Chag sameach for those celebrating Passover. I can’t believe April is almost over, so much happening around the country in your communities! If you have a story you would like to share in the monthly LAN newsletter, please reach out!

This month the newsletter:

 

You can find the designed newsletter here and attached. Below is the plain text version. As always please feel free to reach out and if you have friends who are not on this listserv but are members, please have them reach out to me to be added!

 

Local Arts Network Newsletter

Arts & culture for all

 

Bringing in your Community to help you Thrive

You just never know who you are going to sit next to on a bus tour. At the beginning of March, Mital attended the Creative Placemaking Summit in Atlanta, and on a tour of the Beltline she happened to sit next to Vanita Keswani, Education and Exhibitions Manager for the Smith Gilbert Gardens. As they sat in typical Atlanta traffic, Vanita shared how the garden is acting as an arts incubator, piloting innovative programs across the city. As a smaller city in a state that ranks second to last in the county for public arts financing, Kennesaw is utilizing its arts and culture assets to engage all residents.

 

The gardens have always been home to the arts, with a history rooted in artists community and 30 permanent sculptures for visitors to see. Although nature and history are more predominantly known, the gardens created Art Blooms to engage more artists and help visitors better understand what is available. One of the newer programs—a collaboration with Kennesaw State university (KSU)—is an immersive theatre experience for young (and old) audiences.

 

The goal of the program: think outside the black box.

 

KSU students learn that there is no one way to do theater. They hone their skills in foundations of acting, learn how these skills can be applied to young audiences and adapted to outside environments, as well as improvisation (kids can do all kinds of crazy things). In addition, arts integration specialists come talk to the students about how to offer the best accessibility and the most participation as possible. The program is ever evolving, with each audience engaged in evaluation for continuous improvement. The gardens get to show that their space is versatile and all the different forms it can take. The initiative aims to educate students about the ecosystem and community involvement, harnessing the power of nature as the stage.

 

Smith-Gilbert Gardens link: https://smithgilbertgardens.com

Georgia funding link: https://www.artmattersatlanta.org/updates/tied-for-last#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20National%20Assembly,arts%20budget%20of%20%241.5%20million

Art Blooms link: https://smithgilbertgardens.com/artblooms/

 

AFTA Opportunities

Renewed Moments for Arts & Healing: Creating Shifts and

Movements in Policy on May 14 @ 3PM ET

Learn about the research and practices in arts and culture that have surfaced in our communities as a response to coping with public health issues. The webinar will explore potential movements and shifts in policies and offer actionable ways to advocate for arts in the community. The Epi Arts Lab (University of Florida, Center for Arts and Medicine) and Project ReFocus (a collaborative effort between Howard University and UCLA) will present their research findings, showing the intersection between arts and health. Two local arts agencies: Appalachian Artisan Center and Downriver Council for the Arts will discuss the arts and health practices they have implemented in their communities. Join us as we learn more about arts and healing through the advocacy and policy lens!

Register for free for this live virtual event here: https://artsusa.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zy13AsYlSRegLcks8LeGgQ

 

First ever National Zoom-in Advocacy Week May 13th-17th

Do you want to get involved in federal advocacy but maybe don’t want to do it on your own? Good news! AFTA staff and local district captains are here with guidance. If you did not have the chance to attend live, prepare for the Zoom-in Advocacy Week by watching the Advocacy 201 and Advocacy 101 webinars. The most recent training is on how to collectively reach out to your Member of Congress to support FY25 funds for the NEA, NEH, and arts education.

Advocacy 201 link: https://www.artsactionfund.org/advocacy-201-webinar-2024

Advocacy 101 link: https://www.artsactionfund.org/advocating-arts-2024

 

Iowa Artists Craft Complex Visions of the Rural

The dominant stories we hear about Iowa—and the Midwest at large—flatten the region into a land of rural white farmers. But in actuality, the state is vibrant, diverse, and ever-evolving. From Grant Wood’s softly decaying Corn Room murals to Duane Slick’s pitch-black grasslands, Iowa artists upend rural stereotypes to tell truer stories about the places they come from. Read more here: https://www.nga.gov/stories/west-to-east/artists-craft-their-own-visions-of-iowa.html?utm_source=National+Gallery+of+Art&utm_campaign=04b2e1ae61-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_01_02_Webnews_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2085ff9475-04b2e1ae61-346692513&mc_cid=04b2e1ae61&mc_eid=4e2caf87ad

 

Resources

 

