ARTSblog

Whether it be a publicity stunt for self-promotion or a true effort to put forth “the idea that nudity isn’t necessarily perverse or sexual”, a model for photographer Zach Hyman was arrested recently for endangering the welfare of a minor and public lewdness while posing nude for photographs taken in public inside the Met. Ironically, the museum houses numerous photographs (as well as paintings, sculptures, etc.) featuring nude subjects. Since this was done on publicly-funded city property (and sans permit) though, the photo shoot is subject to the laws of the city and the state. It’s funny to think, however, that photos like these could end up in a gallery some day, maybe even a publicly-funded one.

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Working on a Saturday, I’ve just returned to my desk from grabbing a quick sandwich at the Subway down the block. Merrily munching my meatball marina, I watched a young man enter the otherwise empty store… and my eyes immediately attached to the holstered gun on his hip.

“What lethal force,” I wondered to myself, “is this guy thinking he might need in the course of procuring a 12-inch Turkey sub?”

I stared further. A policeman’s radio or a military satchel would have calmed me – evidence that there was a clear reason for his armed presence. There wasn’t.  Without incident, in less than 5 minutes he was gone.  The Supreme Court says he has that RIGHT and I’m left with a single question:

What if someone tried to take away that man’s weapon… even just a little bit (like a sign in the door that could have said, “NO WEAPONS ALLOWED.”

One could imagine being immediately beseiged by a well organized, fiercely passionate – and (obviously) highly-armed constituency.  Nobody picks a fight with a gun owner who isn’t prepared for an all-out battle.  (Did I mention that I live in Arizona – where apparently it’s even legal to bring firearms to greet the President!?  Who knew?)

But really, the question I’m left wondering is this:  How do we similarly defend the cause of arts & culture? Read the rest of this entry »

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excerpt from serve.artsusa.org site

Every year, Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center Wynton Marsalis dedicates countless hours to keeping the spirit of jazz alive through Jazz at Lincoln Center’s education initiatives. At the forefront of the organization’s mission is educating younger generations about jazz, America’s unique art form, which is imperative not only to continuing the music’s legacy but also understanding the values it represents.

As Marsalis has noted, “Jazz tells us more about who we are as Americans, where we’ve been and where we’re going, more than any other indigenous art form. It is a music of communication. Listening is an important skill to learn in this age of global communication. The telephone, radio, and computer have given us the tools to speak to one another. Now, the question is what will we say and how well will we listen? Jazz music teaches us the respect, patience, and attentiveness that is required to participate in today’s worldwide conversation. It enables us to understand and enjoy the individuality of every person and encourages us to listen to one another with empathy.”

To kick off the summer, Marsalis mentored more than 400 students from 15 high school jazz bands from across the United States as part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Program. The program, created during the 1995–96 school year, aims to make the music of Duke Ellington and other seminal big band composers and arrangers accessible to as many high school musicians as possible and to support the development of school music programs. Jazz at Lincoln Center now also hosts the annual Essentially Ellington Competition & Festival at its home, Frederick P. Rose Hall, every May for students to come together to jam, compete, and learn from the leading jazz educators, including Marsalis.

Read more of this volunteer story submitted by Bridget Wilson by clicking here.

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It’s that time of year again!  Creative Conversations and National Arts and Humanities Month are right around the corner.  Every October, in honor of National Arts & Humanities Month, Americans for the Arts partners with emerging leaders from across the country to host Creative Conversations—local gatherings and discussions that focus on pertinent topics from arts leadership to arts advocacy.  Last year, more than 1,500 emerging arts leaders participated in 43 locally hosted Creative Conversations throughout the country, and those leaders continue to be engaged at the national level.  In celebration of 2009 being the 5th Anniversary of Creative Conversations, the 10th Anniversary of the Emerging Leader Network and the 50th Anniversary of Americans for the Arts, our goal is to support communities in hosting at least 50 Creative Conversations this year.

Is someone in your community planning to host a Creative Conversation?  Are you considering it?  If so, there are a few easy steps to follow: Read the rest of this entry »

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:08 — 2.9MB)

In this podcast Bob Lynch, President & CEO of Americans for the Arts, discusses a recent meeting with the new NEA Chair Rocco Landesman. He addresses the cultural landscape Landesman faces and looks toward the future of programs at the National Endowment for the Arts.

Every Friday you’ll find a new ArtCast audio blog, featuring the leaders of Americans for the Arts as they focus on important and timely topics that affect you and your arts community.

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Senator Edward M. Kennedy was a titan for the arts, and I know the national arts community joins me in mourning his passing.

Ever since The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was opened as a living memorial to the late president, Senator Kennedy has carried forth the arts and humanities legacy that his brother began.  He powerfully advocated the need to nurture creativity and to broaden access to artistic excellence in the U.S. Senate, and his leadership extended to co-founding and co-chairing the Senate Arts Caucus.

