California Arts Council Update - October 21, 2005

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CAC Update - October 21, 2005

Table of Contents:

1.California Arts Day 2005--Media Exposure Worldwide

2.      Free Posters for Hosting California Arts Day Events

3.      Creativity Matters Conference

4.      New State Law on Emergency Exit Announcements

5.      Opportunities

6.      Headlines for California Artists

7.      Reports and Surveys

8.      Registry Tools from WESTAF

9.      Juan Carrillo Named to WESTAF Board

10.     Arts Education Review Panelists Needed

11.     Participate in Salary Survey from Arts Presenters

12.     Bits and Pieces

California Arts Day 2005--Media Exposure Worldwide

California Arts Day 2005 has come and gone, and as artists and art lovers continue to celebrate the benefits of the arts through the national Arts and Humanities Month in October, there's the question of how many general citizens heard about the celebration. The conclusion is that thousands of people did, not only in California but elsewhere. The farthest away? Australia.

Reporters came to Sacramento to see Councilmember Annette Bening and California Poet Laureate Al Young on the steps of the State Capitol, and a story from the Associated Press was disseminated to newspapers throughout the globe with Councilmember Bening as the focus. Hundreds of papers ran information about California Arts Day, Ms. Bening, and her request for more funding of arts for schools. A full wrap-up is available at http://www.cac.ca.gov/?id=233 .

Annette's Speech

"Arts are important for children," said Bening, who added that she gained early exposure to music and other arts at a young age through her schools, especially an early trip to the opera. Music and other arts forms are incredibly important to children, she said, and pointed out that Los Angeles has only fifty percent of its students graduate from high school on time. Arts teachers and other mentors are incredibly important, Bening continued. If adults tell children that they make a difference, the support can turn the children's lives around.

Capitol Event Highlighted Events Statewide

The exposure through the media added some weight to the day and the efforts of other artists and art lovers, from the different groups in Pasadena that had events, to the schools that had performances, to the individuals who quietly made an extra effort to add arts in their lives. California Arts Council Director Muriel Johnson mentioned some of the events from the CAC California Arts Day database during her opening remarks. The list is still available on the California Arts Council website at http://www.cac.ca.gov/?id=283 and includes events throughout October.

Johnson especially complimented the number of local governments that passed resolutions for California Arts Day and Arts and Humanities Month. The list keeps growing, and local governments that have not yet recognized the value of the arts are invited to present the subject during the rest of October--or any time throughout the year. More details on resolutions are available at http://www.cac.ca.gov/?id=262 .

Attendees Included Schools, Legislative Staff, Artists

The Capitol event included Sacramento students from Florin High School's marching band and Natomas Charter School's Fine and Performing Arts Academy. Both gave performances prior to the main speaking program, as did the state high school poet laureate Lindsey Smith and "Tu Tones," a musical group from Short Center South, a fine arts program serving developmentally disabled adults.

Some attendees worried that the turnout on the West Steps had too many artists and not enough legislators and staff, since the Legislature was not in session and the day fell on the Friday before a three-day weekend for state employees. But Bryan Ha from the Joint Committee on the Arts disagreed. "This was a very good event," said Ha. "It's fun, but also important." He added that he thought the media exposure would be good for the arts as well. Some of the articles on California Arts Day--including editorials in support of the arts--can be found at http://www.cac.ca.gov/?id=287 .

Important for Children

Teachers from the high schools expressed their gratitude and happiness that their students were able to perform on the capitol steps. "They'll remember this," said Randy Stark, band director at Florin High School.

Bening emphasized in her speech that while the arts might not be the answer for everything, they can provide an incentive for kids to stay in school and obtain their degrees. She added that the bulk of her education was through public institutions across the state, and she credits the facilities and the teachers for her artistic education and awareness--from elementary school forward, saying "I owe California big."

