A "Good News" Post

For a change, some good news for people in the arts community:

The N.E.A. is currently funded at $155 million, and the White House had requested an increase to $161 million. The agency received an additional $50 million through the stimulus bill. This summer, the House approved $170 million for the arts endowment, while the Senate proposed $161.3 million. The final budget was decided in conference this week and passed by a vote of 247-178 in the House and 72-28 in the Senate.



“This important budget increase recognizes the essential role the arts play in our lives, schools, and communities,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and chief of Americans for the Arts, an advocacy group, in a statement.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/congress-approves-budget-increase-for-arts-and-humanities-endowments/

The Essence of Who We Are

Couldn't have said it better myself. Now if only we can get politicians and the people holding the purse strings to agree...

"Specifically, a generation raised without awareness of the arts, without the opportunity to experience the arts themselves by making music, making drawings, making poems, is a disenfranchised one. Art is the essence of who we are and our society is strengthened whenever young people are given the opportunity to directly share this legacy." Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-tilson-thomas/michelle-obama-and-i-agre_b_321605.html

National Arts and Humanities Month

Visit the Americans for the Arts home page below to find out how you can celebrate the arts during the month of October (and all year round). If you're a parent, make sure your school is doing something to support the arts. As an employee, you can suggest that your company supports the arts, perhaps by sponsoring an event or an artist. Every little bit helps!

What is National Arts and Humanities Month?National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM) is a coast-to-coast collective celebration of culture in America. Held every October and coordinated by Americans for the Arts, it is the largest annual celebration of the arts and humanities in the nation. From arts center open houses to mayoral proclamations to banners and media coverage, communities across the United States join together to recognize the importance of arts and culture in our daily lives.

http://www.americansforthearts.org/get_involved/advocacy/nahm/default.asp

Once Again, Arts Programming Needs Help in Schools

Research supports the fact that children who have arts programs in their education do better overall than children who do not. Even so, the arts are still though of as "only if we have the money" programs. So, this type of news story will continue to appear until we all get the message.

People in Utah, this is a woman that needs your help.

"According to a September 22 press release by the Friends of Art Works for Kids, the Utah State Legislature in 2008 voted to fund the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program. Under the direction of the Utah Arts Council, the program provides quality integrated arts instruction to more than 50 elementary schools in 20 districts across Utah. It currently serves approximately 30,000 students.

Sorenson's goal is to see arts education in every elementary school in Utah."

http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20091004/LIFESTYLE/910040321/Keep+arts+learning+in+the+schools

Bad Economy Hits Local Culture

This is a local story, but it is being repeated all over the country. When the economy is bad, things that aren't a priority for living go by the wayside. If it comes down to a choice, will you put food on the table or go to see a local theater group put on a play? That would be a no-brainer. Here's another thought: instead of your morning coffee at Starbucks, bring it from home for a week and donate the money to a local arts organization.

Why? Because local arts organizations enrich lives. They bring in people from outside your community to spend their dollars inside your community. They provide opportunities for people to socialize with like-minded people and research after research proves that people with healthy relationships have healthier lives than people who don't. And we should all spend a portion of our time in the real world, not just the virtual one.

The local theater group here is the Town Square Players of Woodstock, Illinois. Support them if you can.

http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2009/09/18/r_d1o2nybgscuqjxhaug2hw/index.xml

Why Aren't the Arts Taken Seriously?

Cruising through online sites like Craigslist and ODesk looking for freelance work, it bothers me so much that people who earn their living creatively aren't respected. Someone looking for a photographer on my local Craigslist said, "We don't pay, but you can use the photos you take for us in your portfolio." Really? How generous. ODesk, widely touted by ABC's Good Morning America last winter as a place for people to find work, recently had someone looking for someone to write articles 500 words or so for $2.50 per article "because they are easy to write." So if they are so easy to write, why not do it yourself? And ODesk is full of similar offerings, so much that I won't check there anymore. Let's not forget all the opportunities for "interns" (read: unpaid dogsbody).

Does your lawyer offer to represent you for free because s/he's building his resume? Does your doctor take care of you for free because s/he's just starting out? No.

The bottom line here is, no-one should work for free. Ever.

Sponsorships for the Arts

After waiting in line for hours, some fans sang, some screamed and others simply bobbed their head along with Elvis Costello's music as the singer took the stage in Hollywood earlier this summer.

But he wasn't performing at one of Los Angeles' famed music venues -- instead, hundreds of his fans had crowded against racks of albums inside of Amoeba Music, a giant record store which hosts frequent in-store performances.

Surprisingly, as many music and book retailers have shuttered in recent years, a number of stores -- like Amoeba -- haven't seen their sales fall at all.

How have they managed to do that? The book and record stores that have survived are playing up their roles as community centers that serve as unique cultural spaces rather than just a place to buy a quick CD or magazine.

