Business Support for the Arts from Large Businesses Dropped Significantly

As we probably all could have predicted, a survey for the Business Committe for the Arts found that between 2006 - 2009, business support for the arts from large businesses "...fell from 43 percent to 28 percent, while the number that gave to any charitable cause dropped from 70 percent to 52 percent." Interestingly, however, over the same period support from small to mid-sized businesses actually increased.
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml?id=316900003

To read the executive summary of the Triennial Survey of Business Support for the Arts:
http://www.americansforthearts.org/pdf/information_services/arts_business_partnerships/bca/BCA%202010%20Survey%20Executive%20Summary.pdf

UPDATE: The Grades Are In - "The Honor Roll"

This is an update to the October 29 post

Senate Arts Report Card Grading Criteria - Arts Action Fund

As promised, "The Arts Action Fund" of Americans for the Arts has released its report about those senators who are strong champions of the arts. Thirty-seven senators received a B+ or greater on the Congressional Arts Report Card. Thirteen have been singled out for special commendation. Click on the following link to find out why (NOTE: Use your mouse to hover over each one's picture, then click his or her picture to learn more):

http://artsactionfund.org/pages/honor-roll

Grading Criteria - The 6 criteria on which all senators were graded include: Keeps jobs in the arts; Supports public art; Supports museums; Shows initiative in the arts; Active in extracurricular activities; and Shows leadership in the arts.
http://artsactionfund.org/pages/senate-arts-report-card-grading-criteria

To View for the "Dirty Dozen" - those senators with abysmal records when it comes to supporting the arts:
http://www.artsactionfund.org/pages/senate-arts-report-card-dirty-dozen

To View the Grades for All Senators:
http://www.artsactionfund.org/pages/senate-report-card

The Grades are In!!!

"Did you ever bring home a bad grade on a report card as a kid? What about an F in the arts? Hard to imagine. Well, our U.S. Senators brought home their grades, and although they weren't graded on their paintings or musical scales, many managed to fail the arts. And some failed while the other Senator in their state received an A or B!" - Americans for the Arts 

Americans for the Arts

The "Arts Action Fund" of Americans for the Arts graded how well or poorly senators have voted to support the arts. Over the past two years, 3 opportunities to support the arts were presented to senators. Twenty-eight of them received "F's". Twelve of the 28 have been singled out as "The Dirty Dozen" - click on the following link to find out why (NOTE: Use your mouse to hover over each one's picture, then click his or her picture to learn more):
http://www.artsactionfund.org/pages/senate-arts-report-card-dirty-dozen

Interestingly, in some states, one Senator received an "A or B" while the other failed miserably:
http://artsactionfund.org/pages/same-state-different-story

To view the grades for all Senators:
http://www.artsactionfund.org/pages/senate-report-card

A final report will soon be available about those Senators who champion the arts.

To learn more about Americans for the Arts:

http://www.artsactionfund.org/

Essential Services for Aging Artists

"Age gives you the freedom to do some things you've never done before.

Great work can come at any stage of your life."  Will Barnet

"With age, art and life become one." - Georges Braque

Essential Services for Aging Artists is a 233 page document that is the May 2006 final report to NYFA (New York Foundation for the Arts). It was produced by The H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University.

"The project’s goals were to gain a more thorough understanding of the problems and needs that visual artists face as they age, to research potential services that exist to address these needs, to pinpoint and explain needs still unmet, and to make recommendations for addressing these unmet needs."

The Overall Conclusions and Recommendations, and the Lessons Learned segments start on page 114. Also, be sure to look at Appendix H - the Artist Cheat Sheet. Additionally, there is an extensive Annotated List of Existing Services which, while a number of them are specific to the state of New York, many others are cited which are available to artists nationwide.

A copy of the survey used to collect the data is included - you may want to print it out and take it for yourself - use it as a tool for self-awareness and to help crystallize your thoughts about who you are as an artist.
http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/systems/report/51_FINAL%20SYSTEMS%20REPORT.pdf

You also may want to review the March 12, 2009 post on

Estate and Legacy Planning for Artists
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Artists and Aging: Better with Time - This is a 100-minute video of Part 1 of a 3-part professional development series sponsored by the Artist Trust and broadcast by the Seattle Channel: Taped on 4/24/10, it is "A discussion from a multidisciplinary panel of senior artists that have continued to create new work through the tides of personal and social change." Part 2 (Now and Forever: Legacy Planning for Artists) and Part 3 (Where There’s A Will There’s A Way: A Guide to Estate Planning for Artists) are not yet available.
http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=5591041  

Supporting Individual Artists

Grants for individual artists unfortunately are few and far between and access to those is usually restricted because of the application/nomination process and/or geographical requirements.

