August, 2005
Save the Date November
7, 6-8 pm:
| AWARDS FOR ADVANCING CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN NEW YORK STATE ANNOUNCED |
Welcome
to: Richard Helweg who has been named as the new Executive Director of
The ARTS of the Southern Finger Lakes in Corning, New York
"Celebrate
the Arts of New York State Gala"
Copacabana November 7, 2005
AWARDS
FOR ADVANCING CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN NEW YORK STATE ANNOUNCED.
Join
the Alliance as we acknowledge and honor the doers and dreamers who will receive
awards this year. Special Thanks to the Gala selection committee who evaluated
over 100 organizational nominations and 40 individual nominations to select:
HON.
LOUISE SLAUGHTER
arts advocate award
THEODORE BERGER
lifetime
achievement award
POETS & WRITERS
downstate organization
award
ARTS CENTER OF SCHENECTADY-PROCTOR'S THEATRE
upstate
organization award
QUANG BAO
M. Jacquie Lodico distinguished
service award
MARVIN LEFFLER
Board Leadership Award
Invitations
to the Gala will be mailed in September, but it's not too early to begin making
plans to join us November 7, 2005 at the legendary Copacabana 34th Street
and 11th Avenue, NYC for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres and the awards ceremony,
6-8pm.
FROM THE UPSTATE OFFICE: Martha Strodel, Director Rural Arts Program
I've been thinking a lot recently about the passion and commitment of our field
as cultural developers. One of the facts that I identified from our series of
meetings around the state that explored regional issues in relation to the statewide
Alliance needs assessment survey, is that our passion is being sorely tested;
it's difficult to
concentrate and be creative in our work while it's a daily
struggle to keep the doors open and staff paid.
I believe our passion and commitment for what we do are two of our strongest assets and sustaining tools. It was nice to have this confirmed by an expert; in the E-Institute (the Alliance partnership with Cornell University's School for Industrial and Labor Relations) an instructor who generally works with corporations commented on this as unusual, and reminded us that it is indeed an asset.
So how do we reaffirm our dedication, build new passion for our work and gain the recognition and support for what we do?
I've
been speaking with a number of people in the field on this issue. A key emerging
question is: Are we still a vital, necessary organization to the communities we
seek to serve? I think it's extremely gutsy, exciting and important that a number
of groups are
moving to address this issue through both internal and external
reevaluation and assessment. This implies putting everything on the table, reconnecting
and reaching out into the community, and planning to implement the results. This
could mean new or different programs and services, and perhaps even new organizational
models. It definitely means a lot of extra work; but this isn't daunting for those
who have passion and commitment!
I've also been trying to find answers through research and writing, particularly to the question of gaining recognition and support for what we do, and hope to have some ideas posted soon. In the process, I read through Chapter 1 "Local Arts Agencies: Making a Difference in Communities" in The Fundamentals of Local Arts Management, published by Arts Extension Service (Division of Continuing Education, University of Massachusetts at Amherst). I have the 1994 edition, but I'm sure the new edition also covers this history. It is a succinct reminder and a proud track record of the role of passion and commitment in serving our communities with cultural programs and services.
As
always, I only need to think about the many individuals laboring in our field
to see real life examples of dedication to the arts and community - new "disciples"
as well as veterans. Robert Taylor is one such person. Robert recently
retired from his job as Community Arts Coordinator with the Olean Public Library
after 31 years. I met Robert
back in the mid-70s, when I was working for the
Visual Arts Program at NYSCA and went to Olean to review his gallery request.
At that time, I was struck with his commitment to bring contemporary quality arts
exhibitions to his rural community, and his passion in support of individual artists
(The library did receive NYSCA funding). He
expanded the library's arts programming
to include community art workshops and a strong literary arts program.
In
my work with the Alliance, I've had the pleasure of working with Robert again
for the past 12 years; his library program is one of the Rural Partners. He has
been an arts pioneer on "the western front" of New York State for over
3 decades; building quality programs and services that reach into and serve the
whole community. And, he took
on a separate (unpaid) role as a mentor to other
artists, cultural groups and programming in his region. I'm sure in retirement,
he is exploring his own artistic work with similar passion and commitment, and
will continue to mentor and inspire cultural richness in Olean and Cattaragus
County. Thank you, Robert!
U.S.
HOUSE RESTORES, $100 MILLION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING
On
June 16, 2005, the House Appropriations Committee passed a bill that slashed public
broadcasting funding by over $200 million. The cuts included $100 million for
programs, elimination of $39 million to help local stations switch to digital
transmission, $40 million to upgrade aging satellite technology, and a $23 million
cut to the Ready to Learn program, which provides money for the creation of shows
such as Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow. On June 23, 2005, the House
passed an amendment to restore the $100 million cut to programs, but did not restore
the digital transmission, satellite, or Ready to Learn funding. However, the Senate
Appropriations Committee has sent its version of the funding bill to the Senate
floor, providing full funding for all these key components of public broadcasting
support.
"COMMUNITY ACTION TEAMS"--REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Community Action Teams (CAT) is a new initiative designed by the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations to assist up to four communities or regions in New York State to design, plan and/or organize a new or existing community cultural development project.
Community
Action Teams, a group of Circuit Riding Professional Consultants, will prepare
arts leaders to spearhead social and community change or advance an existing community
project by bringing specifically tailored expertise onsite.
The teams are
designed to organize the community for development, build partnerships with government
and the commercial and not for private sectors, and develop fundraising protocol
necessary to implement the resultant plan. Consultancies will be specifically
chosen to address individual community needs as designed by the applicant. They
will be available on a competitive basis.
Examples of eligible projects include, but are not limited to: organizing a community to take advantage of beneficial economic incentives such as downtown re-vitalization, culture districts, tourism, cultural facility acquisition and adaptive re-use, increased patronage and revenue generation, regional marketing, and collaborative administrative initiatives.
This initiative is available to arts organizations in New York State; rural, suburban and urban. Preference will be given to member organizations in communities where access and skill development opportunities are limited, and those where there are significant underserved populations. This initiative will build an infrastructure that is tailored to local needs and opportunities as defined by local arts leaders and their communities. Evidence of collaboration and partnership must be included in the application. Partners could include: business, government, community trade associations, multiple arts or nonprofit organizations.
Each site is eligible to receive up to 4 onsite consultant days. Applicants may choose from our list of consultants, with expertise in all areas of community development, or may pre-select their own consultants (assuming they qualify for the program and agree to be paid based on the negotiated fees of the Alliance Consultant stable). To add a consultant, please include resume and references of the proposed individual.
Alliance CAT Team Consultants include: Diane Mataraza: Community Planning; Robert Herz: Government and Policy Analyst, Halsey and Alice North: Fundraising Plans; John Holehan, River Street Planning: Urban and Community Design; John McCann: Partnership and Coalition Building. The Team members will be augmented and assisted by Alliance Staff and organizational infrastructure.
The CAT program is made possible thanks to a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and additional support from Natural Heritage Trust.
Click
here to access application guidelines and requirements
The Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations has a 30-year history as New York’s service association for arts and cultural organizations. The Alliance provides leadership and vision, and delivers services, resources and tools that strengthen cultural organizations. The Alliance informs the field on statewide and national issues affecting the arts and assists local arts agencies in building community support.
P.O. Box 96
Mattituck, NY 11952-0096
Phone (631) 298-1234 / Fax (631) 298-1101