Other performances--Poet Laureate Al Young, poster contest winner

Also highlighted at the capitol event was California Poet Laureate Al Young who performed poetry with bass player Dartanyan Brown. Young read his poems "Yes the Secret Mind Whispers," "Who I Am in Twilight" (sung with the song "All Blues"), and "By Heart" (sung with Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Corcavado"/"Quiet Nights"). For more information on upcoming appearances by Young throughout the state, go to http://www.cac.ca.gov/?id=243 .

Before Young's performance, Director Johnson presented a frame copy of the Arts Day poster to the contest winner, fifth-grader Amber Shay Baker of Humboldt County. Bening signed the back and took photos with Amberâ*™s family after her speech.

Upcoming Events

The California Arts Day State Capitol event was one of many events that California Arts Council participates in to promote the value of the arts and creativity in California. This month we'll be at the Governor's and First Lady's Conference on Women and Families in Long Beach on October 27 with a booth in the exhibit hall. Please stop by, pick up some materials, sign up for the drawing for a free "I Am A California Artist" t-shirt, and let the California Arts Council staff know how you take part in California Arts.

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Free Posters for Hosting California Arts Day Events

Although the CAC's Arts Day event has passed, we're excited to see all the events planned throughout whole month of October to celebrate California Arts around the state. There are some very creative ideas out there. For the current listings, see: http://www.cac.ca.gov/?id=283. More listings are added every day!

Has your group planned an event that recognizes Arts Day and National Arts and Humanities Month? If you have done so and listed it on the CAC site, and do not already have a California Arts Day Poster, please email: rd...@caartscouncil.com immediately to receive your free poster at no expense even for shipping and handling. It's important to have a poster at your event so it can readily be labeled a California Arts Day event!

And as you work on your upcoming event, remember that you can download Arts Day logos for other materials for your event at: http://www.cac.ca.gov/?id=138#8

Visit the whole California Arts Day 2005 webpage for more tools and information at: http://www.cac.ca.gov/?id=233

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Creativity Matters Conference

The Creativity Matters Conference on October 6 and 7 at the Westin Santa Clara Hotel was a historic and successful two-day gathering of Silicon Valley civic, cultural, business and media leaders. Bruce Davis, Executive Director of Arts Council of Silicon Valley said that "the level of leadership represented throughout the Conference was impressive and the follow-up initiatives lead to excellent media coverage."

The conference featured national, international and local guest speakers culminating with the 2005 Silicon Valley Arts and Business awards presented by the Arts Council of Silicon Valley, a State and Local Partner of the California Arts Council.

The event was organized by 1st ACT (arts/creativity/technology)* and sponsored by American Leadership Forum (ALF), Adobe Systems, Inc., the California Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Silicon Valley.

Al Young, California Poet Laureate, opened the conference reminding the audience that, "It is the arts that ennoble society...and that commerce and creativity go back to the beginning of time."

Opening speaker, Charles Landry, author of The Creative City--A Toolkit for Urban Innovators put forward the need for city leaders to think of the city as a living work of art considering the art of space design, encouraging positive emotions, and local distinctiveness. He challenged the audience to assess the identity of their city, asking if them if their city is jazz jam session or a symphony--both being good. He summarized his presentation by stating that every creative city needs scientific, artistic, social, and civic creative forms to overcome the enemies of information overload, rush and speed.

Daniel Pink, Author of A Whole New Mind, spoke on, Developing the Creative Workforce, taking the audience from the agricultural age to the present time conceptual age. He utilized right and left-brain research to conclude that, "today's keys to the kingdom belong to designers," noting that all good marketing includes visual art and story-telling for the sale of products.

The final participant that CAC staff was able to investigate was Katherine Marshall, Special advisor to the President of the World Bank on Faith, Morality and Ethnics in Economic Development, who spoke on "The Role People Play in Developing Economy" within the topic of "Inspiring Leaders to Act." Her presentation focused on the need to communicate differently to accomplish goals. She used the Festival of Global Sacred Music in Fez at the time of the first Gulf War to articulate how music allowed diverse populations to communicate differently for the common good. She validated the partnership approach to solving critical issues of our society and recommended focusing on one issue at a time.

