Blog Posts for professional development

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.


Ms. Donna Walker-Kuhne

BIPOC Critics Lab Trains the Next Generation

Posted by Ms. Donna Walker-Kuhne, Apr 25, 2022 0 comments


Ms. Donna Walker-Kuhne

When my career propelled me to leap from the world of dance to The Public Theater, the powerful impact and influence of reviews by critics became even more clear to me. Not only do reviews help shape the public’s perception of a theatrical production; they also can determine its future. For the most part, the critics for numerous media organizations are both male and white. My experience has been that they often misunderstand the cultural nuances of works created by artists of color. However, that landscape is changing thanks to the efforts of cultural critic Jose Solís, who has been covering theater, film, and arts for more than 20 years. Recognizing the very low numbers of theater critics of color and inspired by the movements for social and racial justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, Jose took time during the pandemic-generated shutdown to develop the curriculum for the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Critics Lab. The goal of the 10-week program is to nurture and help develop the unique voices of future critics through a multimedia lens—written essays, traditional reviews, as well as podcasting, audiovisual, and social media platforms. Jose also has recruited theater partners who have agreed to pay program participants for whatever materials they create on behalf of those theaters at the end of their participation in the BIPOC Critics Lab.

Read More

Cedeem Gumbs

Spotlight on America’s Future Leaders: 2021 Nashville DIAL Interns

Posted by Cedeem Gumbs, Aug 16, 2021 0 comments


Cedeem Gumbs

The Diversity in Arts Leadership program once again returns to a virtual setting with a brand-new set of interns from all over the country fueled by their passions and interest in arts administration and cultural equity. For 28 years, Americans for the Arts has been hosting the DIAL internship program as an investment in a more equitable arts management field. This ARTSblog series features the DIAL cohorts in New York City, New Jersey, and Nashville in four parts; profiled here are interns from the Nashville cohort. Get to know Mikayla Gary, Maya Brown, Grace Kim, and Paula Wilson.

Read More

Cedeem Gumbs

Spotlight on America’s Future Leaders: 2021 New Jersey DIAL Interns

Posted by Cedeem Gumbs, Aug 13, 2021 0 comments


Cedeem Gumbs

The Diversity in Arts Leadership program once again returns to a virtual setting with a brand-new set of interns from all over the country fueled by their passions and interest in arts administration and cultural equity. For 28 years, Americans for the Arts has been hosting the DIAL internship program as an investment in a more equitable arts management field. This ARTSblog series features the DIAL cohorts in New York City, New Jersey, and Nashville in four parts; profiled here are interns from the New Jersey cohort. Get to know Mikayla Bush, Randy Campo, Malcolm Davis, Mimi Laws, Maya Mangum, Camryn Morrow, Nelly Sanchez, and Emily Springer.

Read More

Cedeem Gumbs

Spotlight on America’s Future Leaders: 2021 NYC DIAL Interns, Part 2

Posted by Cedeem Gumbs, Aug 06, 2021 0 comments


Cedeem Gumbs

The Diversity in Arts Leadership program once again returns to a virtual setting with a brand-new set of interns from all over the country fueled by their passions and interest in arts administration and cultural equity. For 28 years, Americans for the Arts has been hosting the DIAL internship program as an investment in a more equitable arts management field. This ARTSblog series will feature the DIAL cohorts in New York City, New Jersey, and Nashville in four parts; profiled here are six of the NYC interns. Get to know Fabia St-Juste, Jennifer Villa, Leon Caleb Christian, Rafael, Sarah Cecilia Bukowski, and Vivian Gonzalez.

Read More

Cedeem Gumbs

Spotlight on America’s Future Leaders: 2021 NYC DIAL Interns, Part 1

Posted by Cedeem Gumbs, Aug 04, 2021 0 comments


Cedeem Gumbs

The Diversity in Arts Leadership program once again returns to a virtual setting with a brand-new set of interns from all over the country fueled by their passions and interest in arts administration and cultural equity. For 28 years, Americans for the Arts has been hosting the DIAL internship program as an investment in a more equitable arts management field. This ARTSblog series will feature the DIAL cohorts in New York City, New Jersey, and Nashville in four parts; profiled here are six of the NYC interns. Get to know Alex Gomes, Aurimar Báez Collazo, Austin Kim, Brian Le, Kaleb Stevens, and Harrison Clark.

Read More

Mr. John W. Haworth

Collaborations, Mentorship, and Support for Native Artists on a National Scale

Posted by Mr. John W. Haworth, Jul 28, 2021 0 comments


Mr. John W. Haworth

The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) is the only national philanthropic organization focused exclusively on Native arts and cultures with a deep commitment to supporting Native artists in a spirit of advancing equity and cultural knowledge for American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native communities. NACF is especially active in supporting artists responding to economic justice and environment issues. Its SHIFT – Transformative Change and Indigenous Arts program gives artists opportunities to work with communities to examine complex issues from a Native perspective, while LIFT – Early Career Support for Native Artists encourages artists to develop projects that advance positive social change at the community level. And through Mentor Artist Fellowships, emphasis is put on opportunities for contemporary Native artists working both in traditional and contemporary practice to deepen their connections to the artistic traditions and heritages of their tribal communities.

Read More

Pages