Profile

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.

Dr. Patrick Rooney

Patrick Rooney is professor of economics and philanthropic studies, and the executive associate dean for academic programs at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. While he served as the executive director of the Center on Philanthropy, he worked closely with the Center’s faculty, Board of Visitors, and the IU administration to become the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy—the world’s first school of philanthropy. Rooney also served as the Center’s first full-time director of research, building the Center into one of the nation’s premier philanthropy research organizations, leading research projects for organizations such as Giving USA, Bank of America, American Express, Gates, Google, and United Way Worldwide. He has served on the boards and advisory committees of many nonprofits. A nationally recognized expert on philanthropy and charitable giving, Dr. Rooney has published many academic and practitioner-focused papers. He speaks frequently across the country on issues related to philanthropy and nonprofit management and has been quoted by national news media outlets such as PBS’s Nightly Business Report, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and USA Today. He earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Economics at Notre Dame.