* 1st ACT is a regional web of cross-sector leadership that is creating a movement to: Strengthen the Silicon Valley's economic, social, and cultural vitality; fuel an environment where creativity thrives; propel the next wave of innovation; and call leaders into action. Founders include Rich Braugh, Sr. Vice President of Investments, UBS Financial, Bruce W. Davis, Executive Director, Arts Council Silicon Valley, Laura Esparza, Project Manager, 1st ACT, Roy Hirabayashi, Managing Director, San Jose Taiko, Raul Lazano, Executive Director, Teatro Vision, Connie Martinez, Executive Director, Children's Discovery Museum, and Ann Gregg Skeet, Chief of Executive Officer, American Leadership Forum--Silicon Valley.

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New State Law on Emergency Exit Announcements

On October 5, Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB1194, authored by Assemblymember Jenny Oropeza (D-Long Beach). This bill requires that any person or public or private firm, organization, or corporation, that owns, rents, leases or manages a facility that hosts a ticketed event for live entertainment shall make an announcement of the availability of emergency exits prior to the beginning of the live entertainment. As used in this section, "facility" means a building or portion of a building having an assembly room with an occupancy load of less than 1,000 persons and a legitimate stage for the gathering together of 50 or more persons. This new law will take effect January 1, 2006. Failure to comply is a misdemeanor.

Presenters and performing arts organizations should be prepared to add to the traditional "welcome and turn off cell phones announcements", "please take a moment to look around for the nearest available emergency exit" by January 1, 2006.

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Opportunities

LA County Arts Commission grant applications for 2006-07

The Los Angeles County Arts Commission is now welcoming applications for the 2006-07 Organizational Grant Program. Awards will support activities that build artistic and administrative capacity and enhance community access taking place subsequent to July 1, 2006.

Application due dates vary by organization budget size for the most recently completed fiscal year:

OGP III (more than $1.5 million)--October 26, 2005;

OGP 2.5 ($500,000-$1.5 million)--November 30, 2005;

OGP II ($100,000-$500,000)--November 16, 2005, and

OGP I (less than $100,000)--December 14, 2005.

The applications must be received at the office on these dates. These are NOT postmark deadlines. All applications must be submitted electronically through eGRANT, a Web-based program accessed through the Arts Commission's Web site. "How-to" workshops on the electronic application process will be offered throughout the fall by the LA County Arts Commission. Workshop attendance is mandatory for new and previously declined applicants. Complete guidelines, instructions, and the electronic application, as well as a full list of workshop dates and locations, may be found at http://www.lacountyarts.org under "Funding (OGP)."

2006-2007 Postdoctural Arts in Society Fellowships at Carnegie Mellon University

Scholars and artists who have received their terminal degree within the last seven years in any field of humanistic inquiry or artistic endeavor are invited to apply for an Arts in Society Fellowship, supported by the Center for the Arts in Society at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. The purpose of these fellowships is to provide junior scholars with time to further their own work in a cross-disciplinary setting, to associate with a distinguished faculty, and to contribute to an innovative humanities initiative at the University. Applications should address the issue of "arts in society," offering a unique interdisciplinary perspective on the topic. A research proposal and a suggested course should demonstrate this perspective, both in terms of the contribution to future work and in terms of new course content.

Application deadline: February 3rd, 2006.

Center for the Arts in Society

Carnegie Mellon University

http://www.hss.cmu.edu/cas/Content/visiting_fellows.htm

Association of Performing Arts Presentiangs/MetLife Foundation Awards for Excellent and Innovation in Arts Access

The Association of Performing Arts Presenters is currently accepting nominations for the Arts Presenters/MetLife Foundation Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Arts Access. These awards honor performing arts venues whose responsiveness to audiences of older adults and those with disabilities are an essential and significant part of their civic engagement. Accolades for excellence and for innovation will be recognized with a $10,000 cash award each at Arts Presenters 49th Annual Members Conference Awards Ceremony & Luncheon on Monday, January 23, 2006 in NYC. The recipients will also be featured in various Arts Presenters publications and asked to participate in an arts access panel discussion. To submit an entry, visit http//www.artspresenters.org/services/metlife_awards.cfm.