Called Back: On George Morrison, Land Acknowledgements, and Returning Home

When Andrea Carlson sees the late George Morrison’s work in a museum, she feels a deep kinship with the fellow Grand Portage Ojibwe artist. Her father grew up on the same shores of Lake Superior as Morrison, where the waters form a horizon without end. In her tribute to Morrison, Carlson explores the profound impact he had on her artistic career. By tracing both of their displacements—and return—to their ancestral homelands, Carlson asks, what would it look like for Indigenous artists to return home? https://www.nga.gov/stories/west-to-east/andrea-carlson-called-back.html?utm_source=National+Gallery+of+Art&utm_campaign=04b2e1ae61-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_01_02_Webnews_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2085ff9475-04b2e1ae61-346692513&mc_cid=04b2e1ae61&mc_eid=4e2caf87ad

 

AFTA CEO Nolen Bivens visited with the Seminole Tribe while attending the Florida Division of Arts and Culture Local Arts Agency Summit this past month. He connected with tribe artists and culture bearers who shared the importance of agency in remaining the leaders of their own story. https://www.semtribe.com/culture/art

 

Healing, Bridging, Thriving: Reflections on Arts and Culture in Healthy Communities on May 1 @ 2PM ET

A collaborative, integrated approach to health requires artists, designers, culture bearers, community members, and government to come together to advance local goals, to recognize opportunities where the arts can make a difference, and to consider the well-being of individuals and the community as a whole. Inspired by the recent White House/National Endowment for the Arts Summit "Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities," the NEA’s Our Town Creative Placemaking Technical Assistance Program (CPTA) invites you to join an exciting conversation, moderated by Ben Stone, NEA Director of Design and Creative Placemaking, where they will take a deeper dive into healing, highlighting innovative work at the intersection of arts and health. Register here. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vcuCgrDsrHNL9ioaN_AUzQ-yAw3EWrI0y#/registration

Featured speakers:

 

Reach out for a chat – Let’s Chat! – Get to know us better

Mlyonswarren@artsusa.org hflanagan@artsusa.org

Book time with us: https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/8fd1871a5606491a942662c8a54d9980@artsusa.org?anonymous&ep=pcard

 

From: local_arts_network@americansforthearts.simplelists.com <local_arts_network@americansforthearts.simplelists.com> On Behalf Of Mital Lyons-Warren
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2024 8:28 AM
To: local_arts_network@americansforthearts.simplelists.com
Cc: Heather Flanagan <hflanagan@artsusa.org>
Subject: [Americans for the Arts] March Local Arts Network Newsletter

 

Spring has sprung, the crocuses are croaking. For those celebrating, wishing you a blessed Ramadan.

This month’s LAN Newsletter is stuffed to the brim!

 

You can find the designed newsletter here and attached. Below is the plain text version. As always please feel free to reach out and if you have friends who are not on this listserv but are members, please have them reach out to me to be added!

 

Local Arts Network Newsletter

Arts & culture for all

 

“What we do as storytellers is important, not only in terms of connecting to audiences, but also … in helping to drive the discourse ultimately toward legislative progress. So, we’re all in it together. And artists do have a role, if they are informed and responsible, yes, to absolutely comment on the times.” Jeffery Wright 2024 Nancy Hanks Lecture watch the recording of the full lecture including Representative James Clyburn and Hakeem Jeffries https://35thnancyhankslecture.com/

 

Artists as Activist

How do we rethink the way we think about the arts? A thought-provoking discussion hosted by Nashville Public Television, Daniel Singh, Metro Arts Executive Director, and Lydia Yousief, Director of the Elmahaba Center , shed light on the need to rethink our approach to the arts through an anti-racist lens. The conversation resonated with a call to action, urging us to deconstruct entrenched power dynamics, confront historical injustices, and empower artists in leading the change. A thread through the conversation was the notion that art is not neutral. It carries within it the weight of societal biases and historical imbalances. How are local arts agencies acknowledging this reality and recognize the role of the arts in perpetuating or challenging systems of oppression? However, the path to radical change is not without its challenges. Singh acknowledged the necessity of addressing past mistakes and incremental progress before meaningful transformation can occur. Both cautioned against complacency, emphasizing that comfortability can be the disease to movements. As I reflect on the insights from Singh and Yousief and the quote from Jeffery Wright above, I see a way to harness the transformative potential of the artists, culture bearers, and creatives in our communities. This work demands a reevaluation of our assumptions, a commitment to equity, and a willingness to challenge the status quo.

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&si=Xgf10DNI6pjYcZQW&v=QN_FP-a7oec&feature=youtu.be

Metro Arts Link: https://www.metroartsnashville.com/

Elmahaba Center Link: https://www.elmahabacenter.com/

 

More resources from Metro Arts Nashville and their community:

Legal brief supporting use of race in government policies https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danielphoenixsingh_legal-brief-supporting-use-of-race-in-government-activity-7171185547250532353-Dz95/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios

Metro Nashville Human Relations Commission Report on the Arts https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danielphoenixsingh_metro-nashville-human-relations-commission-ugcPost-7170602297616490496-E7I2/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios

 

Two cities in California have instituted a Drag Laureate Program (akin to

the City Poet Laureate), and leaned into supporting the artform of drag!

