americans for the arts news

Reflecting on the Labor of Artists

Despite extensive television and print advertising showing the ecstatic faces of school children of all ages preparing for the new academic year by purchasing shoes and electronics, kids of all ages were depressed yesterday. I was always depressed on Labor Day and, come on, almost everyone else was too. Summer is over. Labor begins. Teachers are even more depressed. I know, I come from a teaching family. It has been this way for the more than 100 years since Labor Day began.

While many have a holiday, Labor Day is a work day for the arts. Dancers dance. Musicians make music. Performances and festivals, and nightclub acts, and arts centers, are generally all open for business. And the artists and arts administrators needed for the magic are right there to make the magic happen as they are every day.

The first Monday of September is a day when arts workers are explaining to their parents and spouses just what exactly it is that they do and why they can't come to the picnic. Just like restaurant workers, nurses, police, store clerks and firefighters.

Today's holiday was for many a well-deserved day to lie back in a hammock, sip a long stemmed glass of something cool, gaze at a piece of sculpture, read a book, see a film, go to a concert or a live show.

But I hope we all remembered that the hammocks and glassware are often handmade by American craft artists, the sculptures are done by people who feel just as hot and sweaty as anyone in a metal foundry forging away. And while many of the performing artists were working, their work was preceded by the writers and media artists who created the scripts and books and technical productions they relied on. The music, and acting, and dance was made by men and women who take risks every day (and often again every night) hoping that their work will please others, but most importantly satisfy their own high standards.

Ask any artist or arts manager the last time he or she felt relaxed and you'll hear, "relaxed, what's that?" Their labors are real, but they are labors of love.

And so as we return to work, I salute the 2.2 million artists that our U.S. Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics actually count as making their living as artists. I applaud the many millions of other artists, actors, craftspeople, dancers, who don't make the federal list because they can't derive the majority of their income from their art work but from whom we benefit every day in choruses, theaters, and design. There are 2.6 million full-time equivalent jobs supported by the expenditures of nonprofit arts and culture organizations, and 5.7 million jobs when the impact of audience expenditures is counted in. That's big -- bigger than most people know.

The arts industry received and richly deserved the $50 million investment it got from Congress through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act last year, and that alone saved or generated 1,408 jobs. And these jobs have yet to be fully tabulated so they should reach close to twice that number. These are real, tangible jobs -- arts jobs -- that we can point to and list the name of the worker who was helped. These folks paid bills, bought groceries, paid taxes, just like all the other workers from the other industries that got help. Was $50 million a painfully paltry sum? Sure. It should have been a billion dollars. Did it make a difference? Ask any one of the 1,408.

My Labor Day this year was in San Diego speaking at Art San Diego 2010 where a group of community leaders are trying to start a national level contemporary art fair, to create new markets for the work of artists and new jobs in the city. The labors continue here and in cities all across the US and, once again, the arts are right there in the lead.

Robert L. Lynch, Huffington Post

Keeping the Arts Alive, Even in a Recession

My guest is Randy Cohen, with the national nonprofit group Americans for the Arts. Welcome.

Randy Cohen: Thank you. Good to be here.

Radke: What do you think of the assertion you just heard, that the British system of government support produces risky, innovative art? Is American art less innovative?

Cohen: No, no. The art is very innovative here in the United States. And even in a down economy, we see arts organizations still doing premieres, still doing new work. I don't think we'll ever see a significant decrease in innovation in the arts. Now, that said, when contributed support to the arts decreases, you will see arts organizations sometimes going to more popular kinds of presentations. You know, you look at the typical ballet company in this country, a big piece of its revenue stream is "The Nutcracker" around the holidays.

Radke: And is that a trend, "The Nutcracker"-ization of the arts in America, in this recession?

Cohen: It's hard to say. I think you see some arts organizations keeping up a much closer eye on the public demand. I think arts organizations need to focus on "how do we increase demand to meet the existing capacity of arts organization?" And there are also arts organizations are keeping an eye on private sector giving and the trends there. We've seen actually over the last decade, a decrease in the share of business giving going to the arts. And in this recession, in fact -- obviously, the economy has hurt things -- but the finance sector has always been the strongest within the business sector of giving to the arts. And of course, they've been hit the hardest.

