On Friday, March 14, approximately 1,800 high school age students from across Tennessee were invited to hear a performance by this year’s Annual Convention keynote speaker, Ben Folds, who had premiered his new concerto with the Nashville Symphony orchestra at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center the night before. After the performance, the students participated in a special Q & A session with Folds and the Symphony conductor, Giancarlo Guerrero.

On Feb. 23, 2014 at the age of 110, Alice Herz-Sommer, a concert pianist and thought to be oldest survivor of the Holocaust, died in a London hospital. Mrs. Herz-Sommer was known around the world for her optimism and belief in the healing power of music. She shared her experiences and wisdom through books, YouTube Appearances and a short documentary film nominated this year for an Oscar. Born and raised in Prague, Mrs. Herz-Sommer’s upbringing included being surrounded by writers and musicians, which led to her life as an accomplished concert pianist. 

Long round-trips aboard Amtrak trains dedicated solely for the purpose of writing? This is an idea that New York City-based writer Jessica Gross tweeted at Amtrak without ever thinking it could come true. But it did come true—when Amtrak offered Gross a free “test-run” residency aboard a train that traveled from NYC to Chicago and back. Now, the idea continues to grow as hoards of writers are contacting Amtrak to find out how to participate in the innovative writer residency.

A bipartisan group of 35 U.S. Senators and Representatives called for immediate action to advance a nearly two-year old stalled process and finally end confusion over rules for musical instruments as carry-on luggage. Social media viral interest, petition efforts, and a congressionally mandated deadline have so far failed to speed agency rule-making. All the while, preventable damage to instruments continues to occur.

Today at 12:00 noon, The Association of Performing Arts Presenters will honor Americans for the Arts' CEO and President, Robert L. (Bob) Lynch, and their other 2014 APAP Awards recipients at a luncheon at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City. The APAP Awards honor individuals whose service to the performing arts has had a significant impact on the industry and on communities worldwide.

In November, the Theatre Development Fund made the holiday season extra bright with a special showing of Spiderman: Turn off the Dark. What made this performance different from any other night’s? For one night, actors and producers altered the show specifically so that autistic kids and adults – who are especially sensitive to lights and sounds - could enjoy it.

The U.S. Senate approved a bipartisan amendment to the comprehensive immigration bill, which included a provision sponsored by Senators Pat Leahy (D-VT) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) known as the Arts Require Timely Service (“ARTS”) Act.

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) has reintroduced the Artist-Museum Partnership Act (H.R. 2482) for the 113th Congress. This legislation would allow creators of original works to deduct the fair-market value of self-created works given to and retained by a nonprofit institution. It would encourage gifts of visual art such as paintings and sculptures, as well as original manuscripts and supporting material created by composers, authors, and choreographers.

As independent artists, it's always difficult to find enough funding to keep your work going. For Lisa Blayton, the generous grant she got from the South Carolina Arts Commission and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund was about more than the dollars.

“What was really important was that someone thought my art was special enough to support it,” she said.

Jane Golden, artist and Executive Director of Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program, recently talked to Metro Atlanta LINK, the planning agency for the 10 county Atlanta metropolitan region, to show how the arts can help address an urban area’s most intractable problems and bring creative energy to a city’s streets and its walls. Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program was first implemented in 1986.

The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, announced today that entries for the 2013 Poster Design Competition will be accepted through January 31, 2013. Winners will earn up to a full tuition scholarship to study at one of the more than 50 Art Institutes schools.

Even with arts education on the wane in many public schools, a new study by The Wallace Foundation suggests that digital technologies are changing the artistic landscape for many young students. "New Opportunities for Interest-Driven Arts Learning in a Digital Age" offers a new take on arts learning based on innovative efforts to bring kids, the technology they are constantly using, and the arts together. In the age of do-it-yourself and tell-your-own-story, this is a new approach - technology-based arts learning.

"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.

"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.

Dear friends and colleagues,

As we continue to hear more news about the devastating tornado that passed through the town of Moore on the outskirts of Oklahoma City yesterday, we at Americans for the Arts send our thoughts and prayers to the artists, administrators, and all those affected.  When natural disasters strike, there is no way to fully comprehend or process the pain they inflict.