July, 2003
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A LIVING LEARNING LABORATORY culture builds community: UTICA 2003 CALL FOR ALLIANCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS' NOMINATIONS |
"A
LIVING LEARNING LABORATORY culture builds community: UTICA 2003."
OCTOBER
15, 16, 17, 2003
Excitement is mounting for the Statewide Arts Conference October 15, 16 and 17 in Utica. "A LIVING LEARNING LABORATORY culture builds community: UTICA 2003 will begin at 11 am on October 15 and conclude after lunch on October 17. There will be some post conference optional activities on Friday afternoon, evening and on Saturday for those who wish to take a weekend to experience the Fall Foliage at its' peak.
Attendees will spend two full mornings of the conference on behind the scenes site-visits and candid onsite roundtable exchanges led by staff and board at 4 different organizations. Two large and two small organizations will be showcased: Sculpture Space, Oneida County Historical Society, Central New York Community Arts Council and Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute.
Details
are available on the Alliance website www.thealliancenys.org/conference.
This year registration will be entirely online. We will be using a new e-commerce
system. Watch the mail for a postcard describing procedures. It will arrive mid-August.
Questions? Please contact Pat Berman (631) 298-1234 or PKBARTS@aol.com.
NOMINATIONS
for CELEBRATE THE ARTS OF NEW YORK STATE AWARDS 2003
The
Nomination form follows. The deadline is JULY 15, 2003. Nominate
an organization, for innovative partnerships and commitment to advancing community
cultural development in New York State. This is a wonderful opportunity
to promote your organization, your supporters and your partners! Nominations
are also sought for board members who have provided exemplary board leadership
and administrators worthy of the M. Jacquie Lodico Distinguished Service
Award. The awards ceremony will take place November 24, 2003 at Tavern
on the Green, New York City.
For
the past twelve years these annual awards have recognized significant contributions
towards advancing cultural development in New York State.
We invite OUR field,
who understand and value the rich fabric of cultural life statewide, to make nominations.
For each nomination please submit a one-page narrative describing why the nominee deserves recognition. Of particular interest are community involvement and empowerment initiatives, local partnerships, commitment, as well as the allocation of resources for cultural development projects and programs. Support materials may be included.
Nominations are invited for
Arts
Organization Awards: Upstate and Downstate
To honor both an upstate and
downstate organization that has made outstanding contributions to the cultural
community of New York State. These endeavors include, but are not limited to:
collaborative efforts, significant community partnerships, arts education, cultural
development, community revitalization and artistic excellence.
Board
Leadership Award
To honor exemplary Board of Directors' leadership by an
individual or a group governing an arts organization in New York State. This award
is given annually in honor of John A. Thorne.
M.
Jacquie Lodico Service Award
To honor an arts administrator for outstanding
accomplishment and distinguished service to their organization and community.
Deadline for Nominations is July 15, 2003 - 5 PM
Awards
Ceremony will be held
Monday, November 24, 2003
Tavern on the Green
Central
Park at 67th Street
New York City
Please send nominations to: Awards Panel, Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations, P.O. Box 96, Mattituck, New York 11952-0096. (631) 298-1234; (631)298-1101 (fax) jkweiner@worldnet.att.net; awippert@worldnet.att.net.
Indicate award category. Only one nomination in each category may be submitted.
FROM
THE UPSTATE OFFICE: Martha E. Strodel, Director of Rural Arts Program
The 2003 series of rural workshops, Empowering the Board finished up in early June. From attendance and evaluation forms, these workshops are providing needed and wanted useful information for board members.
To extend the effectiveness of these workshops, I will be pulling information and suggestions from them and sharing them with you in this and future "From the Upstate Office" columns. My thanks to all of the presenters who developed and shared their information through the workshops.
Anne Ackerson presented two workshops on board roles, responsibilities and board development. Much of her handout information came from BoardSource, the national organization on board resources and governance issues (formerly, National Center for NonProfit Boards: website at www.ncnb.org). Their information distinguishes between the basic responsibilities of nonprofit boards and their legal responsibilities. This column will review the legal responsibilities.
Legal Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards: Under well-established principles of nonprofit corporation law, a board member must meet certain standards of conduct and attention in carrying out his or her responsibilities to the organization. Several states have statutes adopting some variation of these duties which would be used in court to determine whether a board member acted properly. These standards are usually described as the duty of care, the duty of loyalty and the duty of obedience.
Duty of Care...describes the level of competence that is expected of a board member, and is commonly expressed as the duty of Œcare that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise in a like position and under similar circumstances. This means that a board member owes the duty to exercise reasonable care when he or she makes a decision as a steward of the organization.
