Art in the News
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Governor Jerry Brown has increased the California Arts Council‘s state appropriation with an additional $5 million from his original $1.1 million proposal. While the California Arts Council received a $5 million boost in 2014, the governor specified that it was a one-time only increase. Yet, this year’s raise in the governor’s budget revisions has been designated as permanent.
For the 34th year, members of Congress foster a nationwide high school student visual arts competition, An Artistic Discovery. The annual event recognizes and encourages participation in the arts in each congressional district. Over the course of a few months, high school students residing in participating member districts have an opportunity to create and submit their artwork to be juried.
This morning, First Lady Michelle Obama joined the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Acting Director Maura Marx to present the 2015 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Ten institutions from across the country attended the White House Ceremony to be recognized for outstanding service to their communities. These organizations demonstrate significant impact and high quality of programs, services, and partnerships, and were selected among thirty finalists.
The Houston Symphony Orchestra has hired 4 new string players, but the musicians’ roles will mainly be outside of the concert hall. The four, bilingual string musicians will provide community engagement programs and music education in local schools, community centers, and health-care facilities. In addition, they will perform about 25 concerts a year with the full symphony.
Connecticut will soon have a new Director of Culture—Kristina Newman-Scott.
Oklahoma State Representative Jason Dunnington (House District 88) composed an editorial highlighting Oklahoma Arts Day, which was presented by State Arts Action Network member Oklahomans for the Arts and the Oklahoma Arts Day Committee on May 5.
The 9th Annual GI Film Festival presents both classic and premier films celebrating the heroic stories of the American Armed Forces and the worldwide struggle for freedom and liberty. This unique film festival will be held in the Washington DC area just before the Memorial Day weekend to honor the courage and selflessness of American troops.
We know that the arts are integral to the innovative thinking needed in the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math), which is why Americans for the Arts is partnering with Congressional leaders, the private sector, educators, and researchers to make visible the amazing work happening around the country in STEAM education. On May 7, 2015, Americans for the Arts attended a STEAM Assembly hosted by VH1 Save the Music in New York City.
ArtsWave, one of the longest running United Arts Funds (UAF) in the country, recently announced that it exceeded its 2015 campaign goal of $12.2 million to support arts organizations across Cincinnati and the region. A particular success of the campaign is the number of people in the region who support it–most contributions to the annual campaign are individual gifts in amounts less than $150.
On April 28, New York City joined the ranks of Chicago, Houston, and Denver when the city council passed its first, fully comprehensive cultural plan on a vote of 49 to 0. The bill was introduced and championed by city council members Jimmy Van Bramer (Queens) and Stephen Levin (Brooklyn).