Source: http://www.thewrap.com/article/not-just-sales-amoeba-music-booksellers-stay-afloat-getting-creative_5387


Events like this at independent stores are a obviously a marketing effort to generate more traffic, corporate sponsorship on a smaller scale. But an event like this also provides the opportunity for the artist to generate a following, and for the community to support their local musicians, writers, and artists. So it's a low-cost (unless you buy something) way to advocate for the arts. A win-win situation??

Tourism Dollars For Cultural Non-Profits

From Americans for the Arts:
On Tuesday, September 8, 2009, the U.S. Congress is scheduled to return from their summer recess and the Senate will begin consideration of S. 1023, the Travel Promotion Act of 2009. The House of Representatives is expected to take up this legislation later this year. Please tell your local senator to support inclusion of the nonprofit arts and culture sector in this bill!

The bill advocates spending money on tourism to attract people from around the world to visit America. That would be a good thing. Let's see some of that money go to the non-profit sector that knows how to make the best of what money they get. They promote America too.

http://www.americansforthearts.org/
http://www.artsactionfund.org/

Europeana, The EU's Virtual Museum

"Europeana, the European “virtual museum” offers from now on free access to more than two million books, paintings, videos and other digital documents from the cultural centers all over Europe. The European Commission's goal for Europeana is to make European information resources easier to use in an online environment."

In a perfect world, seeing those paintings or reading those books in person would be ideal. But the next best thing is to be able to call up those works of art easily on one's own computer, without the hassle of airline schedules, hotel problems, and the need for taking vacation time from work.

Although it has its problems, Europeana is the Gutenburg project of the arts. I'm looking forward to the improvements.

Museum of American Finance?

Not exactly on my list of "must sees" but interesting nonetheless because it points out one of the most fundamental concepts of art: beauty (or interest) is in the eye of the beholder.

I give the museum credit, grudgingly, because they were supported by big companies that got greedy and they lost some of that corporate sponsorship in the current credit crisis. They then had the courage to document and display some of the problems that led to the crisis. Maybe it's biting the hand that feeds them, but I have to give them credit for being true to their mission. (And I apologize for the pun. Sincerely.)

For the New York Times article about the Museum of American Finance, follow this link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/business/22museum.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=arts&adxnnlx=1250960689-NtE6HAc7c+y25KRSyD3EGw

Illinois Arts Alliance Changes Name & Mission

From the Illinois Arts Alliance, known now as Arts Alliance Illinois:

"We have a modified name that puts the arts first and makes "alliance" more prominent, emphasizing our shared beliefs and collective action.

We have a new visual identity that symbolizes the many vibrant, creative voices that come together with greater focus and power through the work we do.

We have a new articulation of our mission: "Give Voice to a Creative State." This strong call to action acknowledges the power of voice to change lives, change attitudes, and transform neighborhoods and communities throughout Illinois.Whether you are an artist, an educator, an administrator, a community leader, an activist, a patron, or someone simply concerned with the quality of life in Illinois -- we all give voice to a creative state."

www.artsalliance.org

And if you don't live in Illinois, support your state's art groups!

Artists Need Healthcare Too

How many artists have access to healthcare that others get working in corporate America? By the very nature of the job (and we're not just talking fine artists), art workers are not as likely to have access to group healthcare. They are more likely to be independent and contract workers. (Which is a good enough reason by itself to move away from employer-based health plans!)

If you are at all interested in having reasonable health care available to all, no matter where you work, see what this coalition of arts organizations sent to congress. And then add your own voice.

http://www.artsusa.org/news/press/2009/2009_08_12.asp

What's Wrong With A National Cultural Policy?

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=11859

As I read this article on finding new ways to encourage the arts, my head started to spin. So many different cultural organizations, large and small, vying for consumer attention and money. Those art organizations that do manage to get public funding are attacked when showing controversial subjects. Some so-called artists bring that on themselves when they show a pile of garbage in a corner and call it art.

This article considers a national policy on culture but then likens it to old Soviet-style politics, " you WILL do things our way," not the way to inspire cooperation in freedom-loving Americans.

A simple, umbrella-type organization that catalogs all the little organizations in a searchable database is all that is needed. Search by type (dance, art, writing) or by area (East, Midwest) or by sponsor (company, arts organization) and a policy statement that says it promotes all the arts for people from cradle to grave.

Can a Minstry of Culture work in this country????

Arts and Cultural Organizations Offering Hurricane Assistance

While current relief efforts focus on immediate health care and survival needs for victims of hurricane Katrina, arts organizations are planning their own relief efforts.

For further information, click here:
http://ww3.artsusa.org/get_involved/membership/katrina/default_001.asp

Sears Sold Fine Art?

From the "who knew?" file:

At one time Sears, with the help of old time horror movie star Vincent Price, sold art by Picasso, Chagall, and others. Costco is trying to do that today - well, good luck!
What I like about this quote from the article is the "belief that art is everyone."
You got it.