San Francisco's Inaugural Drag Laureate! The City's first-ever Drag Laureate will serve

as an ambassador for San Francisco's LGBTQ+, arts, nightlife, and entertainment

communities. Congratulations to the singular D'ARCY DROLLINGER for being named to this honor! https://www.sf.gov/drag-laureate-program

The City of West Hollywood’s Drag Laureate serves as an ambassador of West Hollywood’s vibrant drag culture and arts, using the position as a platform to promote the City through the artform of drag performance. Congratulations to Pickle for being selected to serve! https://www.weho.org/community/arts-and-culture/drag-laureate

 

Check out AFTA’s tracking of related legislation https://www.americansforthearts.org/advocate/threats-to-free-artistic-expression

 

Two AFTA Opportunities

Community Conversation on Creative Placemaking & Keeping April 9th, 3 PM ET

We hope you will join for the second Member Community Conversation of 2024! This

conversation will be facilitated by four local arts leaders who attended the Creative

Placemaking Summit at the beginning of March as part of a cohort with Americans for the Arts. Laura Shaw from Paint Love, Abby Smith from The Marietta Arts Council, Vanya Foote from Smyrna Arts Council, and Emily Mottola from Decatur Arts Alliance will lead an exciting virtual Community Conversation on how they are re-rooting in their

communities through creative placemaking and keeping.

Register for free for this live virtual event https://artsusa.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMtceqorDgpHtah6oW8WpM7HifaJuFfdEDQ#/registration

 

FREE Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Self-paced Course April Through September

We're excited to invite you and your networks to sign up for a FREE monthly Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) course! These modules help arts leaders learn how to use their power and sphere of influence to create more equitable policies and practices for their organization and with their external stakeholders. The 6-module series, created in partnership with Dr. Melissa Crum of Mosaic Education Network, offers tools for how to understand the arts ecosystem, the role of leaders in stewarding that ecosystem, and how to cultivate connections for change within that ecosystem.

Reserve your spot here! You’ll receive each course on the first Monday of each month over the next six months. https://artsusa.activehosted.com/f/1?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Elevate+Your+Leadership+with+this+Free+DEIB+Course%21&utm_campaign=DEIB+Course+Sign-up+%28Copy%29

Mosaic Education Network Link: https://www.mosaiceducationnetwork.com/

 

FEMA and NEA Webinar on Disaster Resources for Artists and Art and Cultural Institutions

FEMA and NEA host a webinar on Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery Resources for Artists and Arts and Cultural Institutions. This webinar highlights government and nongovernment resources that help promote collaborations between emergency management professionals, artists and arts and cultural institutions. The webinar includes presentations from the National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness and Emergency Response, Craft Emergency Relief Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Webinar Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCStZDuBzAM

 

Want to learn more? Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design has TWO upcoming public webinars on disaster preparedness

Part 1 - March 27, 2024, 2:00PM ET https://ruralhome.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtd-GsqTkoEtayhhz1lTq8UBCSx3Il7aqH

Part 2 - April 17, 2024, 2:00PM ET https://ruralhome.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rdeypqjgpE9JYznYaw72zEMhjcle0eFvU#/registration

 

New Research Alert

Findings from SMU Data Arts’ first-ever state analysis shows that states with high scores on arts vibrancy generally have lower poverty rates; but having low levels of poverty doesn’t guarantee a top arts vibrancy ranking. Check out the Most-Arts Vibrant States to see where yours is ranked!

https://culturaldata.org/state-of-the-arts-2023/overview/

 

Reach out for a chat – Let’s Chat! – Get to know us better

Mlyonswarren@artsusa.org hflanagan@artsusa.org

Book time with us: https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/8fd1871a5606491a942662c8a54d9980@artsusa.org?anonymous&ep=pcard

 

From: Mital Lyons-Warren
Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2024 4:51 PM
To: local_arts_network@americansforthearts.simplelists.com
Cc: Heather Flanagan <hflanagan@artsusa.org>
Subject: NEW Local Arts Network Newsletter - February 2024

 

Hello! Last year the Local Arts Engagement team embarked on a mission to facilitate an organization-wide plan on how Americans for the Arts will engage with local arts agencies. Local arts agencies are broadly inclusive of councils, commissions, public and private organizations, municipal, parish, county and multi-county institutions. The process was built to inform how Americans for the Arts can build authentic, relevant, and respectful relationships as a means to support and to be inclusive of local arts agencies within our equitable advocacy work. Three Themes arose from the process: 

 

As a newly oriented team, Heather Flanagan, and I (Mital Lyons-Warren), have mapped out goals for 2024 and 2025. One of which is to engage more consistently with local arts organizations and artists. The local arts network listserv is a tool for local arts leaders to share with one another and for AFTA to share with the field. I will be working this year to provide consistent information that is centered around you all through a monthly newsletter. In the past I have sent items sporadically as they come to me. I will continue to share resources that are time sensitive in addition to the monthly newsletter. I also hope you all feel comfortable reaching out to this listserv to engage in conversation with one another!  