Throughout his work, he carried strong messages of freedom of expression, tolerance, and creative rights. He spoke staunchly of the central role of the federal government in supporting American cultural life, inspiring bipartisan cooperation among his colleagues. Senator Kennedy was the recipient of our own 1999 Congressional Arts Leadership Award, and in 2004, introduced his friend Doris Kearns Goodwin as our Nancy Hanks Lecturer on Arts and Public Policy at The Kennedy Center. Read the rest of this entry »

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Today the Washington Post has a feature on Rocco Landesman, the new chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. The article takes a look at this 10th chairman of the NEA and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.  While Landesman aims to increase funding at the NEA, he says, “I think the worst thing in the world would be going around with the message, ‘I’m going to shake things up.’ That would be a huge mistake.”

Read more about Landesman’s background and support of the arts in the WaPo article. And this Friday come back to ArtsBlog to hear the newest podcast from Bob Lynch, discussing his recent meeting with chairman Landesman.

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I’m writing this blog post immediately after reading Edward Clapp’s Open Letter to Young Arts Professionals, titled This is Our Emergency.  Edward is the editor and project director for 20UNDER40, “an anthology of critical discourse that aims to collect twenty essays about the future of the arts and arts education – each written by a young arts professional under the age of forty.”

While the 20UNDER40 project has received strong support and praise, there has also been an undercurrent of criticism (as Edward references in his letter).  However, what is more surprising – are the number of letters Edward has received from young arts professionals who have something to say and contribute – but do not feel they have the authority or courage to do so.  Is it possible that so many members of the Gen X and Gen Y generation are afraid to speak out?  What is it that we are worried about – Failure?  Criticism and judgment from our peers?  Losing our jobs?  Engaging in a debate?  Read the rest of this entry »

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On May 27, I posted An Open Letter to Arts Administrators. In the post I suggested that you give yourself a year to do one of two things:

1. Make at least one significant, positive, change within the organization; or

2. Find a new job.

A lot of you emailed me saying that you would use that year to make a change. Consider this a friendly reminder: You have about nine months left.

I know, time flies. Read the rest of this entry »

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As many of you are aware, President and Mrs. Obama have made volunteerism a central part of their call to build community, part of the United We Serve initiative. To highlight the importance and the power of the arts in volunteerism, Americans for the Arts is excited to announce its new United We Serve website has just launched! Be sure to visit and share your stories and pictures about volunteerism in the arts. It’s a great way to showcase the fantastic work of volunteers and arts organizations.

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:26 — 3.9MB)

In this podcast Bob Lynch, President & CEO of Americans for the Arts, discusses the need for comprehensive healthcare reform as it specifically relates to artists and arts organizations. He also addresses the strength of the arts as a therapeutic tool for health and recovery.

Americans for the Arts and other national partners have signed on to a statement supporting comprehensive healthcare reform. Be sure to contact your member of Congress in support of healthcare reform which incorporates the arts.

Every Friday you’ll find a new ArtCast audio blog, featuring the leaders of Americans for the Arts as they focus on important and timely topics that affect you and your arts community.

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Lets face it:  Young leaders in the arts are not always considered valuable by senior managers at arts organizations.  Sound like a generalization?  Well, it is.  There are some opinions to help back that statement up, but not enough to make a wide assumption about a manager’s level of appreciation for his or her younger employees.

That’s why I (and many other Emerging Leaders) were surprised when we read this article published by The New York Enterprise Report – scroll down to the section Gen Y Workers Disappoint.  (Courtesy of Emily Peck, Program Manager – Business Committee for the Arts).  The article is reporting survey results of small business owners, and referencing in part the level of satisfaction that business owners have with their Generation Y employees.  In my opinion (and take this for what it’s worth), reports such as this are incredibly misleading and damaging.  Read the rest of this entry »

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I just saw the movie, “Julie and Julia”, and suspected  it would relate to my last blog on the role of persistence as a tool for learning  – and I was right.  Culinary arts are such a great example of practice, persistence, and learning by reading (recipes) and learning by doing (actually cooking).  There are several standout scenes in the movie for me.  One is of Julia  Child in France having just completed her first day or two of cooking class where she failed onion chopping only to return home to chop onion after onion in her kitchen to practice the art of cutting an onion!  Talk about practicing.  Her husband enters to quite an onion stench and promptly leaves.  Julia’s persistence and determination drives this onion chopping practice session. And upon returning to class the next day she out chops the entire class (gleefully, may I add).

Another scene involves the second major character, Julie, who after months of blogging and persistently  cooking every one of Julia Child’s recipes from her Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook, has become of interest to the New York Times. A reporter interviews Julie, and a major story is printed in the Times about her race to cook all of Julia Child’s recipes within a year.  Read the rest of this entry »

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In the next few months, we hope to launch a new and improved ArtsBlog. We want this blog to be an easy-to-use tool for the field with a more dynamic look and even more new daily content. As we look toward making these changes, we’d love your feedback.  Please comment below!

What are some of the blogs you read regularly and what appeals to you about these blogs? What content do you want to see and read?

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With the school year beginning, there are many conversations being held about funding for students and their education.  Chief among these are conversations regarding arts education, including the one held today via conference call by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

One of the major items that Secretary Duncan highlighted was the need for parents to demand arts education, especially since it is considered a core subject under current federal law legislation.  During the discussion several methods for advocating arts education were discussed. Some tend more toward the personal story, some rely on the intrinsic value, and others focus on the value of the arts as related to other subjects. Read the rest of this entry »

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