Still, you can't help but be touched by the faith in middlebrow taste that once inspired the executives of America's best-loved mail-order store to try selling Picassos to their customers, assisted by a genial horror-movie star who shared their belief that art was for everyone. "It's just endless what you can learn from a single work of art," Price once said. "You can fill up the crevices of your life, the cracks of your life, the places where the mortar comes out and falls away--you can fill it up with the love of art." Who's telling us that now?

http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110007145

If It's Good Enough for Kate Moss...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/magazine/4183556.stm

This article mentions the rise of portraiture despite all the technological advances in photography today that threatens to make painting a lost art. But I've had a lot of fun with graphics created by scanning people's photos and playing with them in Photoshop, even though I still paint.

I'm sure that's what they thought when the camera was first invented and turn of the century artists called those who used the camera as a composition tool "cheaters."

Thanks to celebrities like Kate Moss, it is now trendy to have a portrait done.

I guess whatever helps keep art (and the artists) alive, I'm for it.

"If It Doesn't Move, It Gets Painted"

In the "art is my life" category, this group gets high marks for inspiration and enthusiasm. And the quote pulled from this article is definitely T-shirt-worthy.

Armed with paintbrushes and paint of all kinds, the artists take aim at their target: "If it doesn't move, it gets painted," said Carolyn Murphey as she and other members gathered at their usual meeting spot.
In exchange for use of meeting space and facilities at Chamberlayne Heights United Methodist Church, the organization painted murals in the church's Sunday school rooms, transforming white cinder block walls into colorful scenes.
Lancaster and her son, Patrick Welch, guided 23 members through the project, the largest the group has undertaken. In one room, they painted a Noah's Ark, complete with detailed paintings of animals and biblical figures.
"You can look in this room and look in this room and you are going to find things you didn't think were there," Lancaster said.
Among the little discoveries are a person carrying a Ukrop's bag, ants on an ant hill and potatoes in a hole.
Artists painted a nativity scene in a room used for an adult class and a mural of Jesus and children in a preschool room.
"The church absolutely loved it," Moore said. "One kid wrote, 'Every time I come in here, if I'm sad, it makes me happy.'"

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784387733&path=!flair&s=1045855936229

A Change Is As Good As A Rest

Sorry to be AWOL for the last 10 days or so, but I was on vacation.

I read a lot of creativity books and most of them agree-the same routine day after day dulls the mind. I'm sure most of us don't need to be told that, we know it from experience. And as my grandmother used to say, "a change is as good as a rest!"

So our annual family camping trip to Door County, Wisconsin, was refreshing and inspiring. For those of you that don't know the area, the county is surrounded by Lake Michigan and Green Bay, giving it a highly nautical flavor with charming harbor villages and saturated with galleries and outdoor sports. Camping at Peninsula State Park, where you have to book a site 10 months in advance to get a prime spot, is always entertaining. The theater in the park forest always has a choice of plays or funny musicals (Packer Fans from Outer Space, Lumberjacks in Love) to keep the whole family occupied.

I came back (almost) ready to go back to work and with new ideas to pursue.

And no, I am not a member of the Wisconsin Tourism Board.

Back to School - Do Your Kids Have Art?

I've noticed flyers starting to advertise back to school sales so as your kids go back to school ask yourself - do your kids have art classes?

When budgets are tight one of the first things school boards will cut is your child's art class. Followed closely by your child's music time. Too often, these are thought of as "extras" and the current feeling is that not enough kids are doing well in English and Math so let's cut the "extras" and get down to "basics."

This the wrong thing to do. Children who have art and music routinely do better in school than those who don't and this has been proven time and time again.

What will you do if your child's arts classes are cut?

1. Write to your school board. Don't get nasty, just state the facts. If you need statistics and case studies to back up your arguments Google search arts advocacy or go straight to the Americans for the Arts site and start there by following their links. (See my hot links at the right.)

2. Convince others to write letters and write to your local newspaper. School boards hate bad publicity so keep pushing until you get coverage.

3. Volunteer. There are art programs out there that can be taught in the classroom. They just need the volunteers. The program is furnished, all you have to do is present it to individual classes. The teacher will stay in the classroom with you while you teach (they have to if you're not a trained teacher.) Try it, you'll like it.

Walmart Supports the Arts

In general, I hate Walmart. I hate its vendor policies where suppliers are supposed to cut prices to the point where they go out of business. I hate their policy of undercutting the local stores until they go out of business. I hate that they treat their own employees like slaves, paying them minimum wage and expecting them to work overtime for nothing.

Despite all that irritates me about that company, (and I didn't cover all my grievances) I came across this article and thought it worth sharing. If you have made money off the backs of others then you should, at the very least, give something back.

Alice Walton, daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, unveiled plans in May for a $50 million art museum and cultural center to be built within walking distance of downtown Bentonville, Ark., long-time home of the mega-retailer.

Situated on 100 acres donated by the Walton family, the 100,000-sf museum will house galleries, a library, a 250-seat lecture hall, classrooms, and administrative offices. Sculpture gardens, walking trails, and outdoor areas for concerts and public events will interweave the museum buildings, which will showcase Alice Walton's collection of paintings and sculptures by American artists from the American Revolution to the modern era.