June, 2004

NEWS FROM THE FIELD

Congratulations to Kay Stamer of Greene County Council on the Arts. Kay was honored as "Business Woman of the Year" on May 13th at the Greene County Chamber of Commerce's Fourth Annual Dinner.

Regretfully we have learned (and it was reported in the Buffalo News May 23, 2004), that, after 35 years of operation, an attorney representing the Niagara Arts Council has filed a petition in State Supreme Court to dissolve the organization.

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ALIANCES OLD AND NEW: DIALOGUE AND CONVERSATION
Annual Statewide Art Conference; SEPTEMBER 8 and 9 2004

Conference Location and Host
ARTS CENTER OF THE CAPITAL REGION
265 River Street
Troy, New York 12180
518-273-0552
and

Conference Hotel
FRANKLIN SQUARE INN AND SUITES
1 Fourth Street
Troy, NY 12180
1-866-708-2233 or 518-274-8800
Sleeping Rooms negotiated at a favorable rate of $75/room. Reservations made on your own. Call the hotel directly and use the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations in order to this special preferred group rate.

Registration: $99 per person: members of the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations, $120 per person: non-members. Will include 2 lunches, 1 dinner, and 1 continental breakfast.

The gathering will be paced and punctuated to provide valuable time for participants to make friends and renew acquaintances, for people to network with colleagues from all over the state and for veterans and newcomers alike to share ideas, dreams and direction. All will leave the conference with new ideas and insights to take home to their own communities Watch for Program Details. Online Conference Registration will begin in July.

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CELEBRATE THE ARTS GALA: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Deadline July 1

For the past thirteen years, these annual awards have recognized significant contributions towards advancing cultural development in New York State. Nominations are invited for awards to be presented at the Celebrate the Arts in New York State Gala, which will take place November 8. 2004 at the Copacabana, 560 West 34th Street New York City. These awards recognize organizations and individuals who contribute significantly to the rich landscape that make New York the State of the Arts. To nominate an organization or individual, click here to follow this simple procedure and respond by 5pm July 1, 2004. This is a wonderful opportunity to promote your organization, your supporters and your partners.

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CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AREA BILL: TAKE ACTION TODAY

Your legislators need to hear from you again in support of the CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AREA BILL, # 7018-A (ASSEMBLY) # 3109-A (SENATE). Send an email, call the district office, or meet with your legislators.

The CDA BILL has moved from the Assembly Conference committee to Ways and Means, chaired by Assemblyman Herman Farrell. In the Senate, it has moved from the Economic Development Committee to Finance, chaired by Senator Owen Johnson. In addition to contacting your legislators, calls to both of these Committee Chairmen will be very effective at this time.

Assemblyman Farrell 518-455-5491; Senator Johnson 518-455-3411. Just leave your message with the staffer who answers the phone and include your name and address.

It is urgent that as many people as possible contact their legislators and committee chairs within the next 2 weeks to urge support of the bill. The bill already has huge community and legislative support statewide. There is strong support downtown and uptown in NYC as well as statewide and we have indication that there are a number of areas that are poised and ready to take advantage of this Bill when it passes.

The CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AREA BILL proposes an expansive vision of arts development, using two forms of designation-cultural development areas (not less than six nor more than nine statewide), and designated cultural assets (up to 100 statewide) -and tax credits to induce private, non-governmental money into the development of facilities for arts groups. These incentives for private investment will bring new revenue to stimulate development and facility expansion that will benefit both sectors. The bill requires a partnership of local government with local arts corporations, and is designed to augment the traditional general operating and program support provided through the New York State Arts Council but does not influence the peer review process.

Through this legislation, arts groups are well on the way of realizing a twenty-year dream of being at the center of community initiatives that stimulate economic development and create jobs. This is a realization of a vision that has long been discussed and put forth in recent years as another justification for public support of the arts.

If you would like to review a more detailed explanation of the Bill, click here.

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FROM THE UPSTATE OFFICE: Martha Strodel, Director Rural Arts Program

UPCOMING RURAL WORKSHOPS:

"Developing an Individual Donations Program" with Paul Mastrodonato of Nonprofit Works, Wednesday, June 2nd, 7-9 pm at Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GOArt), 201 East Main Street, Batavia. The workshop will cover why and how people give, the importance of developing a case for funding, identifying potential donors, the role of the board, staff and volunteers and a Seven-Step Development Process. Contact GOArt at 585-343-9313 (email at info@goart.org) for registration and directions.