Application deadline: November 4, 2005 .

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Headlines for California Artists

Do you feel the need to stay on top of news as it relates to the arts and California? Did you know that the California Arts Council website tracks important news stories and posts links--just so you don't have to?

News summaries and links can be found on the California Arts Council website at http://www.cac.ca.gov. Click on "news" on the right-hand bar or at the bottom of the page, then "news" in the bullet list. For a direct link to the news site, go to http://www.cac.ca.gov/?id=154 .

Recent Headlines

"U.S. Stands Alone on Unesco Cultural Issue" (New York Times)

"Arts Renaissance In Santa Monica" (Santa Monica Mirror)

"Arts Spurs N. England Economy" (Foster's Online)

"Equity an Issue as Affluent Schools Raise Money" (San Jose Mercury News)

"Artists Making Their Own Breaks" (Newsweek Online)

"The Arts--Part of California's Vitality" (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)

"Successful Filmmaker to Produce Doc on Arts Education" (Worldscreen Online)

"Music Important to High School Students Despite Cuts" (Sacramento Bee)

"Hollywood Writers Still Lack Diversity" (Los Angeles Times)

"Bening Pushes for More Arts Funding on California Arts Day" (Associated Press)

Seen an article that others should know about? Send a link to Mary Beth at mba...@caartscouncil.com

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Reports and Surveys

There have been quite a few reports released to the public since the last time the California Arts Council posted our "Reports and Surveys" section in the Update. Scan through the list and see what's important in supporting your organization or speciality.

Recommendations for Nonprofits Presented to Congress

The Panel on the Nonprofit Sector, a collaboration of America's charitable organizations, compiled a comprehensive series of recommendations intended to strengthen the ability of the nation's charities and foundations to serve the public. In the report it presented to Congress, the Panel recommended more than 120 actions to be taken by charitable organizations, by Congress, and by the Internal Revenue Service, which together would strengthen the sector's transparency, governance, and accountability. For more information, go to http://www.independentsector.org/media/20050622_Panel_Report.html .

Report from the Wallace Foundation: Surrounding Children with Opportunity

REPORT '04, the Wallace Foundation's latest annual report, highlights a theme underlying much of their work: surrounding children with high-quality opportunities to learn and grow in school, beyond the school day, and through engagement with the arts. REPORT '04 profiles three examples of these efforts: the New York City Leadership Academy which is pioneering new methods for training principals; plans by top leaders of Providence, RI to provide kids with more and better out-of-school learning opportunities; and The Children's Theatre in Minneapolis, which has become a national beacon for providing young people with high-quality arts experiences. To download a PDF copy of the report, go to http://www.wallacefoundation.org/WF/KnowledgeCenter/KnowledgeTopics/PhilanthropicIssues/WallaceREPORT04.htm .

Rand Study on Visual Arts Paints Dark Picture

A RAND Corporation report suggests that the visual arts picture isn't as rosy as it first appears, despite record museum attendance, booming commercial popularity, soaring prices for artists' work and well-publicized museum expansions. The report, titled A Portrait of the Visual Arts: Meeting the Challenges of a New Era, looks beneath the surface and finds significant challenges facing the many parts of the complicated web of artists, institutions and patrons that make up the visual arts world. For more information, go to http://www.rand.org/news/press.05/08.11.html .

Arts Guide for Parents and Teachers - a Resource from the NEA

Imagine! Introducing Your Child to the Arts is a reissue of a comprehensive resource by the National Endowment for the Arts aimed at parents and teachers to help them share the arts with children. The content can be easily adapted to either a home or classroom setting, and explains how to share the joy of learning and artistic creation with children during their most critical developmental years. For a copy, go to http://www.arts.gov/pub/imagine.pdf .

