arts advocacy – NEW MEDIA + CULTURAL ORGANIZING + ARTS + EDUCATION = SOCIAL CHANGE

[cool site] The Art of Change – intersections of art and social justice

August 13, 2015July 24, 2016Posted in ARTivism, arts advocacyTagged artists, arts, civic engagement, culture, gender equity, inclusion, racial equity, social justiceLeave a comment

ICYMI, the Art of Change is Ford Foundation’s new site curating the intersections of art and social justice.

The initiative launched in the spring of 2015 and explores how arts and culture help promote and shed light on issue of equity, justice, and inclusion.

Their stated goal: to engage in a meaningful dialogue with artists, cultural leaders, scholars, activists and social justice leaders to think about important questions and opportunities that lie at the intersection of art, culture and social justice. Through these conversations, we hope to have a better understanding of how expression and creativity can shape a more just and equitable future for all.

It’s only around for a year, so make sure to catch up on the great posts (e.g. Why Fund the Arts When There is Still So Much Poverty in the World?) and learn about the 13 visiting fellows/artists.

It is heartening to see the thoughtful explorations on a range of issues, including: freedom of expression, identity formation, building community through arts and culture, and how the arts go hand-in-hand with civic engagement and community development. Needless to say, it’s a site after my very own arts advocate heart 🙂

Explore and enjoy > http://artofchange.is/

[event] “LA as LAB” – Innovation in Arts & Culture 3/28/15

March 21, 2015July 24, 2016Posted in arts & culture, arts advocacy, arts education, creativity, cultural organizingTagged art, artists, arts & culture, arts education, cultureLeave a comment

Living in Los Angeles, I’ve realized just what a hotbed of arts and cultural innovation. If you look beyond Hollywood, you’ll find tech hubs like Silicon Beach, microhoods like the Arts District, and great venues like the Music Center.

For those in the area looking to expand your horizons, it’s worth a short trek eastward for this conference hosted by the Arts Management and Museum Studies programs at Claremont Graduate University on March 28th, 2015.

The conference will feature cutting edge models and projects in the arts sector in Los Angeles, stimulating discussion on how Los Angeles arts and cultural organizations are innovating in the field, transforming theory into practice.

Schedule, details, and registration here >> cgu.edu/bradshaw

Free arts & culture, every day in LA!

September 14, 2013July 24, 2016Posted in arts & culture, arts advocacy, arts education, happinessTagged arts, chart, culture, free museum days, los angeles1 Comment

As a newbie to LA and an avid art lover (on a budget), I made it a mission to track down all the free museum days.

Luckily, I found an incredibly helpful chart that did all the work for me (thanks to NortonSimon.org). You’ll find a good variety of venues, small and large, that offer no-cost or discounted admission.

(Click the image for a larger PDF version)

*Note that Thursdays are your best bet.

This recent round of heatwaves gave me the perfect incentive to spend quality time indoors. So far, I’ve been to the LACMA, the Paley Center, the Getty Center, and Huntington. And I can’t wait to see them all!

[quick link] Call for proposals for the 2014 Art & Design for Social Justice Symposium @ FSU

July 26, 2013July 24, 2016Posted in activism / activists, ARTivism, arts advocacy, arts education, social justiceTagged 2014, art, call for proposals, design, FSU, social justice, symposiumLeave a comment

Sharing a quick link from FSU > 2014 Art & Design for Social Justice Symposium – call for proposals

The Florida State University College of Visual Arts, Theatre & Dance announces the call for research and creative works proposals for the 2014 Art & Design for Social Justice Symposium…. (taking place at) Florida State University campus in Tallahassee, Florida on Martin Luther King Day, January 20^th, 2014.

The Art & Design for Social Justice Symposium focuses on how the tools and inherent abilities within the areas of art and design can be used to address issues confronting less advantaged groups within our local communities, states, regions or world. The event is designed to generate synergy, spawn collaborative projects among participants, create new scholarly initiatives, and allow examination of the role that art and design plays in the telling of a broader social narrative.

Abstracts are solicited for presentations on topics that reflect how art and/or design, broadly interpreted, can be avenues of solution seeking for issues of social justice. Proposals are also welcome from fields other than art and design including medicine, social work, criminal justice, law, music, theatre and dance. Proposals are due by midnight, October 4^th, 2013.

[Quick links] Arts & Cultural Innovation Resources Roundup

May 13, 2013July 24, 2016Posted in arts advocacy, arts education, creativity, visionary / visionariesTagged arts innovation, cultural innovation, links, R&D, resourcesLeave a comment

Thinker thinks about how to take sun burst shot — Flickr user: DavidYuWeb (CC licensed, some rights reserved)

As part of the team of Fellows hosting tonight’s event on how R&D fits into arts and cultural innovation, I’m posting just a sampling of quick links that I’ve found helpful in getting my brain into a more creative, innovative space for the discussion.

Note: stay tuned to EmergingSF.org for a fuller list of great links which EAP will update after we collect more input from the community and from the event!

Innovation

From ArtsFwd: Next Practices for Arts Leaders (hands down, one of my favorite arts blogs!)

