Linda Lombardi

Member Spotlight: Sasha Dobson

Posted by Linda Lombardi, Jan 25, 2021


Linda Lombardi

Sasha Dobson has been the outreach coordinator for the Lied Center for Performing Arts since 2012. She serves as the primary project manager for the Master Classes for university students and community members, Pre-Performance Talks, and the Performance Fund program, which offers free tickets to youth in the community and their summer high school programs (Lied Center Triple Threat Broadway Intensive and the Lied Center Piano Academy).

This series features the many Americans for the Arts members doing transformative work for arts education, public art, advocacy, arts marketing, and more. An Americans for the Arts Membership connects you with this network of more than 6,000 arts leaders and gives you access to latest professional development and research. 

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Request a Scholarship to the 2021 National Arts Action Summit

Friday, January 22, 2021

Join Americans for the Arts, organizational partners, and hundreds of advocates April 5-9, 2021 for the National Arts Action Summit. For the first time, Americans for the Arts is pleased to offer a number of scholarship opportunities to those interested in attending the virtual summit. Registration and scholarship requests are available beginning Jan. 25, 2021.


Ms. Ann Marie Watson

The 10 most read ARTSblog posts of 2020

Posted by Ms. Ann Marie Watson, Jan 13, 2021


Ms. Ann Marie Watson

“How do you measure … measure a year?” I won’t even try to measure the sum total of the dumpster fire that was 2020. But looking back on one of the most difficult years of our lifetime through the readers of ARTSblog paints an illuminating—if not entirely unexpected—picture. In a year when social media was often loud and angry (though also entertaining—if only our blog could skateboard to Fleetwood Mac while drinking cranberry juice!), ARTSblog remained a steadfast space for our members and the arts & culture sector to learn from each other, share our struggles and successes, and most of all stay connected in an unbelievably isolating time. The year’s most read blogs reflect how 2020 shaped the field’s fears and furies, but also our hopes and optimism for the present and future of the arts.

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Randy Cohen

Strengthening Education & the Workforce Through the Arts

Posted by Randy Cohen, Nov 24, 2020


Randy Cohen

When the 2013 Nobel Laureate in Medicine, Stanford University’s Thomas Südhof, was asked by the prestigious medical journal Lancet to name his most influential teacher, one can only imagine the look on the interviewer’s face when the professor responded, “My bassoon teacher.” He later went on to describe how it was his music education that gave him the habits of mind that made him a great scientist—discipline and drive for excellence, creativity, communication, and a desire to innovate. As public and private sector leaders work to strengthen their education systems and the competitiveness of their workforce, the research makes clear that ensuring every student receives a quality arts education achieves both. The research points us in an unmistakable direction: If you care about students performing better academically and building a competitive 21st century workforce, use your voice to help ensure every student receives a quality arts education.

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Abigail Alpern Fisch

Member Spotlight: Rosine Bena and Ananda Bena-Weber

Posted by Abigail Alpern Fisch, Nov 09, 2020


Abigail Alpern Fisch

The Sierra Nevada Ballet (SNB), a professional ballet company based in Reno, Nevada, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2021. The SNB’s founder and artistic director is former professional ballerina, Rosine Bena. SNB is made up of professional dancers from Nevada and from other areas of the country augmented by talented trainees and apprentices from the northern Nevada community. Among these professional dancers is Ananda Bena-Weber, Rosine’s daughter, who is also a founding member of the company and a principal dancer. SNB continues to expand and to encourage talented students at its Academy to remain in the Nevada area to pursue their careers and inspire others in the area to take advantage of the cultural enrichment. The mother and daughter duo spoke with us about the work of SNB, their artistic collaborations, and why they enjoy being members of Americans for the Arts: “Especially during these challenging times, it is such an important organization.” 

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2020 Council Elections: Voting for Advisory Council Members is Now Open!

Voting Closes November 23 at 1:00 PM ET

Monday, November 9, 2020

Americans for the Arts wants you to elect art professionals from the field to serve on one of four network advisory councils: Arts Education, Emerging Leaders, Private Sector, and Public Art. Voting closes November 23, 2020 at 1:00 PM ET and is restricted to members of Americans for the Arts at the Colleague level or higher. 


Ms. Donna Walker-Kuhne

How the Arts Can Help Combat Bias and Injustice

Posted by Ms. Donna Walker-Kuhne, Nov 02, 2020


Ms. Donna Walker-Kuhne

Since the tragic killing of George Floyd earlier this year, there have been scores of news reports about the hundreds of millions of dollars pledged and/or donated to organizations committed to fighting for racial justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, or to address unconscious bias. I believe a portion of this money should be shared with arts organizations to help facilitate and foster the social changes necessary for transforming this era of racial injustice into an era of recognition and respect for the dignity of all people. Why give money to the arts? Throughout every pandemic—and racial injustice is indeed an epic pandemic—the arts continue to define, shape, and sustain the narrative of the general population. Artists are natural innovators who can provide insight and help us consider solutions to the challenges we are confronting. Their work stimulates collective imagination; stirs our sense of possibility and has been shown to inspire us to action.

