- Here's a great post by Margy Waller about changing the focus from publicity about the arts being elitist: Everyone Wants to Live in a Special Place. A quote: "We have to change the landscape so the arts are not so vulnerable in the public forum. Business leaders, indeed all leaders, need to see the arts as necessary — not just nice."
- And one by Wally Hurst on establishing personal relationships with businesses: The Survey, The Public, and The Arts.
A quote: "For our organization, businesses that continued funding at the same or higher levels have all come, without exception, from businesses with exceptionally strong personal ties to us."
-- Janet Brown on the recent flap about the National Portrait Gallery's removal of a controversial art work: Stand Up, Don't Back Down - Cultural Wars Revisited (Janet's Blog). A quote: "Backbone. I thought we had developed backbone over the past twenty years through those battles of the culture wars."
-- Down to earth, clear advice from Ciara Pressler: Fractured Atlas Blog : The #1 Marketing Mistake Artists Make. A quote: "When you’re marketing, it’s not about you. Like it or not, especially in the social media/reality TV age, it’s about ME. "
-- Post-election analysis and suggestions for the arts from Barry Hesenius on Barry's Blog. A quote: "If 40% of all the arts organization would join their local chambers, and work into postions of authority, we could virtually take over the whole structure by 2016. "
-- Iowa leadership development consultant Shirley Poertner on Leading in a VUCA World. A quote: "Leaders in this kind of environment have to be at their best on a personal level, self-aware, optimistic, focused amidst distractions, cool, calm and collected under pressure."
Friday, December 10, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Economic sense?
Now here's a provocative comment: "Investing in the arts and culture produces more significant economic returns than just about any investment President Obama is making in "shovel ready" projects. Or many other "bailouts" we might see around the country and across the globe."
This is from an article by Russell Bishop in today's Huffington Post. Please read it! And then think about it, and talk about it ---
There ARE economic arguments for supporting the arts. Should we be using them? Or are we, by using them, copping out? Those who want the economic arguments used say that we should use the arguments that can best be heard by the people (elected leaders, for instance) who can make change.
Others, though, say we need to stick with making the case that the arts are, plain and simply, crucial for all of us because they are the arts. Because they open us up to creation, and possibility, and imagination, and puzzlement, and beauty, and (even) ugliness.
Do you take a side here? Which one? Can we have both?
This is from an article by Russell Bishop in today's Huffington Post. Please read it! And then think about it, and talk about it ---
There ARE economic arguments for supporting the arts. Should we be using them? Or are we, by using them, copping out? Those who want the economic arguments used say that we should use the arguments that can best be heard by the people (elected leaders, for instance) who can make change.
Others, though, say we need to stick with making the case that the arts are, plain and simply, crucial for all of us because they are the arts. Because they open us up to creation, and possibility, and imagination, and puzzlement, and beauty, and (even) ugliness.
Do you take a side here? Which one? Can we have both?
Monday, November 1, 2010
Creative Brain
"Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work." Artist Chuck Close says this, and a whole lot more, in the Charlie Rose Brain Series, Episode Twelve: Creative Brain. Well worth the hour it takes to watch, this episode brings Close together with artist Richard Serra, neurologist Oliver Sacks, Ann Temkin, chief curator of painting and sculpture at The Museum of Modern Art and Eric Kandel of Columbia University.
A few questions and quotes to pique your interest....
How does the new occur?
Is there a difference between scientific creativity and artistic creativity?
How does Chuck Close's face-blindness (he cannot recognize faces) contribute to his work as an artist?
What does Richard Serra's understanding of and fascination with how his sculptural works impact the space around them say about his brain?
"You can't have anything new until a great deal of it has become automatic and second-nature." (Oliver Sacks)
"Systems and limitations free up intuition." (Chuck Close)
"It's always in the process of working itself that ideas lead to other ideas for me." (Richard Serra)
A few questions and quotes to pique your interest....
How does the new occur?
Is there a difference between scientific creativity and artistic creativity?
How does Chuck Close's face-blindness (he cannot recognize faces) contribute to his work as an artist?
What does Richard Serra's understanding of and fascination with how his sculptural works impact the space around them say about his brain?
"You can't have anything new until a great deal of it has become automatic and second-nature." (Oliver Sacks)
"Systems and limitations free up intuition." (Chuck Close)
"It's always in the process of working itself that ideas lead to other ideas for me." (Richard Serra)
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
It's all about arts education
Each month, the Iowa Arts Council sends a few arts-related story ideas to our statewide press list - just to jog the thinking of local editors and journalists about what they might find in their own backyard. This month, arts education topics are the prompts. Have your local media picked up on any of these?
1. Budget cuts have slashed art programs and art teachers in public schools across Iowa. What has been the impact in your community? Did anyone speak against cutting the budget for arts? Did anyone speak up in support of cuts? How did the arts fare against other programs? What have schools done to supplement the arts? Have they increased artist residencies? What is the impact on students?
2. Who are the Certified Arts Teachers in your community who teach art, music, drama or dance in schools? How many schools do they teach in? How much time is allowed for arts education in your schools each week? Do Certified Arts Teachers also teach other areas of curriculum? What are their views on the future of arts education in public schools? Do schools think it is important to employ Certified Arts Teachers? If your schools do not have Certified Arts Teachers, who is providing arts education experiences?