Research

The James Irvine Foundation’s interactive “Arts Innovation Fund” Report
“Arts Research Center at UC Berkeley is a think tank for the arts, a genuinely interdisciplinary space that brings people together–from across the university and beyond the university, from across the arts and beyond the arts–for unexpected conversations, collaborations, and community-building. “

Thinkers

Innovation and R&D in the arts – Hasan Bakhshi (on the TheCCITube’s YouTube playlist)
ArtsFwd’s series of Innovation Stories
Studying failure: What I learned from a Kickstarter project that failed… badly by Nelson/Roberto
Failure Bow – Beth Kanter’s blog post on experimentation and failure (featuring a video by Peter Sims)

Network

Fractured Atlas (NYC) empowers artists, arts organizations, and other cultural sector stakeholders by eliminating practical barriers to artistic expression, so as to foster a more agile and resilient cultural ecosystem. ( I particularly like their innovative business model.)
The Public Library as Incubator for the Arts via KQED blog
Interested DIY and the Maker Movement? Check out this cool interactive MakerMap

Development

“The Digital R&D Fund for the Arts (UK) is a new fund to support research and development projects that use digital technology to enhance audience reach and/or explore new business models for organisations with arts projects.”
Innovations Labs for Museums Program via EmcArts
The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation: Artistic Innovation and Collaboration [AIC] grants. “Each $25,000-$150,000 grant will enable cultural organizations to support fearless innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration by diverse artists.”

Misc Ideas & Thought Pieces!

Move over galleries: artists sign with agents – “As Stuart Semple joins an agency that also represents models and musicians, is there a new way to sell art?” (A provocative read, from the UK)
The Case for A New Arts Incubator Model
How to Run an Artist Led Space
Cultivating Demand for the Arts: Arts Learning, Arts Engagement, and State Arts Policy

Last but not least: use #BYOID on Twitter to follow/join the convo!

…
The focus of this short list is nonprofit arts/cultural innovations, but I’m keen to find other examples of more cross-sectoral R&D/innovation partnerships working with the arts sector (e.g. tech, social entrepreneurship, city governments, community-based nonprofits, social services, health care, etc.).

So please feel free to chime in the comments with other links or resources I should add!

Thanks 🙂

May 18, International Museum Day: (Memory + Creativity) = Social Change

May 11, 2013July 24, 2016Posted in activism / activists, ARTivism, arts advocacy, arts education, cultural organizing, nonprofits / community-based organizations, social change, visionary / visionariesTagged creativity, International Museum Day, May 18, social changeLeave a comment

I’m a huge museum nerd, so it was a nice surprise to discover this great annual celebration recently! (Thank goodness for the magical arts interwebs.)

According to the International Museum Day website, it all began with the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in 1977 to “raise awareness on how important museums are in the development of society.” Over 30,000 institutions representing 129 countries participated last year, making it a truly global event.

On this day, participating museums interpret an issue that concerns all cultural organisations. International Museum Day is also a fantastic opportunity for museum professionals to meet their public. At the heart of society, museums are institutions dedicated to its development.

Traditionally, International Museum Day is organised around 18 May. It can last a day, a weekend or a whole week, the objective being to meet at the museum with the motto: “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples”.

2013’s theme is “Museums (Memory + Creativity) = Social Change”. ICOM describes this as:

The richness of our historical heritage, preserved and displayed by museums, together with the inventiveness and vitality that have characterised the museum sector’s action in recent years, are where the strength of museum institutions lies today. Reconciling their traditional mission of conservation with the creativity necessary for their revival and the development of their audiences – this is the evolution that museums are trying to undertake, with the strong belief that their presence and actions can transform society constructively.

This truly optimistic theme in the form of an equation dynamically gathers several concepts that are essential to defining what a museum is today, highlighting the universal nature of those institutions and their positive influence on society. It summarises the complexity of museum tasks and recalls that they are meant to contribute to community development and gathering together.

I truly admire their encouraging tone towards educational innovation and the ongoing development of the museum as a community hub that can respond creatively to evolving public needs. As arts administrators and advocates, I feel that aligning with social change values is a natural way to connect to our audiences, the improvement of our immediate communities, and to the core of our educational missions.

ICOM outlines 5 sub-themes using the lens of social change which form clear, strong advocacy points:

Informal education structures: Museums educate in a recreational way; they are places of initiation without obligation that foster knowledge through continually renewed means.

A social space rooted in its territory: Museums play a role in the identity and dynamism of their territory. Through their action, they contribute to promote the past of their territory and build its future.

An intergenerational link: Museums keep the relationship between a community and its history alive. They are spaces for dialogue between generations.

Displaying heritage in a modern way: Museums have quickly been able to seize the communication and mediation opportunities offered by new media and have broken away from the old-fashioned image they once had.

Innovative practices for a better conservation: Conservation devices are improving and the museum is becoming a real laboratory where work techniques continue to evolve.

