And no, I am not asking if you are for the arts. I have a hunch that if you are reading this blog, I already know your answer. I could write about all of the reasons that I, and probably you, support the arts and arts education, but I would just be preaching to the choir. Instead, I want to write about the gray line is that separates Americans who are for the arts and Americans for the Arts.
The American Society of Association Executives (a.k.a. the association for associations) recently published a study called The Decision to Join, based on years of study and more than 16,000 surveys. One main concept of the research findings is that people join an organization to affiliate, or to be a part of, a movement of individuals with the same interests or goals.
That means they don’t join for the benefits and services an organization provides. This is a big blow to many of us who work for a membership organization, myself included. The reason I have a job is to make sure our members get their benefits and services (by the way, if you aren’t, email kcopeland@artsusa.org). And while I know many of our members place a ton of value in services we provide like the Public Art Network Listserv, Arts Link, or the discount they get on books in our Online Store, my gut tells me that The Decision to Join got it right.
We recently surveyed a small sample of our members to ask about some new benefits we were thinking about offering, like discounts on office supplies or insurance for small businesses and artists. (Incidentally, if you need insurance for yourself or employees, check out Fractured Atlas.) The members who responded gave us a very clear answer: they don’t want any of them.
So we’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about where that leaves us. Essentially, most people join Americans for the Arts for the same reason you might join a political party or a knitting circle. You might be the only person in your town or on your block who thinks that the arts make America better, but you know you are not alone. You know that you are part of something larger than yourself. And we know we have a lot of work to do.
Tagged with: About-UsMembership
October 29th, 2007 at 10:12am
Katherine Copeland
In celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month, we have 39 Creative Conversations scheduled in 21 states. Some cities, like Washington, DC and New York, are hosting a series of events. As of today, over 500 people have attended Creative Conversations. There are more Creative Conversations this week than any other this month.
REGISTER NOW for a Creative Conversation in your community!
- October 22: Washington, DC Shakespeare Theatre Company
- October 22: Washington, DC The Pink Line Project
- October 22: Atlanta, GA
- October 23: Philadelphia, PA
- October 23: Kingsport, TN
- October 23: Austin, TX
- October 24: Keene, NH
- October 24: New York, NY
- October 25: San Francisco, CA
- October 25: Houma, LA
- October 25: Omaha, NE
- October 25: Winchester, VA
- October 26: Richmond, CA
Tagged with: EventsLeadership
October 23rd, 2007 at 09:41am
Rebecca Borden
Creative Conversations are continuing to sweep the country this month. To date, there are 39 events on the calendar in 20 states. Emerging leaders are using this moment within a national movement to develop local networks in their communities and to cultivate the unique leadership potential of young arts professionals. I visited two events last week (Seattle and Los Angeles) and I am continually humbled by the level of engagement and sophistication that emerging leaders bring to conversations about their future vision of arts for America.
Creative Conversations happening this week:
Tagged with: Leadership
October 15th, 2007 at 05:28pm
Rebecca Borden
Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, takes a look at the arts and news across the country. He discusses a variety of programs and events that occur this October in celebration of National Arts & Humanities Month. For more information visit: www.AmericansForTheArts.org/NAHM.
Tagged with: About-UsAdvocacyEventsLeadershipPodcastPresident-and-CEO
October 11th, 2007 at 10:01am
Graham Dunstan
Artists made a stunning and under-appreciated difference in the history of education. Research, such as that from Illinois and New Jersey, is now telling us the “will of the leadership” determines whether or not arts education happens.
I take this moment to appreciate leadership by the arts for education:
THE DAY LOUIS ARMSTRONG MADE NOISE ABOUT SCHOOL SEGREGATION
Fifty years ago, and two weeks after the Little Rock Nine were first barred from Central High School, Louis Armstrong was on tour in Grand Forks, N.D., writes David Margolick in the New York Times. Larry Lubenow, then a 21-year-old journalism student at the University of North Dakota, was sent to Armstrong’s hotel to interview him, with his editor’s caveat of “no politics.” This would have aligned with Armstrong’s wishes, as up to that point he had been quoted as saying “I don’t get involved in politics…I just blow my horn.” With the help of a bell captain and a room service lobster dinner, Lubenow snuck into Armstrong’s suite, and Armstrong agreed to speak with Lubenow. Lubenow initially stuck to his editor’s script, but soon brought up t he happenings of Little Rock. The response was shocking–Armstrong said President Eisenhower was “two-faced,” and had “no guts.” He called then Arkansas Governor Orville Faubus “an uneducated plow boy,” and sang the opening bar of “The Star-Spangled Banner” with obscenities substituted for the lyrics. Lubenow knew he had a story, but couldn’t get anyone to run it, as the Associated Press editor in Minneapolis wouldn’t believe Armstrong had said those things. So the next morning, Lubenow went to Armstrong’s suite with a photographer and showed him the story. After reading it, Armstrong, who was once called “Uncle Tom” by Jet Magazine, said “don’t take nothing out of that story,” wrote “solid” below the last line and signed it. There was typical backlash, but Jackie Robinson, Sugar Ray Robinson, Lena Horne, and others quickly backed Armstrong. One week later, President Eisenhower sent 1,200 paratroopers into Little Rock, and the next day those soldiers escorted nine students into Central High School.
Tagged with: AdvocacyArts-EducationLeadership
October 9th, 2007 at 11:34am
John Abodeely
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