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Alexandria Kotoch

Why the Arts are Valuable in Business School Curriculum

Posted by Alexandria Kotoch, Oct 06, 2020


Alexandria Kotoch

When you think of MBA coursework, you think of core classes in marketing, finance, economics, operations, decision sciences, strategy, and so on. You don’t think of color theory, collaborative drawing, or watercolors. But at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, we do. Unlike traditional business schools that collect and present art, we make it. In addition to core curriculum that encompasses fundamental business areas, for the past two years Kellogg has offered students an opportunity to participate in artist-led, hands-on workshops that focus on a variety of arts-themed topics. I attribute the success and popularity of these workshops to filling a much-needed void in MBA curriculum—one that stimulates the right brain, which supports creativity and intuition. Exercising these functions encourages important skills for aspiring business leaders. Interactions with art develop observation, collaboration, communication, narrative building, and critical thinking skills. They also emphasize empathic thinking, creative ideation, implicit bias awareness, and recognizing the nature of objectivity/neutrality. Leaders are made and trained, not necessarily born. Exercising empathy, knowing how to communicate effectively, and having the ability to think creatively through complex issues all help leaders manage effectively. 

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Mrs. Kelly Fey Bolender


Rena A. Cohen

10 (Newer!) Arts Education Fast Facts

Posted by Mrs. Kelly Fey Bolender, Rena A. Cohen, Sep 18, 2020


Mrs. Kelly Fey Bolender


Rena A. Cohen

During this year’s National Arts in Education Week celebration, we’ve heard hundreds of #BecauseOfArtsEd stories from students, parents, and educators about the transformative power of the arts in education. The stories we share demonstrate the social and emotional impact of the arts, and are a vital part of effective advocacy. Great stories should be paired with compelling data and facts to help round out your advocacy strategy. In honor of the 10th anniversary of National Arts in Education Week, we’ve put together 10 new fast facts—exclusively featuring data collected within the last five years—illustrating the benefits of, support for, and challenges facing arts education in America today. You can put these facts to good use as part of your personal advocacy plan to make the case for arts education in your local schools and communities. 

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Alex Gartner

From Fearful to Fierce: Creating Authentic and Engaging Virtual Arts Experiences for Youth

Posted by Alex Gartner, Sep 17, 2020


Alex Gartner

Until eight months ago, many arts educators would’ve scoffed at the idea of teaching art, music, dance, or theatre online. Now, virtual learning is a lifeline for arts education. With so many youth enrolled in virtual schooling, the need to design authentic and engaging online artistic experiences is ever more pressing. This challenge is coupled with the reality that so many young people are reeling from trauma caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC reminds us that stark changes in routine, breaks in the continuity of learning, the cancelation of milestone life events, and the perceived loss of safety and security can be very damaging to a child’s social, emotional, and mental well-being. Furthermore, moving arts education online has interrupted social interactions and created limits on self-expression. Can virtual arts experiences still foster the social and emotional needs of young people during this difficult time in their lives? If you ask Maria Ellis and Morgan Luttig, the answer is yes.

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Anthony Beatrice


Ruth C. Mercado-Zizzo

Boston Public Schools Arts Educators Creatively Meet the Moment

Posted by Anthony Beatrice, Ruth C. Mercado-Zizzo, Sep 16, 2020


Anthony Beatrice


Ruth C. Mercado-Zizzo

Within a week of Boston Public Schools closing its schools due to COVID-19, the district’s nearly 300 BPS visual and performing arts educators quickly shifted to offering remote learning in the arts. The creativity, responsiveness, and community approach educators brought to this task have ensured the arts remain a priority for our students during the spring and moving forward into the new school year. Within days of school closures, BPS visual and performing arts educators congregated on our first Zoom meeting to take stock of the moment and build a plan going forward. In a traffic-jammed city where it can take over an hour to get from one neighborhood to another, meeting online quickly turned into a silver lining, creating a new outlet for collaboration and camaraderie. Discussions rapidly led to an action plan focused on pedagogy and approaches that would make arts learning relevant and sharing resources to do so.

