ART AND THE GOVERNMENT A lot of people are talking about the news that Detroit’s emergency fiscal manager is exploring whether the city-owned art on display at the Detroit Institute of Arts (which I visited for the first time just a few weeks ago) can be considered an asset in the event of a municipal bankruptcy.Read More
The Promise of Shared Goals
This is the second post in a series on the tragedy of the commons and what it means for the arts sector. Four talented young musicians step on stage at a West Village jazz jam. Each faces competing pressures: helping make the band sound tight and showing off her own skills. With this information, andRead More
Around the horn: Lois Lerner, we hardly knew ye edition
(This edition prepared by Createquity Writing Fellow Dan Thompson) ART AND THE GOVERNMENT Never afraid to speak his mind, Rocco Landesman shares a few more words about his experience as NEA head, this time with the Public Theater’s Public Forum Podcast. MUSICAL CHAIRS Ken Corbin, a 27-year IRS veteran, will take over as acting head of theRead More
The Pitfalls of Shared Goals: What is the Commons?
This is the first piece in a three-part series on the tragedy of the commons and what it means for the arts sector. Remember that group project you had in middle school where one of the members slacked off and got the same grade as you? What about that green stuff growing in the backRead More
Around the horn: Kim Jong-un edition
ART AND THE GOVERNMENT The NEA has unveiled a new four-point plan for its arts education program, and Kristen Engebretsen has the details. Yo-Yo Ma gave this year’s Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy at Arts Advocacy Day, and you can watch the video here. Fascinating account of the Norwegian jazz scene and how government fundingRead More
Around the horn: Four more years edition
ART AND THE GOVERNMENT As you know, there was an election last week, and Barack Obama won it. Thankfully this means that Barry Hessenius’s worst fears about the NEA likely won’t be realized, but Barry does have some useful advocacy advice that is worth a read regardless of the outcome. Ted Johnson has a helpful pre-electionRead More
Around the horn: Newt edition
ART AND THE GOVERNMENT – DOMESTIC Sadly, this is what passes for a victory in arts funding these days: the NEA survived the 2012 budget appropriations process with only a 6% cut from last year. This represents full funding of President Obama’s request; yes, that’s right folks, our fearless leader demonstrated his steadfast support ofRead More
Around the horn: Siri edition
MUSICAL CHAIRS Lots of movement these past couple of weeks! Shannon Daut, formerly Deputy Director of Western State Arts Federation in Denver, CO, will be the new leader of the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Vincent Stehle has been announced as the new director of Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media. Fidelma McGinn, Executive Director of Artist Trust, isRead More
Around the horn: Hallsnoween edition
MUSICAL CHAIRS Judilee Reed, formerly the executive director of Leveraging Investments in Creativity, joins the Surdna Foundation as director of its Thriving Cultures program. With Reed’s departure, LINC – which was designed from its inception in 2003 as a ten-year program – begins the process of counting down the clock. I suspect it’s no accident that the funder collaborative thatRead More
Around the horn: Rock me like a hurricane edition
First, two personal items of note: I’m honored to be listed once again as one of the top 25 (really, 40ish) arts leaders on Barry Hessenius’s annual list of such things; and the video of my talk at TEDxMichiganAve given many months ago is now available for viewing. CLOSURES, OPENINGS, MERGERS, AND PAY CUTS Gentrification claims anotherRead More