102468
When Will Actions Follow Words? A Survey of Salaries Across Local Arts Agencies
Local Arts Agencies continue to be the leading voice in support of arts and culture in communities around the country. In addition to supporting artists and arts and culture organizations, LAAs are instrumental in setting the pace for adoption of equitable policy, programs, and resource distribution. Over the decades, LAAs have continued to find ways to serve their communities more fully, advocate more effectively, and provide support for arts and culture organizations and artists. LAAs have struggled with recessions, changing political leadership, and the challenge of individuals understanding the value of investing in arts and culture—all while balancing staff capacity and resources. The salary survey report in Americans for the Arts’ 2018 Profile of Local Arts Agencies sheds light on certain disparities in representation. The results reinforce the need for urgency and intentional action to improve compensation, diversity, and parity in the field.
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102464
My Time at ELF—Executive Leadership Forum
This past September, I had the honor of being invited to the Americans for the Arts Executive Leadership Forum (ELF). ELF is where arts leaders running local arts agencies from all over the country come together for four inspiring days in Sundance, Utah. We are Executive Directors. Some of us are managing large city agencies with million-dollar budgets, some are managing mid-sized agencies, and some are managing small, but mighty, agencies such as mine in Oak Park, Illinois. While we are all different and a rather diverse group of people, we are indeed alike in many ways. Those that attend ELF become fast friends as we began the four-day journey. Each of us comes with the hope of exploring ways to become more effective leaders in our respective communities. This forum offers all participants the chance to share their stories, seek and give advice, exchange ideas, and learn from each other.
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102460
2018 PAN Year in Review Trends and Themes: Participatory and Performative
Annually, the Public Art Network (PAN) Year in Review recognizes outstanding public art projects that represent the most compelling work for the year from across the country and beyond. The projects are selected and presented by a jury of three professionals who represent different aspects of the public art field, including artists, administrators, and other public art allies. New this year, the PAN Advisory Council curated the selected 49 selected projects for 2018 under five unique themes to broaden the exposure of the selected works on ARTSblog and social media, and to provide context to the works through national trends and themes that are impacting the field today.
Over the past decade, performative and participatory public artworks have gained in popularity with commissioning agencies and the communities they serve. Typically, public art is seen as a long-term, integrated, stationary, visual arts-based artwork. Performative and participatory projects allow for a new type of public art that that include multiple sensory experiences and a different way of engaging community where a whole community may be considered an artist. Performative and participatory public art projects create music, encourage touch, and utilize participation to be fully realized as a completed art piece. Of the 2018 selected PAN Year in Review projects, 15 uniquely expanded the definitions of artist, medium, and material. These performative and participatory projects are redefining both the commissioning process and what is expected of a finalized public artwork.
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102312
The Importance of Art and Community
The first time I came to an All Our Kids (AOK) Thursday night dinner at Kathy and David’s, I was greeted with a “welcome home.” This is the spirit of every Thursday night; however, the most powerful representation of the community at Kathy and David’s is the dinner table. Young artists sit elbow to elbow with older folks in the DC world and beyond. Despite differences in class, age, race, and artistic experience, the table is where people convene in a shared love for art and community. It is a sacred space, one where people share the most challenging and joyful experiences of their day. The experiences shared at the table are consistently addressed with radical kindness and love. In a time of political and social turmoil, it often feels like there are few places where people can connect with one another. I have always believed that art can do what policies alone cannot, which is evoke empathy and connect people on the most basic human level. The AOK dinner table is a representation of how art and community can mend us.
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102165
“A Shared Endeavor” is an Essential Tool for Advocacy
In 2014 an important document, Arts Education for America’s Students: A Shared Endeavor, was created. Americans for the Arts, along with 15 other arts and educational advocacy organizations, created this valuable document that outlines why the arts are part of a balanced education for all students. It explains that the arts are a core academic subject area with rigorous national standards, and that access to high quality arts education is critical for a well-rounded student. In spite of the fact that each year more data is released demonstrating how students benefit from quality arts education, there are still communities that have little to no access to arts education for their students. A Shared Endeavor helps to put a strong educational concept into a visual and written context that makes clear how the arts enliven and deepen educational experiences and develop the creative problem solvers we need for our world. I highly recommend spending time with A Shared Endeavor and working it into your conversations. It will help build a sense of community around your work.