On Thursday June 24th, 10 am - noon, Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts (ALCA) in Blue Mountain Lake will host "Follow the Money: A Quick Guide to a Board¹s Financial Responsibilities" with Anne Ackerson. This workshop will assist board members in how to interpret financial statements and audits, and demonstrate their roles in budget development and monitoring. Call ALCA at 518-352-7715 or email alca@telenet.net for registration and directions.

"Build a Better Board: Board Development, Roles & Responsibilities" is scheduled for Thursday, July 8th, from 4:30 - 6:30 pm at Center for the Arts, 70-72 South Main Street in Homer. Anne Ackerson will cover the basics of effective working boards to include: selecting and securing board members, board job descriptions and evaluation; developing commitment, a shared vision and effective team action. Call host Cultural Council of Cortland County at 607-753-1188 or email: jill@cortlandculturalcouncil.org.

The workshops are supported in part by Corning Incorporated Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts. They are open to staff, board and volunteers of nonprofit cultural and service organizations. Cost for each of these three workshops is $10 per organization, with up to 3 people representing each organization.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE OF THE ALLIANCE RURAL ARTS PROGRAM

In August 2004, the Rural Arts Program will begin its twelfth year of operation. The Rural Partner network has been a strong and dominant force in New York State¹s community arts scene; a great part of its success has been the involvement of the Rural Partners. They have consistently helped evaluate needs and planned to address these needs throughout the history of the program. To continue the success of this unique program, the Alliance would like to set up a Rurals Task Force to again evaluate existing services provided through the program, and to explore how the program should and could move into the future.

When the Alliance completes the set up of the Online Live project (scheduled for this month), the Rurals Task Force could use it as an online, real time meeting space. We would schedule dates with times and agendas for an initial two meetings; the first in July or August with a second in November/December. If more time was needed, it could be scheduled.

I would like to involve both veteran and new directors as participants, plus one or two people who run rural arts organizations that are not Rural Partners, and perhaps an interested board member. I foresee the size of the Task Force at 8-10 individuals, but our work would also be posted to the Rurals listserve for wider feedback and suggestions.

If you are interested in serving on the Rurals Task Force, please phone me at 518-623-2508 or email: mstrodel@capital.net.

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NEWS FROM AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS

Americans for the Arts has completed its 2004-2008 strategic plan. This document is the result of a year-long planning process that involved more than 1,000 of their members, who completed surveys, were interviewed by phone or in person, or expressed their thoughts via one of our leadership councils. The board of directors then used this information to outline the direction the organization will take over the next five years. Click here to access the highlights of the plan.

Interested arts leaders are invited to register today to participate in one of six FREE and LIVE audioconferences taking place this June as part of the Americans for the Arts Local Arts Agencies: Creating Opportunities in Challenging Economic Times project. During these regional calls Bill Keens, Wolf, Keens & Company, will share his research findings on the state of the local arts agency field. For more information, visit the audioconference page.

NATIONAL ARTS CONFERENCE: July 17-20, 2004
The 2nd Joint Convention AMERICAN FOR THE ARTS and
the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Omni Shoreham Hotel
Washington, DC
For information and registration visit pARTicipate2004

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JOB BOARD

STAFF FOLKLORIST: Dutchess County Arts Council, Poughkeepsie. DCAC seeks a Staff Folklorist to run established year-round regional Folk & Traditional Arts Program.

Qualifications and Experience:
- Advanced degree in folklore or a related field
- Experience with creating and producing public events
- Computer literate (MS Word, Excel, email, internet)
- Field research skills (interviewing, recording, transcribing, photography/videography).

Additional skills preferred but not required:
- Ability to work with a wide variety of artists/organizations
- Knowledge of Spanish and/or languages other than English
- Grantwriting/fundraising experience
- Familiarity with the cultural traditions of Mid-Hudson Valley communities.

Job Duties:
- Planning and coordinating (at least 3) public events/festivals.
- Conducting regional fieldwork to identify and document folklife practitioners.
- Networking with local and regional organizations.
- Providing technical assistance to local artists and organizations.
- Assisting the Arts Council staff in organization-wide activities.
- Identifying and securing funding from public and private sources to support folk programs.

Salary: The staff folklorist is a salaried position averaging 24 hours per week. Weekly hours fluctuate with demands of programs and frequently involve evenings and weekends, both for the folk arts program and for general arts council programs. Salary is mid-20's and includes a benefits package.

To apply: Please send letter of interest, resume and references to the Dutchess County Arts Council, 39 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. Deadline for applications is July 16, 2004. For more information, please call 845-454-3222.

The Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations has a 29-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.

245 Love Lane, P.O. Box 96
Mattituck, NY 11952-0096
Phone (631) 298-1234 / Fax (631) 298-1101