council Vice President John Barth—sponsor of the current ordinance—introduced a percent for art program proposal in 2013.

The Pennsylvania state budget has been locked in a stalemate now for 154 days. Governor Tom Wolf (D) and the predominantly Republican General Assembly continue to disagree on a state funding stream during the budget negotiations. Senate and House Republicans have rejected both a proposed increase in the state’s personal income tax and, most recently, an increase in the state sales tax.

Lilly Endowment announced last Tuesday a game-changing $100 million in grants that will be used to support 14 arts and cultural organizations throughout Indiana.

The grants range from $5 million to $10 million to support museums, performing arts organizations and cultural institutions. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Indianapolis Zoological Society each will receive $10 million.

In April 2014, New York City Comptroller Scott Springer released the report, “State of the Arts: A Plan to Boost Arts Education in New York City,” which revealed unequal access to arts education for children living in New York City’s lowest income communities. It also revealed violations of the state’s mandates for the number of middle and high school arts teachers employed in New York City schools. To help address these issues, New York’s Department of Education (DOE) received $23 million in additional funding in its 2015 budget to help support new arts teachers, programs, and facilities.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the launch of the city’s new Creative Catalyst Artist in Residence Program, facilitated by Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA). The program will place artists to work within city departments to incorporate creative thinking in Los Angeles's approach to civic issues. 

In collaboration with the Maryland State Arts Council and the Maryland State Department of Education, Maryland’s First Lady Yumi Hogan opened the First Lady’s Gallery, which is located in the House of Delegates Office Building in Annapolis, the state capitol. The gallery’s inaugural show features a selection of student artwork from more than 20 Maryland school systems and will run through November 13. The student art program will continue with future showcases every fall and spring.

The Oklahoma Arts Council, in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs, announced a new pilot program that will provide visual art, creative writing, and photography workshops led by veterans who are experienced Oklahoma teaching artists at the Norman Veterans Center. They expect to reach over 300 individuals with this new arts education program.

The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. - Douglas MacArthur

Nothing could have been finer than the arts in Carolina during the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival (NVCAF) held in October at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Presented by the Veteran Administration, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, and the American Legion Auxiliary, this year’s event was hosted by the Durham VA Medical Center. This year 3,345 Veterans from 130 VA medical facilities entered the art, music, drama, dance, and creative writing competitions at the local then state levels.

After 29 years of Army service, veteran Fred Johnson is leading efforts in a different kind of community building. Thanks to the veteran re-integration services of Where Opportunity Knox, Johnson found an exciting position as Director of Workplace Giving for Fund for The Arts. The organization, a United Arts Fund, raises money from the corporate community and elsewhere to support arts organizations in the Louisville area.

On October 26, 2015, the Massachusetts Legislature passed House Bill 3667, which would establish a statewide public art commission. State Senator Eric Lesser (D-Longmeadow), Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development Chairman, championed H.

Earlier this year, Reddit announced that its famous Ask Me Anything (AMA) question and answer with the Reddit community and a famous celebrity would be videotaped for Youtube. In their first video, AMA stars Astrophysicists and television host Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is interviewed on his love of the arts. 

The Houston City Council approved the city's Arts And Cultural Plan on Wednesday, October 14. An arts and cultural plan has not been adopted in 22 years—since 1993. Houston Mayor Annise Parker called the plan “overdue.” The plan lays out local community concerns, provides a vision for the future of Houston’s arts and culture sector, and provides a list of recommendations to achieve long-term goals.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives adopted HR 537, “A Resolution recognizing the month of October 2015 as 'National Arts and Humanities Month' in Pennsylvania,” on Tuesday, October 20. Introduced by State Representative Stan Saylor, the noncontroversial resolution had 45 co-sponsors and states “...therefore be it RESOLVED,The House of Representatives recognize the month of October 2015 as "National Arts and Humanities Month" in Pennsylvania, call upon residents to celebrate and promote the arts and culture in our nation and encourage greater participation by residents of this Commonwealth in the arts and humanities in their local communities.”