Radke: The finance sector, you mean Wall Street is the biggest patron of the arts?

Cohen: Yes, among corporations, finance sector's always been very strong in supporting the arts. So, it's a bit of a double hit. But overall, what we're seeing is the business sector moving their support out of the charitable giving budgets and more towards marketing-based and sponsorship-oriented budgets. And what that does, that enables businesses to support the arts, as well as advance their business, to build markets, to get greater visibility for their investment in the arts. And so it's less of a pure philanthropic contribution, it's more purposeful.

Also, though, what we're seeing is an overall shift towards social services, human needs, that type of thing. So I think that's another issue that a lot of arts organizations are facing, as they look at where the contributed dollars are going.

Radke: Well, this is part of your job, Randy, to make the case -- and I want to know how you do it -- make the case to companies that right now, in this recession, slump, that the arts, that a new opera is more important than supporting a food bank or job training.

Cohen: Well, and it's all important, and a healthy society has food and shelter, needs being met. It also has a vibrant arts community, because the arts are fundamental component of our humanity. It's not an either/or situation. That said, arts organizations are needing to help funders understand the value they bring to the community. And so, while that great opera performance, or that great museum exhibition helps improve our quality of life, it provides other benefits as well. There's 100,000 nonprofit arts organizations. That supports 5.7 million jobs in this country. If you're a company or a government worried about jobs, that makes the arts a smart investment.

Radke: Randy Cohen with Americans for the Arts. Thanks a lot.

Cohen: Thanks for having me.

Marketplace 08/23/2010

Arts Groups Make the Case

“There is nothing more important we can do than advancing art in America,” said Randy Cohen, vice president of local arts advancement at Americans for the Arts. He said the arts have a large impact on job creation and state and local government revenue. “Arts are part of the solution, not the problem. Art means business.”

Cohen and other speakers at a public forum this week challenged candidates in the fall elections to pledge their support for the arts at a gathering held Tuesday at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. It was sponsored by San Francisco art and non-profit organizations including San Francisco Grants for the Arts, the San Francisco Foundation and the San Francisco Symphony.

Read the rest of the article here.

Arts Scholarship Accepting Applications

The NABE Foundation, the charitable arm of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) is awarding its third annual Americans for the Arts scholarship to encourage the integration of the Arts into the economic education process.

Amount of the Award: $5,000

Award Requirements: The award recipient must come from an economic disadvantaged household, have attended a public school, participated in extracurricular programs including (and/or in addition to) programs supported by the Americans for the Arts (i.e. demonstrate a long term participation in the study of, creation in and/or performance in one or more art forms, including dance, music, theatre, literary, visual/media arts), excelled academically, and formally declared the intent to study and apply economics in their pursuit of higher education and professional career. This includes the direct study of economics for policy purposes, to applications in the private and public sectors.

Deadline for Nomination: The application and attached biography of student must be received by Americans for the Arts no later than COB on Monday, September 13, 2010.

Application and more information is available here.

NEA Chair Plays Role in Launch of Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts

“Saying that I am honored is understatement,” said Rhodes. “Being recognized in such a significant way in the place that I call home and that has had a special place in my heart all my adult life is overwhelming. I deeply appreciate the action of The Arts Council’s Board of Trustees, and like so many people in our city and county, I can’t wait to see the doors swing open on The Center in September. In my mind, this amazing new facility is the beginning of a new era for arts, culture and community life in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.”

Rocco Landesman, Chair, National Endowment for the Arts, will be in Winston-Salem for the opening of the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts, September 10-12. Landesman was selected to head the Endowment by President Barack Obama. Prior to joining the NEA, he was a Broadway theater producer.

“I cannot think of a more appropriate way to launch The Center than by having the leading figure in the nation’s arts world here with us to emphasize the role that the arts play in all of our lives and our economy, the importance of private philanthropy, and the urgent need for greater public support to nurture and sustain the arts,” said Janie Wilson, co-chair of The Center’s opening celebration.

The opening of The Center is scheduled for early September and will be celebrated by several days of events, including a gala with entertainment by a nationally acclaimed performer and two community days of free activities and entertainment.

Arts in Education Week - September 12

As a House resolution, the bill does not require signature by the President upon its passage. You can read the resolution here.

