August Wilson House Receives $5 Million Support from Denzel Washington

The project to restore the August Wilson House, led Daisy Wilson Artist Community and headed by executive director Paul A. Ellis Jr., Mr. Wilson’s nephew, received a boost from actor Denzel Washington. In late September, Washington gifted $5 million to the project at a community ceremony, adding his name to a list of supporters that includes Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes, Spike Lee, and Antoine Fuqua.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, during the ceremony, "Mr. Ellis revealed a new slogan -— “Claim What Is Yours” for the project, taken from his uncle’s words. Speaking about the way African-Americans see themselves and God, Mr. Wilson said, 'All over the world, nobody has a God who doesn't resemble them. Except black Americans. They can't even see they're worshipping someone else's God, because they want so badly to assimilate, to get the fruits of society. The message of America is 'Leave your Africanness outside the door.' My message is 'Claim what is yours.' "

Read the full article here.

Americans Speak Out About the Arts in 2018

Americans for the Arts (AFTA) recently released Americans Speak Out About the Arts in 2018, the second in a series of national public opinion surveys conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Americans for the Arts. According to AFTA, it "gauges the public perspective on (1) personal engagement in the arts as audience and creator, (2) support for arts education and government arts funding, (3) opinions on the personal and well-being benefits that come from engaging in the arts, and (4) how those personal benefits extend to the community."

Some notable figures include:

  • 81% believe the arts are a "positive experience in the world."
  • 73% believe the arts give them "pure pleasure to experience and participate in."
  • 68% believe the arts "lift me beyond everyday experiences."

Read more about the survey here.

CalArts Animation at UN’s HeForShe Impact Summit

For 2017-18 academic year, the UN Women’s HeForShe movement teamed with CalArts to produce 12 animated student films that highlight issues surrounding gender equality. Prominent world leaders, global CEOs, activists and celebrities joined forces to launch new global initiatives for gender equality at the 2018 United Nations HeForShe Impact Summit in New York City. 

Featured speakers included CalArts President Ravi Rajan. The Summit is a global call to action focusing on significant issues like accelerating women’s economic empowerment, ending gender-based violence, driving gender-balanced leadership and gender equality in Hollywood.

For a behind-the-scenes look at CalArts Animation, check out the trailer. 

Guild Members Receive Increased Support from William Penn

The William Penn Foundation announced $9.4 million in new funding for 20 arts and cultural organizations, including numerous Guild members! These grants further the Foundation’s commitment to fostering a vibrant and creative Philadelphia through increased access to high-quality arts and cultural experiences by bringing programs directly into Philadelphia neighborhoods and schools.

Congratulations to our member organizations: ArtWell, Settlement Music School, Mural Arts Philadelphia, and Play On, Philly!

See the full list here.

Arthur Mitchell, Pioneering Black Ballet Dancer, Dies at 84

Black Voice News highlights the legacy of Arthur Mitchell, who broke barriers for African-Americans as a ballet dancer and who would go on to become a driving force in the creation of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, has died. He was 84. Born in Harlem in 1934, Mitchell started dancing with the New York City Ballet in 1955 under famed choreographer George Balanchine, considered the father of American ballet. Among those recognizing his impact following his death was Misty Copeland, the first African-American female principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre.

Learn more here.

Just Released: AFTA’s 2018 Congressional Arts Report Card

Americans for the Arts 'Arts Action Fund’s' 2018 Congressional Arts Report Card is now avaialble for use on the upcoming November 6th Election Day. This year’s important federal midterm elections will see all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate up for election.

This Report Card is your one-stop guide to learn if members of your Congressional delegation support (or not support) the arts and arts education prior to casting your vote. An impressive 148 House members received an A or A+ grade in our Report Card with a total of 307 House members receiving passing grades.  On the Senate side, the majority of Senators (55) received a pro-arts Thumbs Up.

Get the digital copy of the Arts Action Fund’s 2018 Congressional Arts Report Card.  

20 Arts Organizations Selected to Participate in the Catalyzing Creative Aging Program

September 26, 2018

Twenty nonprofit arts education organizations have been selected to participate in the National Guild for Community Arts Education’s Catalyzing Creative Aging Program. This multi-phase initiative, provided in partnership with Lifetime Arts, is designed to support the establishment of new, professionally led arts education programs for older adults that increase social engagement and mastery of one or more art forms. Research shows that professionally led, arts education for older adults fosters positive aging.

Program participants include:

“Now in its second year, the Catalyzing Creative Aging Program is proving to be a highly successful vehicle for broadening access to lifelong learning in the arts,” said Jonathan Herman, executive director of the National Guild. “By building our members’ capacity to launch these programs, we are inspiring community organizations to serve more older adults and to develop innovative new models of service. We are proud to partner with Lifetime Arts, a nationally recognized leader in designing and disseminating model creative aging programs for active older adults, to catalyze this growth and innovation across the nation."

Through this program Lifetime Arts will provide training and technical assistance for eight months via a series of workshops, webinars, and video consultations designed to increase each organization’s capacity to serve older adults through skill-based, participatory arts programs. Ten of the participating organizations will be selected — through a separate competitive application process — to receive seed grants of up to $7,000 from the National Guild to implement new creative aging programs beginning in fall 2019.

“We are proud to again partner with the National Guild to enhance its members’ capacity to develop, evaluate, and sustain successful creative aging programs and share what we learn with the field,” said Maura O’Malley, co-founder and executive director of Lifetime Arts. “Training this second cohort will undoubtedly expand the ways in which arts organizations can attract, engage, and serve older adults throughout the country.”

The goals of the Catalyzing Creative Aging Program are to:

  • Increase capacity to serve older adults through skill-based, participatory programs
  • Provide models of high quality creative aging programs to the field
  • Raise public awareness about the benefits of creative aging programs.

The 2018-19 Catalyzing Creative Aging Program is made possible with support from Aroha Philanthropies and the NAMM Foundation.

Nonprofits Hiring Faster Than For-Profit

FastCompany's coverage on John Hopkins University, Center for Civil Society Studies research, shows that nonprofits have hired proportionately more people than for-profits in every state (along with Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico) except North Dakota (where growth was tied). In fact, their data highlights that the 12 million people employed by various social good organizations actually represent the country’s third largest employment base by category behind retail and manufacturing. The sector now has the third largest payroll base, too. The nonprofit sector generates about $638 billion in wages behind professional science and tech workers ($783 billion) and manufacturing ($797 billion). Read the complete article.

Rising Diversity Demand Meets Short Supply

The New York Times recently covered the lack of diversity in Hollywood, with interviews from people within the sector who have first hand-knowledge and experience of this issue. They found that, Plenty of minority and female writers are looking for jobs, but may be unknown to or overlooked by showrunners, unrepresented by agencies, or seen as lacking in experience. “The pool is wide but not deep” is a common refrain. Even those at the forefront of diversification efforts acknowledge that a shortage exists. Not enough minority women have been groomed for senior writing jobs, a function not only of the industry’s white male focus, but also of rarefied access, discrimination in promotions, and low entry-level pay. Read the complete article.

NEA Releases the 2017 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts

The 2017 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), is produced jointly by the Nationale Endowment for the Arts' Office of Research & Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The SPPA reveals the number and share of U.S. adults who attend performing and visual arts events, read books and literature, and personally perform or create art, among other forms of arts participation. It highlights trends in attendance at performing and visual arts events, as well as in reading and movie-going, between 2002 and 2017. You can learn how many people are engaging in the arts and how attendance/reading has changed in recent years. Read the complete report.