On October 7, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 189 into law; the legislation will allow the California Arts Council (CAC) to designate areas cultural districts. The bill’s sponsor Assemblymember Richard Bloom said, “Designating areas with vibrant creative communities as Cultural Districts will not only celebrate California’s diverse cultural landscape, but will also help to draw economic development and tourism to local economies.”

The New York City Council announced on October 11 that it would double its investment—now $3.2 million—for the city’s Cultural Immigrant Initiative. Established last year, the Initiative funds 77 groups that focus on the cultural history and traditions of immigrant communities throughout New York City’s five boroughs. 

On November 3, voters in Cuyahoga County in Ohio will be presented with Issue 8—a ballot initiative which will seek to renew a penny-and-a-half sales tax on cigarette sales that directly benefits local arts organizations for an additional 10 years. If not renewed, the levy will expire on January 21, 2017. Originally approved by voters in 2006, the sales tax created the Cuyahoga Arts & Culture which has since distributed more than $125 million to 300 arts and culture organizations throughout Cuyahoga County.

New Jersey’s Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee approved a bill that would provide tax breaks for top-billed entertainers who perform at least four shows in Atlantic City's tourism district. S2721 would exempt out-of-state performers from state income taxes on earnings from performances in Atlantic City or any others in New Jersey during the same calendar year.

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner closed all state museums on September 30; he cited the closures as “part of his efforts to manage state finances” while a budget deal with Democratic Legislature is still being negotiated. Chairman of the State Museum Board Guerry Suggs decried the governor’s actions and said that the closure of the 138-year-old museum in Springfield and its four satellite facilities will only save the state less than $400,000 of the Illinois' projected $5 billion budget deficit. 

The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts has current job openings for veterans, according to Ed Walsh, Veterans and Community Relations Manager.  As an expression of thanks to those who have served our country, the Lincoln Center Veterans initiative offers attendance opportunities, discount tours, special events, and employment opportunities to active duty personnel and veterans of the US Armed Forces.

The Veterans Curation Program (VCP) is a paid training and employment opportunity that provides veterans with tangible work skills and experience through the rehabilitation of archaeological collections owned by the US Army Corps of Engineers.  The Veterans Curation Program is seeking OEF and OIF veterans, veterans with service-connected disabilities, and other recently separated veterans for a paid training program to work as archaeological laboratory technicians at facilities in Alexandria, VA, Augusta, GA, and St. Louis, MO for the upcoming session, scheduled to begin in early November 2015.

A committee of the Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed a proposal that would set aside a designated percentage of the city’s net debt bond for public art funding. The proposed ordinance, which was passed on a 5-0 vote, would enforce a minimum amount of funding for maintaining and building new public artworks each year. The minimum amount for public art would be equal to 1.5% of the debt the city takes on for public projects. The proposed ordinance will now be submitted to a vote by the full City Council.

The rising cost of housing and work spaces is a problem that is rapidly threatening arts professionals. In San Francisco, the San Francisco Arts Commission conducted a survey which polled nearly 600 sculptors, painters, musicians, writers, filmmakers and painters. The results showed that 70% said they had been displaced or were being displaced from their homes, workplaces, or both; 28% reported that they were at risk of being displaced imminently. 

Minnesota has been named the nation’s leader in using arts and culture to revitalize rural communities. Three rural towns—Fergus Falls, Lanesboro, Wykoff—are receiving funding and program assistance from national organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, ArtPlace America, and the Dreamery Rural Arts Initiative respectively. 

As part of its recently released Blueprint for Collective Action for the Arts initiative, Cincinnati-based United Arts Fund, ArtsWave, has announced its’ new strategy will allocate funding based on five community goals.

The City of Austin, highly regarded for its culture of live music, released the findings of its first music census in June 2015. The census reported that over 68 percent of Austin musicians made less than $10,000 annually and that 20 percent were living below poverty levels. In addition, the city found that respected music venues were closing due in part to rising rental costs.

The Michigan Film Office announced that it is re-branding as the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office. Having been established as a film office  since 1979, the new Michigan Film & Digital Media Office believes its name change will better reflect its expanded portfolio in growing Michigan’s creative media industry.