March, 2007

ARTS DAY IN ALBANY IS MARCH 6, 2006

Speak up and speak out. The Alliance urges you to be part of statewide advocacy efforts to make the case for increased support of the Arts.

Have you signed up for Arts Day in Albany? There is still time to register. Click here.

Attend the Arts Day RALLY 11 AM - 12 noon in the Legislative Office Building (LOB) Hearing Room A. Join Christopher Jones and government officials. Pack the Hearing Room and help us present a unified voice for the arts.

You can still make appointments to meet with your legislators in Albany. Schedule your appointments before 11:00 am or after 12:15 pm because we want you to join the rally between 11 AM and 12 noon.

Our message: Increase funding for NYSCA to $54 million, or just $2.80 per NYS resident. Governor Spitzer's proposed 2007-2008 budget includes $47.5 million in NYSCA aid to localities (grants). That's a $5 million increase over this year. $54 million would be an $11.5 million increase, so the Governor's budget gets us almost half way there! That's good news, but it is still far below the 1988-89 level of $54.3 - without being adjusted for inflation!

Arts Day Showcase in the WELL of the Legislative Office Building will include performances, table top displays and exhibits. Performances will be scheduled between 9 am - 11 am and 12:30 pm - 3 pm. The following groups will be exhibiting and/or performing: Arbor Hill Development Corporation, Albany; Bright Hill Press, Treadwell, Delaware County; East End Arts Council, Riverhead, Suffolk County; Eba, Albany; Fractured Atlas, Manhattan; Geneseo Migrant Center, Mt. Morris, Livingston County; Harlem Arts Alliance, New York City; Harlem Needle Arts, New York City; Harlem One Stop, New York City; Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council, Glens Falls, Warren County; Museum of disABILITY History, Amherst, Erie County; New York State Theatre Education Association, Philadelphia, Jefferson County; NYS Alliance for Arts Education, Albany; Proctor's Theatre, Schenectady; Splashes of Hope, Huntington, Suffolk County; The NYS Historical Association and the Farmers' Museum, Cooperstown, Otsego; unseenamerica NYS, Troy, Rensselaer County; 7 Loaves Inc./GOH Productions, Manhattan; KBW Music, Greenwich, Washington County; Daystar: Contemporary Dance Drama of Indian America, Rochester;Dance China NY, New York City; NY Artists Unlimited, Inc., Manhattan; Aesthetic Realism Foundation, Manhattan; New Perspectives Theatre Co., Manhattan; Caribbean American Repertory Theater, Queens County;
Indian River High School, Philadelphia, Jefferson County

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ADVOCACY IN WASHINGTON D.C.

Arts Advocacy Day is your opportunity to make your voice heard in DC. Register with Americans for the Arts. Attend the Congressional Arts Breakfast with featured remarks by Wynton Marsalis, participate in Arts Advocacy training workshops, go on Congressional visits with Judith Weiner, State Captain for NY, and attend the 20th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy with Robert MacNeil.

President Bush sent his FY 2008 budget request to Congress on February 5, proposing an increase of $4 million for the NEA, which would bring it to $128.4 million. The increase would be for grants and represents a raise of just over 3 percent. It is the first time since 2004 that the president has initiated an increase for the agency. He also proposed an increase of more than $8 million for museum grants through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which would represent an increase of about 30 percent for that agency's Office of Museum Services. Unfortunately, the president's budget request would eliminate designated funding for arts education programs at the U.S. Department of Education. However, Congress will likely reject this elimination request, as it has in the past.

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* FY07 funds, while not finalized, are expected to be set at FY06 levels

The UPSTATE OFFICE: Rurals Program

In order to strengthen our statewide Rurals network, the Alliance extended invitations recently to selected arts councils/centers in upstate regions. We are very pleased to announce that the ARTS of the Southern Finger Lakes (the ARTS) is the newest member of the Alliance Rural Arts Partnership!

The ARTS is a full service arts council based in Corning and serves organizations, artists and the general public of Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties. The ARTS administers NYSCA Decentralization regrant programs in these three counties, plus Tioga and Allegany counties; NYSCA Local Capacity Building regrants in Allegany, Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben Counties; Arts-in-Education professional development for educators, artists and local arts/cultural organizations, and Folk Arts programming and coordination. Besides these services, they also offer Artist Crossroads, which provides support for artists seeking to create new work; celebrated National Youth Art Month in March of 2006 with an exhibition of close to 1,000 pieces of youth artwork in 21 businesses throughout the region; runs a gallery program with exhibition opportunities for regional artists, and runs regional art forums for cultural organizations, artists and the public of their 3-county core region.

The ARTS employs four full time and one part time staff people. Ginnie Lupi has been Executive Director for the ARTS for about a year; she is a working visual artist and come to Corning from the Albany/Saratoga region. Her work background is in public policy analysis and for many years, she ran a community mental health trade association. The ARTS staff also includes: Lynn Rhoda, Director of Community Arts Development; Marty Evans, Director of Arts-in-Education, Sharla Lefkowitz-Brown, Program Assistant and Folklorist Peter Voorheis.

Ginnie is excited about becoming the newest Rural Partner and networking with her peers. Drop her a welcome email at: jlupi@stny.rr.com. The ARTS of the Southern Finger Lakes is located at 32 Market Street in Corning, 607-962-5871 www.eARTS.org.

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ARTS SUMMIT in Schenectady September 9, 10 and 11

Watch for Arts Summit updates. This will be an exciting gathering of statewide arts leaders for an interactive dialogue and great networking opportunities. Learn about the arts and the economy and how to take advantage of existing and potential economic development tools. Participate in small group meetings and individual consultancies dealing with new marketing strategies, board development and advocacy positions. The Summit Planning Committee includes: Host Philip Morris and Proctors Theatre, Richard Driscoll, Kathryn Hollinger, Celeste Lawson, Sarah Lentini, Ron Thiele and Martha Strodel.

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RESOURCES and INFORMATION from The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Wealthy Young Adults Turn to Philanthropy
More and more young people are looking for ways to use their inherited wealth for social good, forming a new wave of foundation and charity leaders, reports U.S. News & World Report.

The next few decades will see baby boomers leaving their wealth to their children and grandchildren, thus creating a potentially significant source of charitable giving. Boston College researchers estimate that bequests may total $41-trillion through 2052. Rather than spending most of the money on themselves, young heirs are opting to start their own philanthropic organizations.

Groups such as Resource Generation, an organization in New York that guides wealthy young philanthropists and is supported by the Ford, Kellogg, and Surdna foundations, have formed to assist heirs in becoming effective donors and foundation leaders.

Corporate Support for the Arts Declines
For more on corporate giving, read The Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual survey.

Corporate giving to the arts has significantly decreased, leaving arts organizations pressed to find new sources of funds, reports The New York Times.

Emblematic of the decline is the Altria Group's announcement last year that it would stop providing support for the arts, to which it had given $210-million over 40 years. According to the Giving USA

Foundation, corporate philanthropy for the arts has been slashed by half over the past decade. In 1994, support for the arts accounted for 9.5 percent of total corporate giving. During 2004, that figure dropped to 4 percent.

With fewer funds available, arts groups find themselves dealing with corporate marketing departments and issuing free or discounted tickets to company employees.
Nancy Perkins, a fund-raising consultant, said such pressures are a cause for concern, stating, "You've got to be careful that the art institution doesn't turn itself inside out to get the money and lose their identity."

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The Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations has a long 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