The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, recently announced a major new initiative that will see thousands of London schoolchildren being given the chance to participate in and learn about dance. The initiative is backed by award-winning choreographer Wayne McGregor and leading dance organizations.

A new medium of creating art is being developed in the United Kingdom with the support of Parliament. “Democracy Street” is a crowdsourced web app accessible by mobile phone that encourages users to visit places that hold important historical significance to Parliament. Through a collection of maps, users will be able to learn about the street or site of significance, and share a story or a photo. Those involved hope the project will result in an exhibition of original artwork and maps by November 2015.

On May 23rd and 24th 2015, the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra capped its season with the second iteration of Symphony in Sculpture—a musical tour of the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park—which featured six new movements by Emmy Award-winning composer Steve Heitzeg.

Register today for the 2015 Annual Convention, taking place June 12–14, 2015 in Chicago!

The conference will take place at the Chicago Sheraton, with more than 40 breakouts, three keynotes, three preconferences, two Workshop Intensives, a dozen ARTventure Tours, and an opening reception at the Museum of Contemporary Art! 

Recently, there has been a lot of positive news for the addition of the Arts to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) educational discussion.  What’s most notable is that the STEAM (STEM plus Arts) movement is not only taking hold in pockets throughout the United states, but widely across the country and even internationally.

The International Art Materials Association (NAMTA) recently released their third edition of the Artists and Art Materials Study in 2015. This survey covers both the United States and Canadian arts markets and includes the results of authoritative surveys of more than 6,000 active artists and specialty art materials retailers. It serves as a summary of market size and trends.

Ceramic artist Paul Cummins commemorates the centenary of the outbreak of the first world war there with 888,246 ceramic red poppies gradually planted until November 11. More than 5 million people have visited the 4-month long art installation at the Tower of London which represents the 888,246 British or colonial lives lost during the First World War. The art installation was created by ceramic artist Paul Cummins and set designer Tom Piper, and titled after a quote from the will of an unknown solider: “The blood-swept lands and seas of red, where angels fear to tread.”

On behalf of Americans for the Arts' partnership with We Are Veterans, Bob Lynch, President and CEO, will join a discussion panel after the special screening of PBS Craft in America: Service at the McEvoy Auditorium in the Smithsonian American Art Museum on November 6, 2014.

BASETRACK LIVE is a multidisciplinary work including theater, music, news media, journalism, and technology.  While embedded with the First Battalion, Eighth Marines in Southern Afghanistan, a group of photojournalists led by Teru Kuwayama started the online project that became the authentic dialogue of the performance.  Connecting Battalion members with their families and others around the world, the online project became a platform for documenting the range of perspectives and the emotional tolls of deployment and beyond.

Commissioned by art produces Situation, German artist  Michael Sailstorfer buried 30 gold bars stamped with "Made in London" at Folkestone Beach.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) recently highlighted Sans Façon's "Hide to Show Better," a public art installation in Saskatoon which was recognized in the Public Art Network's 2014 Year In Review. During the program, juror Janet Zweig was invited talked about the judging process, why "Hide to Show Better" was recognized, and the role of public art plays in communities.

Marete Wester, Senior Director of Arts Policy at Americans for the Arts, took part in the Global Alliance for Arts & Health’s conference in Houston, April 9-12. The Global Alliance, a long-time partner with Americans for the Arts, celebrated the 25^th Anniversary of its founding with more than 300 of its worldwide members including professionals, students and organizations in the arts, humanities and medicine.

Since the onset of the euro crisis, Portugal’s government has shrunk in size and sold various assets amounting to about $11 billion. However, the plan to sell off a collection of works by Catalan artist Joan Miró faced much opposition and intense conversation. The debate about how much the state should be allowed to sell led to the question of whether a nation’s cultural heritage is out of bounds.

On Tuesday, March 25, 2014, Americans for the Arts President & CEO, Robert Lynch, was re-appointed by Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker to serve a second two-year term on the U.S. Travel & Tourism Advisory Board. The Board, with 32 members, serves as the advisory body to the Secretary of Commerce and its members represent a broad cross-section of the industry, including transportation services, financial services, and hotels and restaurants, as well as a mix of other small and large firms from across the country.

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. 

Enghien-les-Bains (France) and Sapporo (Japan) have been designated UNESCO Cities of Media Arts, and Paducah, Kentucky (United States of America) is the most recent City of Crafts and Folk Arts.