Silicon Valley Residents Asked About Participation in the Arts

A diverse sample of residents of Santa Clara County were surveyed about their creative outlets, participation in arts and cultural activities, and attitudes about arts and culture in their community as part of Creative Community Index: Survey of Silicon Valley Residents. The survey was conducted in 2002 by Cultural Initiatives Silicon Valley in partnership with The Knight Foundation, Americans for the Arts, and the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs to track participation in the arts.

A majority of regional leaders believe Silicon Valley is losing ground in its ability to attract a creative workforce, in part because of an inadequate cultural environment, according to the survey. Fifty-eight percent of Silicon Valley leaders who participated said their ability to recruit creative talent is dropping compared with other global centers of technology. They cited the lack of an energetic urban core and insufficient leisure and cultural activities as among key reasons. A PDF copy of the survey can be found at http://www.ci-sv.org/pdf/Index-2005.pdf . More information can also be found at http://www.cpanda.org/data/a00216/a00216.html .

New Resource for Music Educators

The National Association for Music Education recently announced the publication of a new resource for music educators, titled Journal of Music Teacher Education Yearbook.

Containing the collected fall 2004 and spring 2005 issues of the online Journal of Music Teacher Education, the Yearbook includes a special issue on the future of music education, with articles on certification practices, second-career music teachers, music education philosophy and research for future teachers, music education students' experiences with special learners, and more. For more information, go to http://www.expertclick.com/NewsReleaseWire/default.cfm?Action=ReleaseDetail&ID=9892 .

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Registry Tools from WESTAF

Reminder to all artists--the Western States Art Federation (WESTAF) has online registries for visual, performance, and literary artists. All three registries detailed below can be found from the WESTAF website at http://www.westaf.org . Details about each are below, but for more information call WESTAF at 303.629.1166 or contact the register administrators directly through the sites. Information about this program and other opportunities also provided on the CAC website at http://www.cac.ca.gov/?id=49 .

For Visual Artists: http://www.artistsregister.com

ArtistsRegister.com showcases visual art by artists who are U.S. residents represented through many disciplines. The website serves to connect the artists and their work with private collectors, gallery owners, interior designers, corporate art buyers, public art administrators, and art enthusiasts in general. Selected artists are also featured, including fellowship winners or other state-level fellowship-equivalent award-winning artists throughout the West. The goal is to provide an affordable marketing tool for visual artists and easy-to-use navigation tools for visitors to locate them. ArtistsRegister.com offers a place to collect and review artwork, and constantly updated information about events and opportunities happening on local to national levels. (information provided by WESTAF)

For Writers: http://www.writersregistry.com

WritersRegister.com is an information resource and showcase for literature enthusiasts. The website is an easy-to-search database of writers who are U.S. residents and provides visitors (including writers, educators, readers, publishers, journalists, and others interested in literature) with straightforward navigation tools, a place to collect and review writing samples, and a multitude of information about the local, regional, and national literature community. WritersRegister.com is designed to work with individual writers and writers' organizations. (information provided by WESTAF)

For Performing Artists: http://www.performingartsregister.com

PerformingArtsRegister.com showcases performers who are US residents. The Web site serves to connect performers with presenters, agents, and individuals. The goal is to provide an affordable marketing tool for performing artists and their companies with easy-to-use navigation tools for visitors to locate them. PerformingArtsRegister.com offers a place to collect and review performances and has constantly updated information on events and opportunities happening on local to national levels. (information provided by WESTAF)

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Juan Carrillo Named to WESTAF Board

Congratulations to former CAC Deputy Director Juan Carrillo who has been named to the WESTAF (Western States Arts Federation) Board of Directors. Juan will serve three years.