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102147
South Summit Report envisions thriving Southern filmmaking community
The American South is an expansive region, replete with storytellers and rich creative practices, and yet its stories are often misrepresented on-screen and in the media, contributing to reductive stereotypes that disempower our communities. When we look to contemporary art created by Southern artists across disciplines, we can see well beyond dominant narratives that depict a region marred by racial oppression and economic injustice. Artists often reveal what the media doesn’t––resilient communities that value cultural heritage and embrace progressive ideals, communities connecting across differences, fighting for social justice, and espousing an increasingly intersectional view of what it means to be Southern. What do these artists need to continue to tell bold and powerful stories, stories that have the potential to imagine new possibilities for a Southern identity––stories that have the power to reshape the nation’s understanding of our region, and to change how Southerners see ourselves?
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102144
10 Reasons to Support the Arts in 2019
The arts advocacy season is upon us once again. It’s time to meet with your legislators to help them understand the value of investing in the arts. How to prepare? Start with this list of “10 Reasons to Support the Arts.” It can feel intimidating walking into a legislator’s office—even to experienced advocates. To always feel prepared, I break the advocacy process down into three simple questions: Who gets the message? What is the message? Who delivers the message? Remember the Golden Rule: No numbers without a story, and no stories without a number. The arts are all about stories—often small, always meaningful. Share yours. It’s engaging and draws your listener in—and then pair it with the research-based findings in “10 Reasons to Support the Arts.” Yours will be an advocacy visit that is not soon forgotten.
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102117
Oil Changes and Public Art Collide for the Common Good
Internally, we have been surprised at how many artists we have working for us at Jiffy Lube Indiana. Our employees are now showing off their own talents through sketches, vehicle graphics, and tattoo designs. We are planning museum tours and art classes designed to help our people further develop their artistic skills, understanding that this will help drive creativity in our own business. Employee retention is a huge issue for many businesses these days, and we are no exception. People want to be proud of who they work with and they care more than ever about the mission and purpose of their employer. As employers, we have to do more than just provide work. We need to enrich lives. Every partnership we make involves negotiating ways for our people to enjoy the experience of attending the events, getting involved however they see fit, and enriching their lives. The longer we can keep people feeling proud of where they work, the longer we will be able to benefit from their efforts.
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102104
Baking and Arts Education Leadership: Science, Patience, and Artistry
As the weather here in Boston becomes colder, I find myself wanting to bake more and more often. Bread. Cookies. Chicken casseroles. Homemade granola. Cupcakes. All of these have become recent projects and obsessions. There is something about the cooler days and chilly nights that makes me feel the call of the oven and the desire to bake. The other day, when I was preparing a batch of homemade chocolate almond biscotti, I started to think about baking as a metaphor, and I realized that there is a powerful connection between my experience of the process of baking and my experiences as a leader in arts education. The next time you bake, think about your own leadership in arts education in terms of science, patience, and artistry. How do those three qualities play out in your work? Where could you infuse more artistry? Where and how would you benefit from exercising more patience? How does science help and hinder your leadership?
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102095
The Federal Government’s Shutdown and Its Impact on the Arts – It’s a Bigger Deal Than You Think
The effects of the shutdown are widespread. The good news about the National Endowment for the Arts (the NEA, a federal agency that receives its annual appropriation from Congress) is that it funds the arts across the country, reaching every Congressional district in all 50 states plus U.S. Territories. The bad news is that any negative impact becomes equally widespread. The American public values the arts and wants access to more opportunities, not fewer. Whether people engage in the arts or not, 90 percent of Americans believe that cultural facilities improve quality of life, and 86 percent believe that cultural facilities are important to local business and the economy. The arts benefits to the community are formidable, and they are to the individual as well. The arts help us address so many challenges in education, health and healing, military, community development, among many others, and the effects of a shutdown are felt not just in the arts organizations, but also in the industries and organizations that are helped by the arts. The benefits of the arts are numerous, but still the ecosystem is fragile and should be cultivated, not endangered.
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102063
Equity in the Arts: Can Local Arts Councils Do Better?
“To whom much is given, much is required.” A stalwart in the Black creative community here in Columbus, Ohio said that to me when I started a job at a local arts council in 2015. It was a place I had always dreamed of working. Who wouldn’t want to support artists while simultaneously effecting change in their community? I was honored, and beyond excited. The support I received from my immediate creative community was immeasurable, and I carried with me their dreams, as well as my own. I could not let them down, lest I be seen as a failure. That same excitement quickly turned to dread. It wasn’t the work—far from it; I absolutely loved my job and what it meant for me personally as well as the community. However, I soon realized I was one of only two Black arts administrators in the entire city. Let that sink in for a moment … I’ll wait … Two arts administrators of color in a major metropolitan city of approximately 880,000. As far as I’m concerned—as an arts administrator with over 15 years in the sector—Columbus was failing its art communities.
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