The current issue of the GIAreader (a publication of Grantmakers in the Arts) includes a very interesting article on this subject by Claire Peeps, president of the Durfee Foundation - "Supporting Individual Artists: Ten Years, Ten Lessons". Since 2000, the Durfee Foundation's ARC (Artists' Resource for Completion) program has provided 475 small grants (up to $3,500 each) for artists living in Los Angeles. The article focuses on 10 lessons the foundation has learned about the grantmaking process. They include:

1. Artists would rather receive a grant by application than by nomination - "...artists are their own agents, in most senses of the word, so an artist's desire to make the case on his or her own behalf is logical."
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2. Artists don't want to be categorized by discipline or career level - "Taken with artists' preference for open application processes, it seems like we funders have some work to do, from a customer service perspective."
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3. Small grants are like stepping stones - "Artists need small grants to get from one place to another, at all levels of their careers."
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4. Ease of application and quick turnaround are highly valued - "The Durfee ARC application is short and relatively simple...Even so, it surprised us to learn that it takes artists, on average, three to five hours to complete it..."
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5. Funding is needed at all levels of artistic development - "Over the years, we've contemplated whether the ARC program should serve only emerging artist...Based on the results of the survey, we've rejected the idea."
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6. Artists support artists - "Nearly half of the artists surveyed used a substantial portion of their grant (46%) to hire other artists as collaborators."
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7. Grants encourage artistic risk-taking - "63% of ARC recipients said that the small grant enabled them to take risks that they wouldn't have otherwise."
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8. Local giving builds community and keeps it current - "While only artists living in Los Angeles can apply for a Durfee grant, their presenting opportunities can be anywhere in the world...On a related front, 83% of artists surveyed reported that a sense of community is an important factor in keeping them in Los Angeles."
   .
9. Artists make great panelists - "...one accomplished artist [said]...reading the applications was extremely illuminating on several fronts: it gave me a better sense of some of the work going on in L.A.; it highlighted what is effective and less effective in a proposal; it further sensitized me to the difficulties of making and showing work; it helped me to more clearly articulae my perspectives and opions...I also found it useful and fascinating to learn about the process of thinking and selection specific to a foundation..."
   

   NOTE: From personal experience, I can second those thoughts. I have been very fortunate to be asked to serve on major ($50,000 grant) and minor ($5,000 grant) panels including United States Artists, Bush Foundation and Mississippi Arts Commission. Being a panelist is truly an eye-opening experience - its also very hard but immensely satisfying work.

10. Optimism matters - "Artists make more art and better art if they feel optimistic, because they're more likely to take risks.".

A direct link to the full article is available. I encourage you to read it in full.

http://www.giarts.org/article/supporting-individual-artists-ten-years-ten-lessons

Americans for the Arts Arts Action Alert

Arts Action Alert - Take Action Now!

Great news!

On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $15 million increase for both the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for FY 2010. Currently funded at $155 million, this increase would bring both agencies' budgets to $170 million. Please take two minutes to write to your Senators and urge them to support this important funding increase!

Thanks to the arts leadership of House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Norm Dicks (D-WA) and Congressional Arts Caucus co-chair Louise Slaughter (D-NY), this House-approved funding increase for the NEA exceeds President Obama's budget request by $8.7 million and is the highest proposed appropriation for the NEA since its $176 million peak in FY 1992. On June 25, corresponding legislation in the Senate Appropriations Committee set NEA and NEH funding at only $161.3 million each.

Next Steps:
We must now put pressure on the Senate to match the funding level set in the House of Representatives. Please take two minutes to visit Americans for the Arts E-Advocacy Center to send a letter to your Senators:
http://capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=13627991

Arts Action Alert

From Americans for the Arts- Arts Action Alert - Take Action Now!
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President Obama today released the final details of his FY 2010 budget request to Congress which includes the nation’s cultural agencies and programs, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Institute for Museums and Library Services (IMLS), and the Department of Education’s Arts in Education program. Write your members of Congress and tell them to support funding for these cultural agencies:
http://www.capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=13297101
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As Americans for the Arts President & CEO Robert Lynch noted in a press statement, "The president's proposed funding of $161 million would take the NEA to its highest funding level in 15 years and will help continue the upward trend of budgetary growth that Congress established several years ago. In contrast to the previous administration, this year's budget includes funding for the Arts in Education program at the Department of Education at $38.16 million. We hope that Congress will build on these initial budget requests to secure even higher funding levels to address the needs of the arts and arts education community."
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On Arts Advocacy Day, artists Wynton Marsalis, Linda Ronstadt and Josh Groban joined Americans for the Arts and over 550 arts advocates from around the country to testify on Capitol Hill and to meet with congressional leaders to request $200 million for the NEA and $53 million for arts education. These requests are just some of the legislative priorities for the nonprofit arts community in 2009:
http://www.artsusa.org/get_involved/advocacy/advocacy_003.asp

A breakdown of the President’s budget request is as follows:
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Federally Funded Arts Program
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FY 2009 Enacted Appropriations (in millions):
National Endowment for the Arts- $155
National Endowment for the Humanities- $155
Institute of Museum and Library Services - $274.8 *
U.S. Dept. of Education’s Arts in Education- $38.1
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*includes $11 million in Congressional earmarks
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FY 2010 President’s Budget Request(in millions):
National Endowment for the Arts- $161
National Endowment for the Humanities- $161
Institute of Museum and Library Services - $266
U.S. Dept. of Education’s Arts in Education- $38.1

