Blog Posts for California

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. Vijay Gupta

Joyful Work: Music in the Community

Posted by Mr. Vijay Gupta, May 07, 2018 0 comments


Mr. Vijay Gupta

As artists, it’s our job to tell stories and to ask questions. The great “masterpieces” I play as a symphonic musician were written to tell the stories of communities, as much as they were written for what we might perceive as some grandiose idea of individual expression. I have dedicated my life to studying and performing the works of these great masters, largely in part because I will always be humbled by their craft and their music. We will always be humbled by the opportunity to hear—and play—something new in the music we love. But we have to ask the question—do we truly reflect the vibrancy and power of our communities just by playing the music of old, dead, white men? What’s our modern day “Messiah”? What is the sound of America, today, now?

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Judith Greer Essex, PhD

A Shaman in the Recovery Room: The Arts’ Surprising Return to the Job of Healing

Posted by Judith Greer Essex, PhD, Aug 24, 2016 0 comments


Judith Greer Essex, PhD

For the last century, modern healthcare has been tremendously beneficial to humanity, both in extending and improving quality of life. But now many physicians and hospitals across the country and around the globe are once again recognizing a significant role for the arts in healthcare.

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Ms. Kate O. McClanahan

Advocacy & Arts: Have You Seen the Ads?

Posted by Ms. Kate O. McClanahan, May 05, 2017 0 comments


Ms. Kate O. McClanahan

Elected leaders care deeply about the areas they represent and the views of their constituents who elect them every few years. They may not agree with what they think, but they do care to know what they think—and it is certainly one key factor that weighs on how they cast their votes, what issues they focus on, and what areas they deepen their knowledge. Since we know that ads bring attention to issues, inspire and educate the public, and mobilize grassroots, they are one great way to invite data and impact stories that can lead to policy change. And, we know that legislators read their local newspapers, so the message gets through.

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Jesus A. Reyes

It Has to Be Bigger Than You

Posted by Jesus A. Reyes, May 07, 2018 0 comments


Jesus A. Reyes

When my mother died I felt a shift. When my first nephew was born, I felt another shift. Both events happened in the span of six months. Suddenly, theatre as I knew it didn’t matter in the same way anymore. At the exact same time my journey with mentor Diane Rodriguez of Center Theatre Group, with the support of a TCG Future Leaders Grant, allowed me to make a living working in theatre. The grant, and Diane’s network, unlocked new opportunities that I had long dreamed about. One day I realized that for me theatre was bigger than me, that my family was bigger than me, that the remaining three years that I would share with my elderly aunt and the unknown years I would spend with my nephew (plus two additional nephews later) was bigger than me. I was no longer moved solely by trying to be a powerful director and a mover and shaker of the theatre sector; there were many things bigger than me that I had responsibility for.

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Ms. Kristin Kusanovich

In Support of Theatre and Dance Teacher Credentialing in California

Posted by Ms. Kristin Kusanovich, Sep 07, 2016 0 comments


Ms. Kristin Kusanovich

California, known for its creative economy among many other things, offers no teacher credentials in dance or theatre. California Dance Education Association has been hard at work on this issue this year, and a bill restoring these credentials is slated to be decided upon by California Gov. Jerry Brown in early September.

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Merryl Goldberg

Why art?! We’ll tell you why. And, we can prove it.

Posted by Merryl Goldberg, Jun 07, 2017 0 comments


Merryl Goldberg

Last fall, the Stuart Foundation invested in San Diego, and I’ve had the privilege of heading up our project which is a collective impact model we hope will be the arts education equivalent to “Got Milk?” It is called ART=OPPORTUNITY. And we want you to take advantage of it. Our campaign has many facets, including mentoring from the business community for VAPA coordinators, summits and anchor events, a teen/youth council, bilingual parent education, and arts integration boot camps. Our goal in the ART=OPPORTUNTIY campaign is to change public opinion from arts as fluff to arts as essential. And, the reason to change public opinion is to directly effect educational policy and budgeting decisions.

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