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Abigail Alpern Fisch

Member Spotlight: ArtsEd Washington

Posted by Abigail Alpern Fisch, Sep 15, 2020


Abigail Alpern Fisch

ArtsEd Washington is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making arts education equitable and accessible to every K-12 student in Washington State. Danielle Gahl has been the Executive Director since 2017, but beginning in September 2020, she will be stepping down from that role and continue to run Internal Operations for the organization. Courtney Clark stepped up from the organization’s Board and became the Interim Executive Director in July 2020 after being furloughed during COVID-19 from Seattle Opera as the School Programs Manager. “It’s easy to send out an email that tells everybody what you’re doing; it’s a lot harder to do it. We’ve been focusing our efforts for a while now on walking the walk before we start talking the talk. ... The work of ArtsEd Washington is an everchanging landscape as the world of education is ever evolving. We choose to advocate through an equitable lens of equality that The Arts Matter! And FOR All!” 

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Josh Groban and Lindy Groban

Letters from Josh Groban and his mother, Lindy, in support of Arts Education

Posted by Josh Groban and Lindy Groban, Sep 14, 2020


Josh Groban and Lindy Groban

When I write to you about the importance of the arts, I know full well that I am preaching to a large and supportive choir. But we are living in unique times. We are fighting inequality, cynicism, otherism, disconnect, disease. The arts have the powerful ability to remind us who we are, to remind us how to celebrate our similarities as well as our differences. So to you, the choir, I write to you because now more than ever we need to sing our loudest. Without the arts, stories like mine, and millions more, will go untold. The connectivity that makes us who we are, that releases the better angels of our nature, will fade into the dark. Americans for the Arts is here to ensure that we never fade. They are fighting that fight from the capitol building to the streets. They are working to ensure that the mission of the arts, the millions of jobs they provide, the heartbeat they give our humanity, the spark they give our youth, is never muted. 

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Nominations Open for Advisory Council Members

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Do you or someone you know want to support and advise Americans for the Arts on the services we provide to the field? If yes, we invite you to nominate yourself or a colleague for one of Americans for the Arts’ Advisory Councils! Nomination deadline is Sept. 21, 2020.


Rena A. Cohen

Adaptation and Reimagination: Engaging Youth in Arts and Social Justice Virtually

Posted by Rena A. Cohen, Jul 30, 2020


Rena A. Cohen

As public health guidelines limited social gatherings and encouraged social distancing, arts education and social justice programs needed to reconsider their traditional in-person activities—creating a collaborative activist mural, for example, or performing an original play—for the safety of their communities. How did they bring together young people in meaningful, socially engaged arts experiences without being together physically? I had the opportunity to speak with representatives from three organizations who have fearlessly navigated the complicated world of re-envisioning onstage performances, keeping students of various ages engaged over Zoom, and creating a sense of community among young people who may have never met in person. In their interviews, each leader explained how their organization has adapted and reimagined programs to engage youth in arts and social justice virtually and offered insight on how your community can do the same.

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Weekly Web Roundup: July 13-17, 2020

Friday, July 17, 2020

This week: read up on pay equity, community-focused public art, performance art as a catalyst for change, national partnerships that bring about local advocacy, and more. Plus, check out the brand-new Arts Education Action Kit, a free resource that provides tools so that anyone can become an arts education advocate.

Introducing the Arts Education Action Kit: Make the Case for Arts Education In Your Schools

Monday, July 13, 2020

The kit features information on advocacy strategies, messaging, and research to improve the availability and quality of arts education in schools and communities. With these resources, anyone can become an arts education advocate and make the case for why arts education is essential.

New York City’s 2021 Budget Slashes Already Modest Funding for Public-School Arts Education by 70 Percent

Monday, July 6, 2020

Kelly Garcia’s art class at Manhattan Bridges High School. Photo by Kelly Garcia.
Category: 

New York City's budget plan for the 2021 fiscal year includes devastating cuts to art education in the city’s public schools, despite a celebrity-backed campaign, Arts are Essential, to keep funding in place. These funding cuts further deprive all students of receiving an equitable education through the public school system. 

Helen Eaton Honored with Arts Education Award

Americans for the Arts Annual Leadership Awards presented as part of Annual Convention + Public Art & Civic Design Conference

Friday, June 19, 2020

Helen Eaton has served as Settlement Music School’s CEO since 2010. One of the largest community schools of the arts in the country, Settlement has a 112-year history of arts education without barriers, providing over $2.6 million in financial aid every year to its students. 

Weekly Web Roundup: June 1-5, 2020

Friday, June 5, 2020

It's been an exceptionally difficult week. Americans for the Arts believes Black Lives Matter, and shares in the outrage people across the country are feeling. In programming news, this week we launched two professional development opportunities with a particular focus toward individuals who are traditionally underrepresented in the arts field.

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