Next Steps
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As you know, the President’s budget is the first step in the appropriations process. While it serves as an important framework, Congress has the power to set its own priorities and change these funding levels. That’s where you come in.
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Arts advocates can make their voices heard by writing their members of Congress and urging them to support funding for arts and culture through the NEA and increase funding for arts in education programs. We have provided you with a customizable letter, as well as several talking points to help you craft your message. We recommend you add your own thoughts and stories about why the arts are important to you and your community:
http://www.capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=13297101
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Please help us continue this important work by becoming an official member of the Arts Action Fund. Play your part by joining the Arts Action Fund today -- it's free and simple- http://www.artsactionfund.org/

Americans for the Arts
1000 Vermont Avenue NW
6th Floor
Washington DC . 20005
T 202.371.2830
F 202.371.0424
One East 53rd Street . 2nd Floor
New York NY .
F 212.980.4857
info@artsusa.org
http://www.americansforthearts.org/
http://www.artsactionfund.org/

Newsweek Article re New Administration & the Arts

This week's edition of Newsweek Magazine has a four-page in-depth article focused on the Obama administration and how the arts might fair in this new administration:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/178845

Petition to Obama for a Secretary of the Arts

Noting that most industrialized nations have a ministry of culture or of the arts, an online petition has been started to request President-Elect Barack Obama to create a similar cabinet level position. The idea was sparked by Quincy Jones in a December 2008 interview during which he discussed his efforts to get the President-Elect to appoint a Secretary of the Arts.
http://fora.tv/2008/12/17/Quincy_Jones_Secretary_of_the_Arts_Would_Transform_US

To date, over 42,000 signatures have been gathered.

To sign the petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html

UPDATE - Arts Positions of Presidential Candidates

I first blogged about the Arts Policies of the 2008 presidential candidates on June 3, 2008. At that time only one candidate felt it was an important enough issue to be concerned about. However, both campaigns now have official positions. Judge them for yourself.

Arts Positions of the

2008 Presidential Candidates

Source: Americans for the Arts Action Fund, as of 10/03/08

Campaign has met with Americans for the Arts Action Fund to discuss policy issues:

Senator Barack Obama
YES - Meeting held 4/1/08

Senator John McCain
YES - Meeting held 4/1/08
_____________________________

Campaign has published policy proposals on the arts and/or arts education:

Senator Barack Obama
YES - Read policy proposal 2/28/08

Senator John McCain
NO
__________________________

Candidate has made statement on federal support of the arts:

Senator Barack Obama
YES - View Pennsylvania speech on 4/2/08

Senator John McCain
NO
__________________________

Candidate has made statement on federal support of arts education:

Senator Barack Obama
YES - View Texas speech on 2/28/08

Senator John McCain
YES - Read Statement 10/03/08
______________________

National party platform includes statement on the arts and/or arts education:

Senator Barack Obama
YES - Read platform statement on page 49

Senator John McCain
NO
___________________________

Candidate has pro-arts Congressional record:

Senator Barack Obama
YES - Co-sponsored S. 548, Artist-Museum Partnership Act, 2/25/08

Senator John McCain
NO - Voted to cut funding or terminate the National Endowment for the Arts ( in 9 different Roll Call Votes)
_______________________________

This information can be viewed in a side-by-side comparison table: http://www.artsactionfund.org/pdf/press/McCain_Obama_record_final.pdf

Americans for the Arts Action Fund is the bipartisan advocacy arm of Americans for the Arts, engaging citizens in ensuring that all Americans have the opportunity to appreciate, value, and participate in the arts. Arts Action Fund members are citizen activists who are committed to helping make certain that arts-friendly public policies are adopted at every level of government and in the private sector. ArtsVote2008, a program of the Arts Action Fund, was created to secure bold, new policy proposals in support of the arts and arts education in America from candidates in the 2008 presidential campaign.

Arts Policies of U.S. Presidential Candidates

The arts policies of the presumptive candidates of the Democratic and Republican parties are important to consider. ArtsVote 2008 (a program of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund) inivted each presidential candidate to detail their positions on art and art education and provided them with a Pro-Arts Policy Brief that candidates could adopt or use as a base for development of their own.

ArtsVote 2008 Pro-Arts Policy Brief: A Bold New Vision for the Arts

http://www.artsactionfund.org/pdf/artsvote/ArtsVoteIssueBrief.pdf

Barack Obama Campaign Arts Policy

Policy Brief #1 - http://www.artsactionfund.org/pdf/artsvote/Obamaarts1.pdf
Policy Brief # 2 - http://www.artsactionfund.org/pdf/artsvote/Obamaarts2.pdf
Policy Brief # 3 - http://www.artsactionfund.org/pdf/artsvote/ObamaStatement3b.pdf


John McCain Campaign Arts Policy

To date, none has been established

ArtsVote 2008 Home Page

http://www.artsactionfund.org/artsvote/default.asp