On October 3^rd, top White House economic advisors expressed the seriousness of getting a short term Congressional appropriations resolution passed to re-open the federal government immediately.  They also confirmed that October 17^th remains the deadline for when the executive branch of the government will have exhausted all of the “extraordinary measures” available to them to secure credit, borrow from various accounts to pay interest on the government’s debt, and to keep all parts of the government fully running.  They anticipate that by th

The congressional debate has officially led to a government shutdown as of 12:01 a.m. this morning, after the House and the Senate were unable to come to an agreement over legislation for the 2014 Fiscal Year Budget over the weekend.

With a goal to continue expanding the art-buying community in Grand Forks, the North Dakota Museum of Art held its 15th annual Autumn Art Auction on November 8, 2013. The pieces ranged from Armando Ramos’ clay sculpture of a neon red dog, to Helen Otterson’s small ceramic sculpture of a cactus, to Vivienne Morgan’s large-scale digital print of a nurse stump. The largest piece of work in the show was Albert Belleveau’s “Outcropping house,” which is7 feet tall by 42 inches wide and 56 inches deep.

Young artists are finding a new place to call home in Jackson, Mississippi - a small town eager for big fish. Sandwiched between the music havens of New Orleans and Memphis, Jackson hasn't historically attracted a ton of young grads and budding artists, but in the last few years young people have been moving and returning to Fondren. This post industrial neighborhood a few blocks away from Midtown is a cheerful, gentrified part of Jackson that has welcomed artsy types for 15 years.

Yesterday, the National Endowment for the Arts released this year's Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. From 2009 to 2012, musicals faced a 9% participation drop, and straight plays did even worse with a 12% drop.

Now that it's back-to-school time and upcoming National Arts Education Week is right around the corner (September 14 - 18), WorldWideLearn's May article on the 15 most inspiring cities for young arts professionals and arts students piques our interest yet again.

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 Right Brain initiative is a sustainable partnership between public schools, local government, foundations, businesses and the cultural community to teach to children using the arts, creativity innovation, and whole-brain thinking.

"Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, Chair of the Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations Committee announced his support for the One Percent for Culture Campaign at an event at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, strengthening the growing coalition to support New York City’s cultural landscape.

The councilman’s support lends political clout to the rapidly growing coalition of cultural, business, civic leaders, and artists throughout all five boroughs who recognize the vital role of the city’s 1,200-plus nonprofit cultural organizations."

Interview with NMA Honoree Lin Arison for Art Works

A new study shows that children who study music score higher on IQ tests. The University of Toronto study also tested students who studied drama and found an increased IQ but not as big an improvement as in those who studied music.

Science Daily 08/20/04

01/04/2005

The Arts Audience: Last-Minute Buyers

01/04/2005

Predicting What Tickets You'll Buy

May 30, 2006

How Millennium Park created a unique nexus of culture