WESTAF is a nonprofit arts service organization dedicated to the creative advancement and preservation of the arts. Based in Denver, Colorado, WESTAF fulfills its mission to strengthen the financial, organizational and policy infrastructure of the arts by providing innovative programs and services to artists and arts organizations in the West and nationwide. The organization is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts; the state arts agencies of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming; private and corporate foundations; and individuals. More information is available at http://www.westaf.org . (from the WESTAF website)

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Arts Education Review Panelists Needed

The California Department of Education is current accepting applications for appointments to the 2006 Visual and Performing Arts Primary Adoption Content Review Panel (CRP), and the 2006 Visual and Performing Arts Primary Adoption Instructional Materials Advisory Panel (IMAP). CRP members are experts in their fields--usually scholars with a doctorate in the subject area--while IMAP members are primarly teachers with direct classroom experience in the performing and visual arts. Both review submitted materials to ensure that materials are accurate, aligned to grade level content standards, and are based on current and confirmed research.

While the original deadline was in September, it has been re-opened to approximately the end of October.

For a copy of the CRP application, go to: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/vp/im/documents/vpacrpapp.doc .

For a copy of the IMPA application, go to: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/vp/im/documents/vpaimapapp.doc .

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Participate in Salary Survey from Arts Presenters

The Association of Performing Arts Presenters (Arts Presenters) has launched the first National Salary Survey for presenters in more than a decade. Results from the survey will be analyzed in a report that will allow employees from presenting organizations to compare their compensation to others in the field, based on like-sized budget, geography and other metrics. Arts Presenters developed this survey with partner, AMS Planning & Research Corporation (headquartered in Connecticut).

"We envision the National Salary Survey as a baseline tool for presenting organizations to use in setting compensation for practitioners and as a foundation for advancing compensation for practitioners in the performing arts field," said Sandra L. Gibson, President & CEO.

To access the survey, visit http://www.artspresenters.org/salarysurvey . Participation in the survey is free and open to members and nonmembers. The deadline for presenters participating in the survey is January 31, 2006.

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Bits and Pieces

California schools land U.S. Dept. of Ed. arts education grants

Congratulations go out to two education programs in southern California for receiving U.S. Department of Education "Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination" grants. The grants support the further development, implementation and expansion of standards-based arts education programs and the integration of arts instruction into the core curriculum.

-- "Arts in the Middle" (AIM) project in Los Angeles is a partnership between the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) #4, Inner-City Arts and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Graduate School of Education and Information Sciences. AIM uses dramatic and performing arts to English Language Development for English learners, among other things.

-- WebPlay in Santa Monica, with LAUSD #4, is an online arts education project that enables elementary school children to create and produce plays in collaboration with a professional theatre company and partner with classes from different countries or regions.

For more information on these programs and the other 12 grantees from around the nation, go to http://www.ed.gov/programs/artsedmodel/2005awards.html .

California organizations named AFTA Exemplar Program award recipients

With support from the Ford Foundation, Americans for the Arts (AFTA) established the Exemplar Program to recognize 12 midsized and small arts and cultural organizations for outstanding cultural work in their communities and the field, based on participation in the Animating Democracy and Working Capital Fund initiatives. Two California organizations were among the 12:

-- East Bay Center for the Performing Arts (Richmond)

-- Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) (Los Angeles)

For more information on the Exemplar Program, go to http://ww3.americansforthearts.org/AnimatingDemocracy/programs/programs_004.asp or contact AFTA's Animating Democracy Project Coordinator Michael Del Vecchio at mdelv...@artsusa.org.

More Museums Can Apply for Federal Program

Heritage Preservation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services recently announced changes to the Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) starting for fiscal year 2006. The changes will allow more museums to participate and will streamline the application process. CAP is a program for small to mid-sized museums of all types, from art museums to zoos, that provides a broad assessment of the museum's collections, environmental conditions, and historic buildings by a conservation professional. Applications were mailed out and available at http://www.heritagepreservation.org on October 7. More information and the sample application are also available on the Heritage Preservation Web site at http://www.heritagepreservation.org/programs/capover.htm .

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