3 Do you want to recognize local administrators and school boards for their great arts leadership? The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Iowa Alliance for Arts Education offers the Arts Administrator of the Year recognition for principals and superintendents who work to ensure student have access to the arts. And, in cooperation with the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB), the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education is participating (for the 22nd year) in an awards program to recognize local school boards for outstanding support of the arts in education. Check out these awards programs.
1. Budget cuts have slashed art programs and art teachers in public schools across Iowa. What has been the impact in your community? Did anyone speak against cutting the budget for arts? Did anyone speak up in support of cuts? How did the arts fare against other programs? What have schools done to supplement the arts? Have they increased artist residencies? What is the impact on students?
2. Who are the Certified Arts Teachers in your community who teach art, music, drama or dance in schools? How many schools do they teach in? How much time is allowed for arts education in your schools each week? Do Certified Arts Teachers also teach other areas of curriculum? What are their views on the future of arts education in public schools? Do schools think it is important to employ Certified Arts Teachers? If your schools do not have Certified Arts Teachers, who is providing arts education experiences?
3 Do you want to recognize local administrators and school boards for their great arts leadership? The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Iowa Alliance for Arts Education offers the Arts Administrator of the Year recognition for principals and superintendents who work to ensure student have access to the arts. And, in cooperation with the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB), the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education is participating (for the 22nd year) in an awards program to recognize local school boards for outstanding support of the arts in education. Check out these awards programs.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
ASCAP? BMI? Others?
Is your performance venue licensed with a performing rights agency like ASCAP or BMI in order to secure permissions for rights to music? The IAC needs to hear from others of you who We got this question from Tom Lacina at the Grinnell Area Arts Council, who says,
The Promoter/Presenter fees at ASCAP & BMI (not to mention SESAC) are $219 and $211 per year, respectively. Then there is a quarterly report that can add 8% of gross of concerts needing the license to the extent they exceed the base fee. One option is to prohibit musicians from performing copyrighted material, which isn’t too hard for many of our groups who do old folk music or original compositions. Another option is possibly to fall under a governmental entity (like a city) license for all venues. This is a flat fee of $305 per year for each of ASCAP & BMI. Not certain how well targeted that is to protect an independent arts council using the facilities. And of course, it doesn’t cover events in private establishments (like a club) or a non-licensed government location (like a school).
Admittedly, we are on the small end and likely of little interest to ASCAP & BMI, who are largely focused on for-profits (restaurants, etc.) and internet. Still, we want to be compliant with law.
How are rights handled at your place?
The Promoter/Presenter fees at ASCAP & BMI (not to mention SESAC) are $219 and $211 per year, respectively. Then there is a quarterly report that can add 8% of gross of concerts needing the license to the extent they exceed the base fee. One option is to prohibit musicians from performing copyrighted material, which isn’t too hard for many of our groups who do old folk music or original compositions. Another option is possibly to fall under a governmental entity (like a city) license for all venues. This is a flat fee of $305 per year for each of ASCAP & BMI. Not certain how well targeted that is to protect an independent arts council using the facilities. And of course, it doesn’t cover events in private establishments (like a club) or a non-licensed government location (like a school).
Admittedly, we are on the small end and likely of little interest to ASCAP & BMI, who are largely focused on for-profits (restaurants, etc.) and internet. Still, we want to be compliant with law.
How are rights handled at your place?
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Insurance made easy!
Oh, man - Fractured Atlas has the corner on making complex info understandable! Check out their virtual pocket guides to insurance in the arts -- available in many flavors: Dance, Theatre, Music, Teaching Artists, and Film Makers. Coming soon: guides for Public Art, Independent Contractors, Visual Art, and Craft Artists. Tuesday, August 24, 2010
No Cultural Cathedrals in Iowa!
In No More 'Cathedrals of Culture' in the Wall Street Journal, Judith H. Dobrzynski looks at how art museums are evolving as open, community-minded centers for creativity. She says, for instance, "Many young directors see museums as modern-day "town squares," social places where members of the community may gather, drawn by art, perhaps, for conversation or music or whatever. They believe that future museum-goers won't be satisfied by simply looking at art, but rather prefer to participate in it or interact with it."
We sure see Iowa art museums being all about that! For instance...
The Waterloo Center for the Arts has its CultureFest, Vertigo/Incognito Performance Art Series, and summer Jazz on the Cedar series.
The Figge Art Museum in Davenport has an independent film series, and hosts a Teen Anime Day as well as a Free Family Fall Workshop.
The Sioux City Art Center sponsors a Community Art Project each year: this year it's City Art Quilts.
The Des Moines Art Center has smART Second Saturdays and smART Second Sundays for families, the Art Inside Out summer festival, films, and programming at the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park.
These aren't museums that are content to just ask you to look in awe at their collections (although they do have some pretty awesome collections) - they are working to get you engaged with art, get you to see and do new things, get you involved and intrigued.
We sure see Iowa art museums being all about that! For instance...
The Waterloo Center for the Arts has its CultureFest, Vertigo/Incognito Performance Art Series, and summer Jazz on the Cedar series.
The Figge Art Museum in Davenport has an independent film series, and hosts a Teen Anime Day as well as a Free Family Fall Workshop.
The Sioux City Art Center sponsors a Community Art Project each year: this year it's City Art Quilts.
The Des Moines Art Center has smART Second Saturdays and smART Second Sundays for families, the Art Inside Out summer festival, films, and programming at the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park.
These aren't museums that are content to just ask you to look in awe at their collections (although they do have some pretty awesome collections) - they are working to get you engaged with art, get you to see and do new things, get you involved and intrigued.
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