http://www.artsactionfund.org/ en Copyright 2010 2010-09-08T19:35:25+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/stimulus-funds-serve-as-a-ray-of-light/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/stimulus-funds-serve-as-a-ray-of-light/ Federal funds have had a large impact on Broward County, Florida. In fact, funds from the federal economic stimulus package saved forty-seven jobs in the arts at 17 different cultural organizations. 2010-09-08T18:35:25+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/the-memories-we-find-in-music/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/the-memories-we-find-in-music/ While waging the never-ending battle with clutter in my apartment the other day I stumbled across an album that I hadn’t listened to in several years. I haven’t been able to stop listening to it since and not because of the music. 2010-08-26T17:24:42+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/bringing-the-healing-power-of-music-to-children/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/bringing-the-healing-power-of-music-to-children/ The walls in the oncology department of Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Washington will soon be ringing with music again. 2010-08-18T18:26:40+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/music-creates-an-unlikely-partnership/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/music-creates-an-unlikely-partnership/ What happens when the former Secretary of State gets together with the Queen of Soul? Beautiful music for a good cause. 2010-07-28T20:12:13+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/congress-creates-arts-in-education-week/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/congress-creates-arts-in-education-week/ Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.Con.Res. 275, legislation designating the second week of September as "Arts in Education Week." 2010-07-27T19:45:25+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/old-movie-houses-become-centers-of-the-community/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/old-movie-houses-become-centers-of-the-community/ Theatres across the US have news for Netflix, iTunes and other streaming and rental video options – don’t count them out just yet. Old movie houses in communities like Langdon, North Dakota are seeing a resurgence based on their appeal as a center of the community. 2010-07-15T18:48:05+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/why-are-you-an-advocate-for-the-arts/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/why-are-you-an-advocate-for-the-arts/ We all have our own reasons for standing up for the arts and arts education. For me it’s the fact that I find myself transported to another time and place whenever I read a book – like a mini vacation from my regular life. 2010-07-08T20:25:12+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/national-endowment-for-the-arts-announces-new-grants/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/national-endowment-for-the-arts-announces-new-grants/ National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) chair Rocco Landesman has been working to broaden the grant guidelines of other federal agencies to include provisions for arts and culture. 2010-07-07T17:34:18+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/pianos-appear-on-nyc-sidewalks/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/pianos-appear-on-nyc-sidewalks/ Pianos have popped up all over New York City, inviting passers by to take a moment and make some music. 2010-07-02T13:54:11+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/film-shows-the-power-of-arts-education/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/film-shows-the-power-of-arts-education/ Can you imagine a teacher so powerful that they inspired you to pick up your instrument and return to your old band thirty years later? Students of Conrad O. Johnson (aka Prof) can – they made the journey mentally and physically to rejoin the Kashmere Stage Band more than three decades later. 2010-06-22T19:49:51+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/arts-organizations-win-with-bingo/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/arts-organizations-win-with-bingo/ B-I-N-G-O not only is it the refrain from a popular children's song, some arts organizations are finding it's a good way to raise money in tough times. 2010-06-10T03:11:13+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/puppets-entertain-on-la-freeways/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/puppets-entertain-on-la-freeways/ Ever wish you had something to distract you while you are stuck in traffic? A new, LA based venture began presenting puppet shows to drivers sitting on highways today providing a new distraction for commuters. 2010-06-02T18:13:19+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/google-homepage-showcases-student-artwork/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/google-homepage-showcases-student-artwork/ Did you check Google’s homepage today? If so you might have noticed its iconic logo looks like a living jungle today thanks to nine year-old Makenzie Melton of El Dorado Springs, Missouri. 2010-05-27T18:38:41+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/major-paintings-stolen-in-parisian-heist/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/major-paintings-stolen-in-parisian-heist/ In a dramatic fashion that seems made for the movies and has left police with few clues, five famous artworks disappeared from Paris’ Museum of Modern Art last night. Paintings by Picasso, Matisse and others were removed from their frames and whisked off into the night without triggering alarms or rousing security guards. 