Russell Granet to Lead New 42nd Street Theater

New 42nd Street Theater (New York, NY) has annouced that Russell Granet has been named as its new president and chief executive officer. Granet currently serves as the acting president of Lincoln Center, and takes over New 42nd Street as the organization’s longtime leader Cora Cahan steps down after about 29 years. 

Granet says he will focus on commissioning new work, and will "prioritize offering the New 42nd Street Studios as an incubator space for projects by emerging artists and using the Duke to stage those works."

Read the full story >>

Center of Creative Arts: Creating Space for Human Connection

In a post on the Americans for the Arts blog, Kelly Lamb Pollock of the Center of Creative Arts (St. Louis, MO) shares a reflection on her organization's newest expansion project. COCA is expanding with a 50,000 square foot addition onto their current space. 

"Historically," Pollock write, "arts organizations have built facilities and spaces in service to their art, such as grand museums and acoustically pristine symphony halls. In planning for our expansion, we have done more than our fair share of discussing, debating, and decision-making about the technical specifications and “performance” of our new space. However, as the project has evolved, I’m more interested in thinking about how our space, and our art, can be in service to humanity, not the other way around."

Read the full article on the Americans for the Arts blog.

CAELI Class of 2019

The National Guild for Community Arts Education is pleased to announce the 2019 class of the Community Arts Education Leadership Institute (CAELI). Twenty-six individuals representing community arts education organizations across the nation were selected to participate in CAELI, a leadership program designed for individuals in the nonprofit arts education sector.
 
Over the course of eight months, the program provides participants the opportunity to hone and advance leadership skills and effectiveness through a sequential curriculum that includes virtual workshops, one-on-one coaching with top trainers and practitioners, and an introspective dive into how being a leader impacts the personal and the professional. Participants attend a five-day, in-person seminar held at Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia, PA in July.
 
The CAELI class of 2019 will join an alumni network, more than 200 members strong, offering peer mentorship and a trove of resources for continued development long after the conclusion of the program. Together, these leaders represent our best opportunity to ensure all people have access to opportunities to maximize their creative potential.

CAELI is now in its tenth year and is led in collaboration with Partners in Performance, Inc.
 
Support for CAELI comes from The American Express Foundation, The Angell Foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, our CAELI Alumni Network, and other generous individuals.
 
Through a competitive process, this year’s class includes:

Click here for photos and full bios.

  • Rheanna Marie Abbott, Manager, Arts in the Middle Program, Lincoln Center Education, New York, NY
  • Pachy Banks-Cabral, Advancement Officer, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
  • Scott Bartelson, Management Associate, Hartford Stage, Hartford, CT
  • Alaina Calloway Bolton, Music Education Director, Apple Tree Arts, Grafton, MA
  • Josiah Micha Bruny, CEO, Music Changing Lives, Moreno Valley, CA
  • Alberto Careaga, Director of Education, Art League Houston, Houston, TX
  • Alorie Clark, Senior Manager, Arts Education and Community Programs, Step Afrika!, Washington, DC
  • Kerry Davis, Development Coordinator and Community Liaison, Cleveland Print Room, Cleveland, OH
  • Teresa Drews, Director of Education, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Milwaukee, WI
  • Sarah E.R. Grosman, Programs Manager, Turtle Bay Music School, New York, NY
  • Eric Hung, Grant Writer and Conference Chair, Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, Burlington, NJ
  • Daylynn Allis Lambi, Executive Director & Founder, Marrow PDX, Portland, OR
  • Mika Claire Lemoine, Teaching Artist Mentor, Destiny Arts Center, Oakland, CA
  • Vita Litvak, Manager of Adult Programs, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA
  • Colleen Longshaw, Associate Director, CARE, Cleveland Play House, Cleveland, OH
  • Nathan Majoros, Deputy Director, Lifetime Arts, New Rochelle, NY
  • Linsey McDaniel, Managing Director, Balafon West African Dance Ensemble, Pittsburgh, PA
  • Patricia Morales, Director of Young Artist Programs, Southwest School of Art, San Antonio, TX
  • Elena Marie Muslar, Assistant Director, Entertainment and Fine Arts Professions, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA
  • Sarah Jane Pietlicki, Program Manager, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Chicago, IL
  • Cathleen Marie Plazas, Senior Director, Curriculum & Program Evaluation, NJPAC, Newark, NJ
  • Carmen Myriam Santos-Robson, Assistant Director and Development, Newark School of the Arts, Newark, NJ
  • LeBrandon Stephen Smith, Associate, NeON Arts, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
  • Margaret Wyporek Spear, Assistant Director, Strategic Growth and Programming, The Hartt School Community Division, West Hartford, CT
  • Veronica Stein, Program Director, Snow City Arts, Chicago, IL
  • Molly Terbovich-Ridenhour, President & CEO, San Diego Civic Youth Ballet, San Diego, CA

Nonprofit Executives and the Racial Leadership Gap

Pulling from survey data of over 4,000 respondents, a new report from Race to Lead explores the differences in experiences between white executives and executive leaders of color. They share a number of key findings, including: 

1. Although there certainly are advantages to being in the top leadership role of an organization, the data shows that people of color in executive positions report higher rates of common challenges and frustrations than white EDs/ CEOs

2. Organizational financial sustainability is a particularly acute burden for EDs/CEOs of color.

3. Nonprofit EDs/CEOs of color report more challenges in their relationships with boards of directors when the boards are predominantly white. 