Americans for the Arts is planning an Arts Education Blog Salon for the celebratory week. The Americans for the Arts Action Fund’s 50 States 50 Days initiative will also be a way underway during this time. Resources on the Arts Action Fund website help arts advocates to use their arts institutions at home to convey their message about the arts in a setting that reinforces themes of economic development; jobs in the arts; arts education; and partnerships between artists, institutions, and local policymakers.

We realize that September 12 is right around the corner, so please get the word out to make the first Arts in Education Week a successful one!

Be Seen on MTV's 44 1/2 Screen in NYC

Why Arts Matter Video Contest is created in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Americans for the Arts. Join us in celebrating the arts in America by creating a video that tells "Why the Arts Matter" to you!

To find read about contest rules and submission details please visit the Why Arts Matter Video Contest website.

Redford Speaks on Creativity in Business

Two Federal Funding Opportunities

The webinar covered both new funding opportunities, highlighting where nonprofit arts groups can participate. Access the full PowerPoint now, and check back at www.hud.gov/webcasts in the coming days for the full webinar. Additionally, you can read HUD’s press release.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: The pre-application deadline is July 26, 2010 and full applications are due August 23, 2010.

Click here for the full synopsis.

Half-Century Summit a Success in Baltimore

The conference afforded a broad spectrum of leaders the necessary tools to make a positive impact on their communities back home as well as an opportunity to plan for the dynamic future of the arts in America. The Half-Century Summit included an array of professional development sessions, visionary panels and small group discussions and was preceded by arts education and public art preconferences. Participants took advantage of a number of special events including a 50-year retrospective of public art, a one-man show by John Waters, a reception at the American Visionary Art Museum, a performance by the New York Neofuturists, and arts and cultural tours of Baltimore and the region.

Find more information on the Summit including videos, photos, blog posts, and tweets, by clicking here.

KID smART Wins the Arts Education Award

KID smART Executive Director Echo Olander accepted the award at the Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit. Visit the press room for more information.

Judy Baca Accepts the Public Art Network Award

Baca is also a full-time professor at UCLA, and is currently working on the Cesar Chavez Memorial at San Jose State University, the Robert F. Kennedy monument at the Old Ambassador Hotel site, the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in San Diego, and a digital painted mural for the Richmond Arts Center.

She received her award at the Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit. Visit the press room for more information.

2010 Public Art Year in Review Projects Selected

A full list of the 40 Public Arts Year in Review selections is available here. This is the 10th year that Americans for the Arts has recognized the most outstanding and innovative public art displays from across the country.

Photos and descriptions of each award winning are available as part of the 2010 Public Art Year in Review CD-ROM, a great tool for community public art development, which can be purchased at the Americans for the Arts store.

Countdown to the Half-Century Summit

10. Last minute planners can register on site! 

9.  Paddleboats and Edgar Allen Poe impersonators? Does any other convention offer both?

8.  More than 150 of the brightest and best minds in the arts are ready to share their ideas with you.

7. Crab cakes? Sure! But this isn’t your grandmother’s Baltimore. With a reinvented Harbor Place, cool neighborhoods, and cultural gems, Charm City is well worth exploring.

6. With special discounts on hotel rooms and Amtrak travel, the convention is a deal!

5. Be a star at late night jam sessions, in a skit by the Neo-Futurists, and at the photo booth and Wii gaming in CenterStage.

4. Take the opportunity to be creative and skirt travel restrictions—fake a cough or take a well deserved vacation day. (Just kidding!)

3. Calories don’t count when you travel for work.

2. You haven’t seen giftshops until you’ve seen the one at the American Visionary Art Museum—one of the coolest museums in the country!

1. Times are tough and we’ve commiserated, so now get strategizing! Arts leaders are innovative. Join your peers as we plan for a stronger future for the arts.

Video of "Arts Build Communities" Congressional Hearing

Click the names below to read their official testimony.