 

You can find the designed newsletter here and attached. Below is the plain text version. As always please feel free to reach out and if you have friends who are not on this listserv but are members please have them reach out to me to be added!

 

Mital Lyons-Warren

A button with "Hear my name" text for name playback in email signature

Manager

Local Engagement

Americans for the Arts

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Book time with Mital Lyons-Warren

 

Local Arts Network Newsletter

Arts & culture for all

 

News and Happenings

Greetings local arts champions! Heather Flanagan and I are excited to be the newly oriented local arts engagement team (LAE) here at Americans for the Arts. Building upon AFTA's legacy of grassroots advocacy, our mission involves collaborating closely with local arts agencies to ensure universal access to arts and culture. We know local arts agencies play a pivotal role in effecting positive change for artists, creatives, and culture bearers within their communities

Heather brings a wealth of experience in artist engagement and accessibility, while I, Mital, am dedicated to fostering connections with local arts agencies and organizations. We trust that this new monthly newsletter will be a valuable addition. Got questions, thoughts, or just wanna share some artsy joy? We're all ears!

 

A Free Resource Just for You

PeoplesHub is a is an online movement school that connects groups and individuals across geographies to build strong, resilient and transformative movements. Check out their Zine celebrating the work of 2023 that positioned them to keep growing our disability justice and solidarity economy movement in 2024!

https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeopleshub.ourpowerbase.net%2Fcivicrm%2Fmailing%2Furl%3Fu%3D1876%26qid%3D115243&data=05%7C02%7Cmlyonswarren%40artsusa.org%7C35af8bec19044b2d435d08dc2cc4910c%7Cc302fb9e9c3449dda251e374ae12ae25%7C0%7C0%7C638434469995041875%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=oD%2FtCIv0B%2FiAh230%2Bk2AZTD2t6ryzIYjmtX0%2Fp9cjAw%3D&reserved=0

 

New Event Coming Up * Nancy Hanks Lecture* Tuesday 12th March 2024

Register for Live Stream

The Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts & Public Policy is a leading national forum for arts policy intended to stimulate dialogue on policy and social issues affecting the arts. The lecture is named for Nancy Hanks, former president of Americans for the Arts and chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, who devoted 15 years of her professional life to bringing the arts to prominent national consciousness.

https://www.americansforthearts.org/events/nancy-hanks-lecture

 

Innovative funding for organizations

During the month of February, the Orange County Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, held two events that highlighted possible funding sources for minority artist and environmental sustainability arts groups if they are serving an underserved community or are a group led by members of an underserved demographic OR are an artist or arts organization interested in motivating social action related to environmental responsibility. Both require a collaboration with one of the established organizations that is eligible by state law to receive Tourist Development Tax funding.

https://www.orangecountyfl.net/CultureParks/ArtsCulture.aspx

 

New Leadership in Arts & Culture

Since I have started at Americans for the Arts, I have seen many leaders retire, new leaders come into the field and leaders move to new organization. This trend pushed us to recognize folks on Americans for the Arts social media. Heather Flanagan, Manager of Artists Engagement and Accessibility, and I as the new Local Arts Engagement team, reach out to folks to share our congratulations along with the post. We were lucky to connect with two new leaders this past month, Anne O’Dell from Erie Arts & Culture and Hope Chávez from the Arts Council of Greater New Haven. As Randy Cohen, VP of Research at AFTA, likes to say each local arts agency is a snowflake. And I agree local arts agencies are uniquely positioned to serve the arts and culture needs in their communities. Interestingly there was some overlap between the conversation with Hope and Anne. As regional leaders, they are both focusing on engaging all of the cities, towns and villages in their region. Authentic relationships build momentum to regenerate in a time when both urban and suburban areas are working to revitalize. Hope talked of the quickly growing fiscal sponsorship program in New Haven, which has helped fill a much-needed gap in the community. Anne spoke to the creative workforce programming Erie Arts & Culture to serve artists and culture bearers in the community. It was inspiring to speak to these new leaders! Keep an eye out on Americans for the Arts social media for more new leaders in the field. Have a new leader you want shared, just reach out.

https://www.instagram.com/americans4arts/?hl=en

https://www.erieartsandculture.org/

https://www.newhavenarts.org/

 

Reach out for a chat – Let’s Chat! – Get to know us better

Mlyonswarren@artsusa.org hflanagan@artsusa.org

Book time with us: https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/8fd1871a5606491a942662c8a54d9980@artsusa.org?anonymous&ep=pcard

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