Arts Advocacy Update XXIII

The content below is from Americans for the Arts' Cultural Policy Listserv.


Rockefeller Foundation Announces First Award Recipients of NYC Cultural Innovation Fund
Reuters - PR Newswire, 12/7/2007
"Rockefeller Foundation president Judith Rodin announced today the first award recipients of the Foundation's $2.6 million New York City Cultural Innovation Fund. The Fund celebrates innovation and the creative sector through grants for trailblazing initiatives that strengthen the City's cultural fabric. . . . A major impetus behind the Rockefeller Foundation's creation of the New York City Cultural Innovation Fund was a 2005 report, prepared by the Center for an Urban Future, entitled 'Creative New York,' which presented troubling evidence that new economic pressures may result in New York City losing its traditional creative and competitive edge as a global cultural leader."
Kudos to The Civilians and to The Field for being among the recipients.


Film Festival Scores Victory for Free Speech
Reuters, 12/7/2007
The Ann Arbor Film Festival (AAFF) scored a key victory for free speech and artists' rights by successfully challenging and removing unconstitutional state arts funding restrictions with a federal lawsuit. As one of the oldest film festivals in the world, this Academy Award-qualifying festival is internationally renowned as a champion of artists and films that are bold, pioneering and artistically-inspired. These disputed state restrictions included a ban on funding art that contained 'depictions of flag desecration' and 'displays of sex acts.'"
And now, lots of films of burning flags and sex acts? Still, good for them!


Consultant advises Thousand Oaks to invest more in the arts
Venture County Star (CA), 12/8/2007
"The city of Thousand Oaks should invest more heavily in the arts and use general fund money to subsidize the Civic Arts Plaza, according to a consultant hired by the city. . . . In calling for more arts spending in Thousand Oaks, the consultants unveiled a comparison with nine other cities in California. It found the average total arts spending was more than $1.7 million a year, or about $24.47 per resident, or 1.5 percent of the city budget. Thousand Oaks currently spends $476,808 a year, or about $3.74 per resident, or 0.3 percent of its annual budget."
So, in other words, people, please give up four choco-loco-maka-lattes and you can have more arts.


Grants from cigarette tax revenues likely within a year
Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), 12/12/2007
"Some Cuyahoga County artists and performers will likely get their hands on a chunk of the county's cigarette-tax money within a year. Trustees for Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, the agency created to administer the tax of 1.5 cents per cigarette, met Tuesday and said they expect to have a plan for doling out about $500,000 in grants to individual artists by late 2008."
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.


Kaine's budget leaves little extra for the arts
Richmond Times Dispatch (VA), 12/19/2007
Virginia's governor is cutting earmarks for arts and culture organizations in his proposed 2008-2010 budget. "So, unless the General Assembly restores the funding, such organizations as the Richmond Ballet, White House of the Confederacy, Theater IV, Valentine Richmond History Center and Barksdale Theater will get no state support."
In a state, mind you, that's had it's share of arts (specifically theatre arts) issues in recent years. C'mon, Kaine, we know you're able.


Obama gets arts nod from state commissioner
Nashua Telegraph (NH), 12/14/2007
"U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s New Hampshire campaign announced his platform to support the arts today. According to the release, as president, Obama, D-Ill., will: 'Invest in arts education to reinvigorate the kind of creativity and innovation that has made America great and that it will take to compete in a global economy. Support increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. Promote cultural diplomacy to encourage American artists, performers and thinkers to represent our best values and ideals throughout the world. Ensure that artists have access to health insurance and are treated fairly under the tax code.'
Hello? New York anyone? Sounds great to me? Barack to the future.


How Groups of the Rich Diverge in Philanthropy
Washington Post, 12/6/2007
"Amid what some call the golden age of philanthropy, as high-tech entrepreneurs and financiers amass extraordinary wealth and emerge as philanthropic players, a study to be released today reveals specific behavioral patterns and motivations among the nation's wealthiest donors. The study's authors randomly surveyed 1,400 of the country's most affluent households -- defined as those with an income above $200,000 or a net worth higher than $1 million -- and discovered distinct philanthropic characteristics among donors grouped into 12 profiles. Researched and written by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and sponsored by Bank of America, the report, titled 'Portraits of Donors,' is believed to be the first quantitative study of high-dollar philanthropists." Among the findings is that "'Dynasty' households, in which fortunes are passed through generations, give the most to arts and cultural organizations."
Great report. Shame they don't list addresses, phone numbers, and sexual predilections. I have debts.

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