• Terri Aldrich, Executive Director, Minot Area Council of the Arts (North Dakota)
• Brig. Gen. Nolen V. Bivens, U.S. Army (ret.)
• Jeff Daniels, Golden Globe-nominated film and stage actor
• Kyle MacLachlan, Emmy-nominated TV, film, and stage actor
• Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter
• Charles Segars, CEO, Ovation
• Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO, Americans for the Arts

Michael Nutter, Philadelphia Mayor

Speaker Nancy Pelosi Receives Arts Leadership Award

Speaker Pelosi receives the Congressional Arts Leadership Award for her commitment to the arts as an outspoken defender of the creative industries in her home of San Francisco and across the country. She was personally involved in securing funding to save nonprofit arts jobs during the stimulus bill debate last year. The arts community owes her debt of gratitude for the jobs that were saved and the validation it provided of the importance of arts workers to the overall national economy. Her leadership of the 111th Congress is making great strides in advancing cultural policy and federal arts funding in the United States.

For more information, visit the press room.

National Arts Advocacy Day – April 12–13

Coordinated by Americans for the Arts, the 23rd Annual National Arts Advocacy Day brings together arts, education, entertainment, and policy leaders to develop strong public policies and support for increased public funding for the arts. Hear from congressional leaders and acclaimed artists including Actor Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Sex in the City, Desperate Housewives) at the Congressional Arts Kick Off on Capitol Hill.

• Let your voice be heard when you visit your members of Congress to make the case for the arts and arts education.
• Take advantage of opportunities to network with colleagues from your state and across the country.
• Increase your knowledge of how to advocate and influence decision makers.

Want to hear more about the important topics that we'll be covering at Arts Advocacy Day this year? Tune in to Americans for the Arts Chief Counsel of Government and Public Affairs Nina Ozlu Tunceli's ARTcast on ARTSblog.

Become a fan of Arts Advocacy Day on Facebook!

Nancy Hanks Lecture - Reserve Your Free Tickets Now!

This year's Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy will feature Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., of Charleston, SC, and founder of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design. Please reserve your free tickets by Wednesday, April 7, 2010.

The Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy is a leading national forum for arts policy intended to stimulate dialogue on policy and social issues affecting the arts. It is held each year in the spring on the evening before Arts Advocacy Day.

The annual lecture is named for Nancy Hanks, former president of Americans for the Arts and chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, who devoted 15 years of her professional life to bringing the arts to prominent national consciousness.

Congress Passes Health Care Reform

Lt. Governors Association Honors the Arts

Private Sector Blog Salon, Week of March 8

Join bloggers Janet Brown, Colin Tweedy, Larry Thompson, Mark Brewer, Mary Trudel, John Killacky and many others in discussing why and how the private sector supports the arts. We’re hoping that these discussions will be provocative and inspire some new thinking on the future of arts support.

Visit http://blog.artsusa.org/category/private-sector/ to be part of the conversation.

Chart the Future with Green Papers

Funding Changes for the Arts

“At a time when the Americans for the Arts National Arts Index shows that because of the current economy support for the arts is at its lowest point in a decade, arts organizations have been relying on one area where funding has been on the increase—the leveraging power of federal funding for the arts and humanities. The Administration’s FY 2011 budget request of $161.3 million for the National Endowment for the Arts—while just a fraction of the $6.3 billion of direct expenditures for all arts nonprofits in the U.S.—is unfortunately a $6 million decrease from what Congress appropriated for FY 2010. We now turn to Congress to continue its investment trend in providing additional appropriations for the NEA. The FY 2011 NEA budget also includes an announcement of a new agency program called Our Town. We are excited to see that this important initiative is designed to strengthen communities through the arts. The backbone for the arts starts at the local level and having the federal government strategically invest in this kind community-based direction will spur further support for the arts. But why hamper the potential impact of this new initiative by reducing the NEA’s overall budget?

“The President’s budget also includes a number of new proposals to strengthen our education system and build a 21st workforce. However, the consolidation of the Arts in Education (AIE) program within the Department of Education’s new ‘Effective Teaching and Learning for Well-Rounded Education’ category puts us at unease and could lead to a diminished focus on arts education. This consolidation of the only identified arts-specific education program at the Department of Education seems to be in contradiction to the Administration’s previous strong vocal support of the arts. While the total available AIE grant funds are unknown at this time, it is an unbeneficial move at a time when arts education cuts are happening across the country. The arts are a proven integral part of every child’s development, preparing them for school, work, and life in the competitive 21st century global economy.