4. Both EDs/CEOs of color and white leaders are taking similar steps to make their organizations more equitable, inclusive and diverse.

Read the full report here. 

The Arts in Schools of Choice Report

The Education Commission of the States recently released "The Arts in Schools of Choice," a resource for understanding how charter, magnet, open enrollment, private and home-schools interact with arts education policy. 

ESC writes, "since the Every Student Succeeds Act became law, states have taken advantage of opportunities to engage the arts more broadly in education policy…at the same time, many states’ policy agendas address school choice, with ongoing discussion by champions and critics alike. However, many states have yet to consider the policy landscape for the intersection of arts education and school choice."

Read the full report here.

Art Expression Inc. Receives NEA Grant

Art Expression Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA), received a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support programs in under served populations in Washington and Greene counties. They are running programs in three school districts which have had funding cuts made to arts programs. 

The organization was recently featured in the Observer Reporter for their work. The article explains that the districts’ schoolteachers and guidance counselors recommend students for these two-hour sessions, selecting kids who may need help socializing, have a behavioral problem or have a disability such as an autistic disorder. Some of these kids are selected because they enjoy art. 

“We teach them how to make art, not so much to hang on a wall, but as an expression of self,” said Cheryl Silinskas, an art facilitator who led Thursday’s class at Trinity North Elementary School in Canton Township.

Read the full article here. 

National Young Artist Summit 2019 Planning Committee Applications Open

The National Young Artist Summit 2019 Planning Committee plans, coordinates and co-facilitates the 2019 National Young Artists Summit which takes place Saturday, Nov. 2. Working with a group of youth from across the country committee members design a full-day summit, providing opportunities for youth leaders, ages 13-24, from a range of artistic disciplines, to connect, create and celebrate.

The National Young Artist Summit is hosted in concert with the National Guild's Conference for Community Arts Education, a national convening which aims to ensure all people have opportunities to maximize their creative potential.

The NYAS Planning Committee consists of a combined maximum total of 10 youth members for a minimum of a 6-month term. Youth leaders currently in 9-12 grade are encouraged to apply for the 2019 committee. Members of the NYAS 2019 Planning Committee meet via conference call once a week June – October, usually Wednesdays from 5:00-6:00pm EST.

NYAS Planning Committee members are expected to attend all meetings, actively participate in all planning, coordination and facilitation activities and be present for the 2019 National Young Artist Summit in Austin, TX Saturday, Nov. 2. All members of the youth planning team will be provided with a $500 stipend following the Youth Summit.Team members will also be reimbursed for round-trip airfare and/or ground transportation and hotel accommodations for Youth Summit attendance on Saturday, November 2, in Austin, TX

Learn more and apply by June 10th.

Americans for the Arts Releases Local Arts Agency Salary Report

The Local Arts Agency Salaries 2018 research report is AFTA's most recent effort to benchmark the vast and varied compensation practices of the local arts agency field in America today, which compiled 117 anonymous survey responses.

Some of the key findings, from AFTA: 

"In general, local arts agency employees are educated white women. Eighty-two percent of the respondents identify their race/ethnicity as white or Caucasian or European American only. Seventy-eight percent identify as female (cisgender). Ninety-one percent have at least a four-year college degree, including 45 percent who have at least one graduate degree. Sixty-five percent of LAA employees report that they are satisfied with their cash compensation. While 38 percent of LAA employees agree with the statement, "I have a clear path for job advancement," another 30 percent disagree (including 14 percent who strongly disagree).

The overall average salary for the executive director position is $81,476 (the average for public/government LAAs is $110,946, while the average for private/nonprofit LAAs is $73,114)."

Read the full report here>>

Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School Established as Independent School

After losing its space in late 2018, the Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School (New York, NY) is now operating as an independent music school out our four locations around Manhattan, including the 92Y, Kaufman Music Center, VISIONS, an Funkadelic Studios. They hope to consolidate to one or two locations when possible.

The school was founded in 1913, and "is committed to helping people pursue their study of music while addressing the challenges posed by vision loss." Along with finding new space, the school is welcoming new staff to its Accessible Music Technology Division: Konrad Kamm (our first D’Agostino Accessible Music Technology Fellow), Richard Thai (our second D’Agostino Accessible Music Technology Fellow), and Daniel Gillen (Braille Music Proofreader and former student extraordinaire).

Read the full release.