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.


Michael R. Gagliardo

Five Points

Posted by Michael R. Gagliardo, Mar 22, 2010 0 comments


Michael R. Gagliardo

The vision of the future of music education, as it relates to string instruments and orchestras, has been succinctly stated in five points by the American String Teachers’ Association.  Let’s take a look at these points and see in what direction they are pointing us.

First, ASTA’s vision includes “providing access to strings and orchestra for all children, protecting these programs from economic uncertainty, and teaching members how to advocate for these programs.”  That’s a tall order.  It’s not that string music educators aren’t up to the task, and it’s not that it’s too much to ask.  Those of us in the profession are doing this every day, to a certain extent.  Some of us are doing more than others – but that’s not the fault of those who are doing less.  The truth of the matter is that many younger members of our profession aren’t being taught how to advocate and how to fight for our programs.

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Brian Reich

Social Media 101: Expanding Opportunities

Posted by Brian Reich, Mar 22, 2010 3 comments


Brian Reich

Brian Reich

On March 3, I led a webinar on social media. I had three goals for my presentation. First, I wanted to re-frame the way you think about using the internet and technology to communicate, engage, educate, and the like. I wanted to make sure you understood the need to re-consider, and in some cases re-set, everything you are doing because of the influence that these new tools are having on society—and particularly nonprofit organizations and the arts/culture space. Second, I wanted to address the fears that most organizations have about social media—the loss of control, the costs and ability to measure impact, the burden of management, the challenge of getting buy-in from senior management who aren't intimately familiar with the latest innovations online, and of course the disconnect between you and the audience you are serving. Instead of living in fear, I hoped to show all the opportunities that exist, that technology is not scary, and that the opportunities to reach, engage, educate, and ultimately mobilize audiences to support nonprofits and social causes are continually expanding. And third, I wanted to share some specific examples and put some 'next practices' together that anyone could begin to apply to their work almost immediately.

From my perspective, when it comes to communicating with an ever-evolving audience, today’s organization has more than enough tools to get the job done—blogs, podcasts, social networks, mobile, games, search, wikis, and much more. Still, the combination of rapid technological innovation and continuous social shifts has left many organizations struggling to stay focused and execute their ideas. Everything is changing and nothing we are doing is working anymore (at least not entirely).

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Americans for the Arts

The FAQs of an Emerging Arts Leader

Posted by Americans for the Arts, Mar 19, 2010 3 comments


Americans for the Arts

by Anna Sebourn

As a second year graduate student in Arts Management getting ready to move from academia to a career, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the difficulty of the transition. Sure, I’ve taken a graduate level Arts Marketing class and had a marketing internship . . .but what kind of marketing jobs should I apply for? Am I considered entry-level or mid-level? And sure, I know how to market an arts event fairly well, but how well can I market MYSELF to employers?

I know I’m not alone in this. Several of my friends and I have been discussing this very topic at length anytime we peruse job listings or talk about our plans after graduation. We’re just not sure which jobs we’re qualified for and how to stand out among the sea of other applicants.

On the other hand, I have numerous friends on the opposite side of the spectrum. They have several years of work experience under their belt, but trying to transfer into the arts field from the ‘outside’ is tough. Some have already broken into the field, but have questions about advancing and sustaining their careers and staying current on best practices.

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Leslie Ito

Cultural Democracy Green Paper Discussion

Posted by Leslie Ito, Mar 18, 2010 0 comments


Leslie Ito

Greetings from sunny California.  I am excited to be an ambassador to this project and to help Americans for the Arts celebrate its 50th anniversary.

My hope is to have a productive and meaningful interaction around the topic of a cultural democracy.  Over the next 12 months, this will be a place where we can discuss our vision for the future of the arts through a culturally democratic lens, the obstacles in achieving this vision, and the strategies to overcome those obstacles and make that vision a reality.

My hope as an ambassador is that this cultural democracy green paper, its responses and the dialogue it catalyzes will be taken to the next step.  That as practioners and cultural policy makers, we will use these ideas and dialogue to inform our own work and make change in the current environment.  I expect this discussion may become spirited, as we are talking about how we can respect differences and contrary beliefs, as well as universalities within the context of arts and culture in America.  

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Americans for the Arts

Help Americans for the Arts Spread Our Arts Support Message!

Posted by Americans for the Arts, Mar 18, 2010 2 comments


Americans for the Arts

American Express and cause-related website TakePart.com have chosen to feature Americans for the Arts as one of only 10 Arts & Culture organizations in their new social media Members Project campaign. The participation of Americans for the Arts means added visibility and exposure for our organization and its work in arts advocacy and other critical programs, but also a chance to win a $200,000 award from American Express. TakePart.com is a go-to site for volunteering and donating in a variety of topics and causes and is the social action network of Participant Media, the social change-oriented media company behind An Inconvenient Truth and Food Inc.

The Americans for the Arts page of the Member Project can be found here, with links to registering for TakePart.com and for voting in the campaign which runs through May 24, 2010. If you have a Facebook account, you can easily register from this page through Facebook Connect.

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