“The nation’s creative industries and arts workers are ready to continue to play their role in assisting with economic recovery, job training and creation, and the development of a well-rounded education that includes robust learning in the arts in order to provide workers of tomorrow with the creative and innovative skills they need today. The 5.7 million jobs and $166 billion in economic impact from the nonprofit arts sector alone hang in the balance. Further commitment from the federal government is needed to allow these groups to reach their full potential.”

Young Professional Development Opportunities

Fellows will receive stipends of $3,000 to support their attendance at the 2010 Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit, 2010 National Arts Marketing Project Conference, and Arts Advocacy Day 2011. In addition, fellows will have special opportunities to meet field leaders, work alongside mentors, and receive individualized career coaching.

In order for our sector to remain healthy and vibrant, we need to ensure that we are identifying and retaining young professionals within our workforce. Further, we need to actively cultivate, expand and support talented, culturally diverse, emerging leaders. Based upon recommendations from the Emerging Leaders Council, Americans for the Arts has been working to enable more emerging leaders to fully participate in national meetings and events for their own development and so they can connect with the broader community of arts professionals from across the country. Therefore, this Professional Development Fund has been designed to target an important segment of our workforce: emerging arts leaders of color.

Download application materials and eligibility information here, or for more information contact Stephanie Evans at leadership@artsusa.org or by phone at 202-371-2830 ext 2036.

First National Arts Index Measures Health and Vitality of the Arts

The National Arts Index fell 4 points in 2008 to a score of 98.4, reflecting losses in charitable giving and declining attendance at larger cultural institutions, even as the number of arts organizations grew. The 2008 downturn in the Index was not wholly unexpected. With 100,000 nonprofit arts organizations and 600,000 more arts-related businesses, 2.24 million artists in the workforce, and billions of dollars in consumer spending, the arts industries largely track the nation’s business cycle. 
 

US Conference of Mayors Honors the Arts

• Gov. Kulongoski receives the 2010 Award for State Arts Leadership for advancing both policy and budget initiatives that brand culture and creative endeavors as critical to the state’s economy and future. 
• Mayor Hannemann receives the 2010 Award for Local Arts Leadership for creating opportunities to use the arts as a catalyst for economic development and community revitalization in Honolulu.
• Michael Feinstein receives the 2010 Award for Artist-Citizen. He is a multi-platinum selling, five-time Grammy-nominated entertainer dubbed “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook,” and is considered one of the premiere interpreters of American popular song.

PSA Featured on MTV Screen in Time Square!

New Chair of BCA Executive Board Named

Councils Elect Members

• Ron Jones - Dean of the College of the Arts, University of South Florida - Tampa, FL
• Stephanie Riven - Director, Center of Creative Arts - St. Louis, MO
• Victoria J. Saunders - Victoria J. Saunders Consulting - San Diego, CA
• Donna Collins (re-elected)- Executive Director, Ohio Alliance for Arts Education - Columbus, OH
• Steven Tennen (re-elected) - Executive Director, Arts Connection - New York, NY

• Michelle Grove - Events and Grants Manager, Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County - Silver Spring, MD
• Letitia Ivins - Civic Art Coordinator, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Civic Art Program - Los Angeles, CA
• Charles Jensen - Director, The Writer’s Center - Bethesda, MD
• Gabriela Jirasek - Marketing and New Media Associate, Chicago Humanities Festival - Chicago, IL
• Ian David Moss - Blogger, Createquity.com - Providence, RI
• Scarlett Swerdlow - Advocacy and Communications Director, Arts Alliance Illinois - Chicago, IL
• Bettina Swigger - Executive Director, Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region - Colorado Springs, CO

• Renee Piechocki - Artist/Public Art Consultant - Pittsburgh, PA
• Lajos Héder - Environmental Artist/Architect, Harries/Héder - Cambridge, MA
• Martha Peters (re-elected) - Vice President, Public Art, Arts Council of Fort Worth & Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX

Ruth Lilly, Arts Patron, Passes Away

Ruth Lilly was the last surviving great-grandchild of pharmaceutical magnate Eli Lilly. Over the course of her life, Lilly gave away the bulk of her inheritance; an estimated $800 million reported USA Today. A great deal of her philanthropic focus was given to institutions in her native Indiana. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said Lilly ''personified the family tradition of overwhelming generosity and special devotion to the state of Indiana.'' ''Her countless gifts will keep on giving for generations,'' he said.