Why having a collective voice matters

I’ve seen a lot of funding appeals in the last few months talking about how dire things are and how desperately your support is needed. This is not one of those appeals.

What I’ve also seen a lot of lately is abundance – an abundance of personal involvement in civic life; a wealth of understanding about what artists of all kinds add to our world; a rich desire to participate in creativity and art-making; an investment in those things that offer meaning and relevance in chaotic, consumer-saturated lives. more >>

NEA to Give $470,000 in Grants to Alliance Members

The National Endowment for the Arts announced its first round of funding for fiscal year 2009, awarding $23,215,500 in funding to support 1,951 projects by nonprofit national, regional, state, and local organizations nationwide, as well as to 42 poets.

Among the grantees for the first round of funding for 2009 are 20 Alliance members, to receive $470,000 in grants from the NEA. more >>

New NEA Funding Category for Artists Communities!

Last week the National Endowment for the Arts created a new funding category for artists' communities -- those organizations whose primary purpose is providing artists' residencies! As the national association for artists' communities, I was thrilled to be able to announce this at the Alliance's annual conference last week. This change is in part a result of the Alliance's advocacy work to the NEA, and we are so grateful to NEA Chairman Dana Gioia for his tremendous vision to provide greater recognition and resources to artists' communities. more >>

Election Results + Impact on the Arts

Americans for the Arts Action Fund President and CEO Robert L. Lynch gave the following statement on the results of Election Day (read the complete statement):

"The historic election of Sen. Barack Obama to be the 44th president of the United States will have tremendous impact on the nation's arts community, public schools, and creative workforce. His commitment to arts and arts education on the campaign trail is just a preview of what his administration can accomplish. President-Elect Obama demonstrates the leadership and vision to advance the arts in America through investing in more arts education in public schools, advocating for increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, promoting cultural diplomacy, and supporting artists rights." more >>

The Economy & Artists' Residencies

I've just returned from the Grantmakers in the Arts conference in Atlanta this past week, as well as a visit to New Orleans to check in with our four member grantees there. Since it isn't often that one gets to sit down with 300 grantmakers, especially in the midst of such rocky financial times, I wanted to share with you how encouraged I was to hear how upbeat grantmakers are right now. There was tremendous reaffirmation of the need to continue supporting the arts, to contribute to the health and vibrancy of our society, and to give a creative voice to these uncertain times.

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Releases Guidelines for Artists & Communities Program

The Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation has announced program guidelines for the 2009-2010 cycle of the Artists & Communities program. This year, artists from any of the foundation's nine partner states are eligible to participate.

Walter Kitundu, artist-in-residence at Exploratorium and Headlands Center for the Arts, receives MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship

Walter Kitundu, a composer and multimedia artist, is a 2008 recipient of The MacArthur Foundation's "Genius" Fellowship. The MacArthur Fellows Program awards unrestricted fellowships to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.

Kitundu has been at the Exploratorium -- a museum of science, art, and human perception in San Francisco -- since 2003. He is currently artist-in-residence at Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, California. more >>

The MacDowell Colony Announces New Fellowship for Emergent Women Writers

The MacDowell Colony and The Rona Jaffe Foundation are pleased to announce a new Fellowship to support emergent women writers. The Rona Jaffe Foundation Fellowship will be awarded annually to women writers who will be first-time residents at The MacDowell Colony. A generous gift from The Rona Jaffe Foundation has endowed this Fellowship in perpetuity in memory of its founder Rona Jaffe, who was the best-selling author 16 books, including Class Reunion and The Best of Everything. more >>

A Somewhat Unsettling Tour of Artists' Residencies in the South

A TRIP TO THE HEARTLAND
A report from Taylor Van Horne, Director of the Instituto Sacatar 

more >>

NEA Study on Individual Artists

The National Endowment for the Arts just released "Artists in the Workforce: 1990-2005," the first nationwide look at artists' demographic and employment patterns in the 21st century." Artists in the Workforce" analyzes working artist trends, gathering new statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau to provide a comprehensive overview of this workforce segment, its maturation over the past 30 years, along with detailed information on specific artist occupations.

As a leader among artist-centered organizations, the Alliance is thrilled to have this much-needed data to provide important benchmarks on how we as a field are supporting today's artists. more >>