Blog Posts for connect

Thank you to the many people who have been blog contributors to, and readers of ArtsBlog over the years. ArtsBlog has long been a space where we uplifted stories from the field that demonstrated how the arts strengthen our communities socially, educationally, and economically; where trends and issues and controversies were called out; and advocacy tools were provided to help you make the case for more arts funding and favorable arts policies.

As part of Americans for the Arts’ recent Strategic Realignment Process, we were asked to evaluate our storytelling communications platforms and evolve the way we share content. As a result, we launched the Designing Our Destiny portal to explore new ways of telling stories and sharing information, one that is consistent with our longtime practice of, “No numbers without a story, and no stories without a number.”

As we put our energy into developing this platform and reevaluate our communications strategies, we have put ArtsBlog on hold. That is, you can read past blog posts, but we are not posting new ones. You can look to the Designing Our Destiny portal and our news items feed on the Americans for the Arts website for stories you would have seen in ArtsBlog in the past.

ArtsBlog will remain online through this year as we determine the best way to archive this valuable resource and the knowledge you’ve shared here.

As ever, we are grateful for your participation in ArtsBlog and thank you for your work in advancing the arts. It is important, and you are important for doing it.


Mr. John R. Killacky

Arts and the creative economy

Posted by Mr. John R. Killacky, Jul 17, 2019 0 comments


Mr. John R. Killacky

On my recent road trips across Vermont, I was reminded how essential cultural organizations are to the vitality of each of their communities, and how the arts are, in fact, economic drivers in urban and rural economic development. The Flynn Center, which I ran before becoming a legislator, employs 300+ people with an annual payroll of over $2.8 million. The Vermont Arts Council recently released a study showing that the creative economy in the Northeast Kingdom employs 3,327 individuals, 9.4% of the workforce of 35,500. The Arts Council is expanding its research statewide to illustrate how substantial the arts sector is in each community. As a state legislator, I feel Vermont can do more for the arts. As we seek to encourage younger people to relocate here, added support for the cultural sector will make our region even more attractive and deliver immense returns on investment.

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Krisi Packer

Your Fans Don't Care How Excited You Are (and Other Lessons on Social Media Authenticity)

Posted by Krisi Packer, Jul 10, 2019 0 comments


Krisi Packer

The digital landscape is crowded, and with human attention spans coming in at 8.25 seconds (yes, that’s shorter than the attention span of a goldfish), arts marketers need to create content that not only stands out but also helps them connect with their audiences.

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Ms. Jill Tutt

Arts & Military Connections: Missouri American Legion Tom Powell Post #77 Celebrates 100 years

Posted by Ms. Jill Tutt, Jul 02, 2019 0 comments


Ms. Jill Tutt

In September 1919, American Legion Tom Powell Post #77 in St. Louis was the first of its kind to become chartered as an all African American Post, decades before the military would desegregate. Post #77 takes pride in having members who served with distinction with the Tuskegee Airmen, Buffalo Soldiers, Montford Point Marines, and many other distinguished military units. Post members also have a proud history of assisting disabled and unemployed veterans, and a strong legacy of providing community youth arts programs. Tom Powell Post #77 was instrumental in bringing the concept of competitive marching music to the community through the development of the Spirit of St. Louis senior drum and bugle corps, and mentored the famed American Woodmen Cadets junior drum and bugle corps programs. The Tom Powell Post Junior Drum and Bugle Corps was organized on September 1, 1935, to help curb juvenile delinquency in and around the neighborhood and to provide music to the Post members marching in the American Legion parade held in St. Louis. The Corps as a competitive group won many honors, including perennial Missouri State championships and placing in the top 10 of numerous national conventions. The Corps was the only Black Corps in the country participating in American Legion competition.

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Jessica Stern

Introducing the Renewed pARTnership Movement

Posted by Jessica Stern, Jun 26, 2019 0 comments


Jessica Stern

First launched in 2012, the pARTnership Movement is a program and online platform of Americans for the Arts which demonstrates that by partnering with the arts, businesses can gain a competitive edge. Over the past seven years, Americans for the Arts has developed toolkits, shared stories of success, published how-to workbooks to engage employees, and continued to celebrate America’s best businesses supporting the arts—all for the purpose of supporting the work of local arts organizations and businesses as they seek to build creative relationships. Our goal has always been two-fold: build the capacity of the arts field to cultivate and sustain mutually beneficial partnerships with business; and make the case to businesses why partnering with the arts is good for their people, their companies, and their communities. We are pleased to introduce a new pARTnership Movement website to help us (and you) further this work.

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Mr. Ceylon Narvelle Mitchell

7 Essential Tools to Empower Artists as Entrepreneurs

Posted by Mr. Ceylon Narvelle Mitchell, Jun 18, 2019 0 comments


Mr. Ceylon Narvelle Mitchell

Arts organizations can help individual artists succeed by providing professional development opportunities that build artists’ sustainability and capacity, thereby boosting our nation’s overall creative economy. Here are 7 essential tools that can empower artists as entrepreneurs.

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Mrs. Kelly Lamb Pollock

Creating Space for Human Connection

Posted by Mrs. Kelly Lamb Pollock, May 28, 2019 0 comments


Mrs. Kelly Lamb Pollock

Every day, the sound of jackhammers provides a soundtrack to my workday. My organization, COCA–Center of Creative Arts in St. Louis, is expanding with a 50,000 square foot addition. Historically, arts organizations have built facilities and spaces in service to their art, such as grand museums and acoustically pristine symphony halls. In planning for our expansion, we have done more than our fair share of discussing, debating, and decision-making about the technical specifications and “performance” of our new space. However, as the project has evolved, I’m more interested in thinking about how our space, and our art, can be in service to humanity, not the other way around. Can we, as arts organizations — with our abundance of theatres, studios, museums, and community spaces — do a better job of serving as cornerstones of community connectivity and human engagement?

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