Anne further clarifies the Duty of Care to include careful oversight of financial matters and reading of minutes, attention to issues that are of concern to the organization and raising questions whenever there is something that seems unclear or questionable.
Duty of Loyalty...is a standard of faithfulness; a board member must give undivided allegiance when making decisions affecting the organization. This means that a board member can never use information obtained as a member for personal gain, but must act in the best interests of the organization.
On duty of loyalty, Anne adds that conflict of interest or the appearance of conflict of interest must be avoided. This includes personal and professional conflicts as well as conflicts with other organizations with which a board member is connected.
Duty of Obedience...requires board members to be faithful to the organization's mission. They are not permitted to act in a way that is inconsistent with the central goals of the organization. A basis for this rule lies in the public's trust that the organization will manage donated funds to fulfill the organization's mission.
* From The Legal Obligations of Nonprofit Boards: A Guidebook for Board Members. Washington DC; National Center for Nonprofit Boards, 1997.
Reminder:
BOARD TUNE-UPS are available to assist with outside professional consultants
through the Alliance Rural Arts Program. Please contact me if you're interested:
Martha Strodel (518) 623-2508; mstrodel@capital.net.
CALL
FOR ALLIANCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS' NOMINATIONS
The Alliance Board Governance Committee seeks nominations from the field for potential Alliance Board members. Please submit candidate names to the Alliance Board Development Committee, 245 Love Lane, P.O. Box 96, Mattituck, NY 11952. In a brief letter, describe the attributes of your candidate. The three-year term of office becomes effective January 1 and can be renewed for an additional three-year term. Members of the Board are elected by the Alliance membership from a slate presented by the Board Development Committee at the Annual Meeting on October 16, 2003 during the Conference in Utica.
NEW
YORK STATE CULTURE ZONE PROJECT TOWN MEETING UPDATE
Regional Town Meetings have been held in 3 regions in New York State. There is still time to register for the last meeting which will take place July 10 at Queens Theater in the Park in the New York City Metropolitan Area. Thus far, these meetings have been well received statewide by packed audiences. The meetings have been designed as a forum to acquaint attendees with the New York State Culture Zone Project and get feedback from the arts community.
Joining Alliance Staff at this final meeting will be Assemblyman Joseph D. Morelle, and Senator Serphin Maltese, who are drafting and sponsoring the Culture Zone Legislation. A discussion of the progress of the legislation to date, as well as a summary of proposed benefits will be presented. Questions will be addressed and the input of the assembled will be documented and considered in future iterations of the bill.
To register online and find out more about the meeting, visit the Alliance's Web Site - http://www.thealliancenys.org/email_newsletter/on_the_road_june18.htm
AMERICANS
FOR THE ARTS PRESENTS 2003 AWARD TO JANET LANGSAM
At
its annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, Americans for the Arts presented The Michael
Newton Award to Janet Langsam, Executive Director of the Westchester Arts Council
and member of the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations Board of Directors.
"In her long and distinguished career in arts management, Janet has moved
from positions in government leadership and cultural facility management to running
a local arts agency and united arts fund," said Robert L. Lynch, president
and CEO of Americans for the Arts. "Her passion for making the arts available
to all of her community's citizens, along with her ability to recognize and seize
opportunities for new funding and growth, makes her one of the most effective
local arts leaders in the country."
Langsam,
herself a painter, is overseeing the Arts Council's first-ever capital and endowment
campaign to ensure that art and culture remain a vital part of the Westchester
community for years to come. She has spent 25 years working in both the public
and private sectors where she has been involved in promoting the arts and their
importance to economic development. She started as District Manager in the Office
of Neighborhood Development in New York City's Lindsay Administration. She went
on to serve as First Deputy Commissioner of Cultural Affairs under New York City
Mayors Abe Beame and Ed Koch, and later as President and CEO of the Boston Center
for the Arts. She was also a founder of The Queens Museum.
She received her B.S. degree from New York University as well as an M.A. from New York University's Graduate School of Public Administration.
The Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations has a 28-year history as New York's primary service association for community based arts and cultural organizations. The Alliance provides leadership and vision, and delivers services, resources and tools that strengthen community cultural organizations. The Alliance monitors, informs and mobilizes the field on statewide and national issues affecting the arts and assists local arts agencies in building community support and developing effective grassroots public policy.
245
Love Lane, P.O. Box 96
Mattituck, NY 11952-0096
Phone (631) 298-1234 /
Fax (631) 298-1101