Learn more and get involved:

Find activities at museums near you: in North America
On Twitter, use the hashtag #IMD2013
Follow their Facebook page
Download their full PDF press kit here

Arts and culture events, Spring SF [Part 2] May 9 “Social Mixer” and May 13 “Re-imagining the Box”

May 8, 2013July 24, 2016Posted in arts advocacy, arts education, creativity, cultural organizing, fascinating, nonprofits / community-based organizations, san francisco, technology : progressive / social benefit, useful / resources, visionary / visionariesTagged arts and culture, EAP, emerging arts, events, innovation, May, R&D, SF, social mixerLeave a comment

Welcome to part 2 of this post series featuring arts & culture events from my Emerging Arts Professionals fellowship program. Rounding out the final two “Spring Series” public events: an EAP Social Mixer and “Re-imagining the Box”

But before we dive in, please make sure to save the date: June 3rd for our Annual Conference, “Emergence”. I’ll add links and more info soon, promise! And as always, get the latest and greatest from emergingsf.org and on Twitter @emergingarts.

Emerging Arts Professionals SF Bay Area – Spring Mixer
Thursday, May 9, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Pro Arts – 150 Frank H Ogawa Plaza Oakland, CA 94612
FREE! RSVP via Eventbrite

You asked and we answered! We know you love our heady panel discussions and all but, perhaps even more, you love to let your hair down with us.

Come network, mingle, and explore one of Oakland’s leading galleries! Meet fellow Bay Area artists and arts sector workers over drinks and snacks at Pro Arts, and learn more about Emerging Arts Professionals (EAP). See over 400 pieces in Pro Arts’ East Bay Open Studios Preview Exhibition and enter our business card raffle for some special art prizes. Bring your cards and a desire to meet like-minded folks!

Mixer is FREE but please REGISTER HERE

………….

Re-imagining the Box on May 13 at SOMArts

“Emerging Arts Professionals / San Francisco Bay Area invites you to an evening of open forum discussion to assess where and how R&D fits into arts and cultural innovation.

Join us on May 13 at SOMArts. Register today!

When other sectors are experiencing growth at exponential rates, how can we as arts leaders re-prioritize and re-imagine the R&D process to create impactful and innovative works in our communities? Does R&D necessary lead to innovation–and what does innovation in the arts field even look like at this point?

Re-imagining the Box
R&D, Innovation, and Future Thinkers in the Arts
Monday, May 13, 6 – 8 p.m.
SOMArts Cutural Center

We’re conducting a little R&D about R&D, with plans to create a real resource for those in the field who are interested in the now, new, and next. Who are the future thinkers in the field? How can we make forward thinking in the arts a higher priority in cycles of support?

We’ve invited some future thinkers of our own to get the conversation started, but we need you to bring you own ideas (#BYOID) to make it count!

Speakers include:

Mat Dryhurst, Artup and GAFTA; Jess Curtis, Director/Choreographer/Performer; Jayna Swartzman, Bay Area, Center for Cultural Innovation; Julie Potter, YBCA

Our ultimate goal with this forum is to create a resource informed from your ideas. It will offer a space to share and learn about ways our peers continue to push the field into new directions–but to get things started, we need you!”

We hope to see you all there for a fun, interactive, and creative collaboration on Monday night at SOMarts. Thanks for supporting our events and stay tuned for updated event recaps soon!

[free] Social Impact Design Webinar Series via the National Endowment for the Arts

April 23, 2013July 24, 2016Posted in arts advocacy, arts education, social change, storytelling, useful / resourcesTagged arts administration, arts advocacy, arts research, design education, National Endowment for the Arts, social impact design, webinarLeave a comment

Interested in the relationship between design, education, and social impact? Aspiring design educator or arts advocate? This is right up your alley.

The first of the NEA’s Social Impact Design Webinar series is tomorrow, April 24th, so follow the links below to register for free! Additional information about the webinars and design research at the NEA available here: http://arts.gov/news/news13/Social-Impact-Design.html

Social Impact Design Webinar Series

The National Endowment for the Arts Design Program will host a series of webinars to build on findings discussed in the recently released white paper, Design and Social Impact: A cross-sectoral agenda for design education, research, and practice (pdf). Curated and hosted by thought leaders in the field of social impact design, the webinar series will build on discussions that began during the Social Impact Design Summit held in February 2012 and will cover topics that further enhance the field’s capacity to design effectively for social impact.

You will need to register in advance of the webinars (separate registration for each webinar required). Attendance is free.

April 24, 2013 at 2pm ET: Creating a Culture of Storytelling & Evaluation
Hosted by: John Cary, Founder of http://www.publicinterestdesign.org/
Social impact design is distinguished by its human-centered approach, a practice ripe for storytelling and evaluation, with the unique potential to change hearts and minds. This webinar will explore the topics of communication and critique, featuring campaigns, entities, and individuals that successfully communicate the value of social impact design work and techniques for effectively evaluating its outcomes.
REGISTER >>

June 12, 2013 at 2pm ET: Making it Happen: Spotlight on Successful Projects
Hosted by: Jen Hughes, Design Specialist at National Endowment for the Arts
REGISTER >>

August 20, 2013 at 2pm ET: Educating the Next Generation of Social Impact Designers
Hosted by: William Drenttel, President of Winterhouse Institute and Co-Founder of Design Observer
REGISTER >>