Art in the News - 2013
Read the latest arts news
Philanthropist, life-long friend of the arts, and proud Idahoan Velma Morrison died last week in Boise at the age of 92. A former board member of the American Council for the Arts, one of the founding organizations of Americans for the Arts, Morrison’s commitment to the arts in Boise was perhaps unparalleled.
"Most dance companies make money by selling tickets to their performances. Boise-based troupe Trey McIntyre Project has a more expansive business model: 'We've decided that we have a real asset, which is the creative process itself. We're selling that,' says John Michael Schert, the company's co-founder and executive director.
Some corporate giants are interested in the pitch. The University of Chicago Booth Business School recently brought Schert in for advice on getting inspired, and several Boise businesses have teamed up with the dance company.
"Federal funds for the National Endowments for the Arts and for the Humanities would remain stable under President Obama's proposed budget for the 2014 fiscal year.
Mr. Obama's budget proposal, released on [April 10], would raise each endowment's budgets by roughly $200,000, to $154.5-million for the coming fiscal year. The two endowments offer grants to colleges for research and fellowships in the arts and humanities, among other activities.
"Though it’s likely to reshape the workplace for years to come, many organizations say they aren’t prepared for such an unprecedented brain drain. The projections of younger workers entering the workforce are even more shocking.
In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the 10 years between 2010 to 2020, the number of workers between the ages of 16 to 54 will decrease by about 1 million—while the number of workers over the age of 54 will increase by more than 11 million.
"Art museums, seeking the repeat and committed visitor, are experimenting with new ways to cultivate a closer relationship with the public—and, in essence, to become a welcoming extension of the living room, rather than a stiff, Sunday-best excursion.
The Dallas Museum of Art recently decided to offer free general admission and a no-cost 'friends' membership, aiming to encourage broader involvement and interest, said its director, Maxwell L. Anderson. Others, like the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, are trying to entice members into exploring their interest in particular collections, like contemporary American or African art.
"Arts programming by nonprofit entities is becoming increasingly important in Milwaukee as the ranks of arts teachers shrink at Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) amid tight budgets. The district, with about 80,000 students enrolled, is down to 81 full-time visual and performing arts specialists, down from 135 in the 2008–09 school year. The district hopes to push the number to 106 by next school year."
A boy with a mess of brown hair leaps over a toy truck and metal bat, and for a moment, Colin Wolfe is alive.
For a moment, he is 7 years old again and spends his days playing baseball, comforting his little sister and sharing Sabbath dinner with his family. For a moment, there is no such thing as the Iraq war, and two Marines never showed up at his parents’ Manassas home early one morning to tell them that their 19-year-old son was gone.
U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-New Jersey) has been named co-chairman of the Congressional Arts Caucus, a bipartisan group promoting the arts on the federal level.
"In more than a decade, the Lee’s Summit Arts Council has helped shape the community’s direction in entertainment and cultural offerings, complimenting fast growth of housing and shopping centers, all the pieces which made Lee’s Summit one of the region’s booming cities.
The city now has a community symphony and theater group, building on longtime support for arts programs in schools.
"For the week, a section of the General Assembly Building has been transformed into an art gallery, with paintings, woodwork, quilts and other pieces for sale—all made by children and teens serving sentences in the Department of Juvenile Justice."