2010-05-21T19:58:13+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/glee-makes-the-case-for-arts-education/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/glee-makes-the-case-for-arts-education/ Although I am still shocked by the way that Glee has been accepted by mainstream America, it is comforting to know that creator Ryan Murphy's depiction of the struggles of outsiders trying to fit into traditional high school stereotypes has become a television and iTunes hit. 2010-05-19T19:36:27+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/opera-stages-surprise-five-minute-performances/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/opera-stages-surprise-five-minute-performances/ Imagine having a quiet afternoon lunch with friends or shopping for your groceries at the end of a long day when suddenly you are surrounded by opera singers who break into song. It’s happened to a few hundred people in Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD. 2010-05-17T16:50:39+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/the-library-guy/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/the-library-guy/ Can one regular person really make a difference when it comes to state politics? Meet Paul Clark, otherwise known as The Library Guy around the halls of the Florida Legislature. When Clark, a librarian for the Wilderness Coast Library System in Florida learned that the Florida Legislature was planning to cut the entire budget for state libraries, he quickly became a mainstay of the Capitol building. 2010-05-10T20:22:00+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/flooding-reaches-the-grand-ole-opry-house/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/flooding-reaches-the-grand-ole-opry-house/ Country music's most famous venue, The Grand Ole Opry House, is currently underwater as flooding in Nashville, TN continues. On the verge of celebrating its 85th anniversary, The Grand Ole Opry will have to move all of its shows from its home stage to other venues around town until floodwaters recede and damage is assessed. 2010-05-04T15:16:25+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/woman-admits-to-selling-fake-picasso/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/woman-admits-to-selling-fake-picasso/ Are you looking for some extra cash? If you thought selling a piece of fake art sounded like an easy way to make money, you might want to reconsider. A California art dealer was recently arrested for attempting to sell a fake Picasso for $2 million - leading to jail time rather than a windfall. 2010-04-28T18:22:42+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/speak-up-for-the-arts-in-schools/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/speak-up-for-the-arts-in-schools/ The Arts Education Working Group, a coalition of national arts and arts education advocacy organizations including the Americans for the Arts Action Fund, invites local organizations to join the movement to keep the arts in public schools by signing-on to a statement in support of arts education: Arts Education: Creating Student Success in School Work and Life. 2010-04-27T19:39:45+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/transforming-neglect-into-art/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/transforming-neglect-into-art/ Vacant buildings with plywood over the windows and doors has long been a basic part of life in some neighborhoods in downtown Cincinnati, OH but Future Blooms is changing that. With creativity and a few coats of paint, volunteers and staff for this Keep Cincinnati Beautiful project transform signs of neglect into possibilities for the future. 2010-04-25T15:05:26+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/a-natural-part-of-a-city/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/a-natural-part-of-a-city/ To Mayor Joseph Riley of Charleston, SC art is a natural part of a city – a part to be preserved and encouraged. It was this vision of the natural fit of the arts in city planning and the role mayors can play in transforming their cities that Mayor Riley shared as the 23rd Annual Nancy Hanks Lecturer. 2010-04-22T15:44:50+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/new-seattle-study-spurs-arts-education-advocacy/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/new-seattle-study-spurs-arts-education-advocacy/ The results of a new arts education study by the Washington State Arts Commission were disappointing to both Susan Coliton, Vice President of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and Patricia Wasley, Dean of the College of Education at the University of Washington. While neither woman is directly involved in arts education they view the arts as essential to educating creative thinkers and building a strong economy. 2010-04-20T19:24:58+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/arts-advocates-descend-on-capitol-hill/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/arts-advocates-descend-on-capitol-hill/ Over 500 arts advocates took to Capitol Hill Tuesday for Arts Advocacy Day. Starting the with a “pep rally for the arts” attendees of the Congressional Arts Kickoff heard remarks from guest artists Kyle MacLachlan and Jeff Daniels as well as various Members of Congress. 2010-04-16T17:51:53+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/knitters-beautify-cities-one-stop-sign-at-a-time/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/knitters-beautify-cities-one-stop-sign-at-a-time/ Trees wearing sweaters, bike racks turned into pieces of art, stop sign posts growing flowers – it’s all part of yarnbombers attempts to make the world a prettier, more fun place. These rogue knitters are making headlines as they cover up harsh steel and add whimsy to utilitarian fixtures in cities across the US. 2010-04-14T22:02:26+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/secretary-of-education-provides-support-for-arts-education/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/secretary-of-education-provides-support-for-arts-education/ “In America, we do not reserve arts education for privileged students or the elite. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds, students who are English language learners, and students with disabilities often do not get the enrichment experiences of affluent students anywhere except at school,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan stated while speaking at the Arts Education Partnership Forum in Washington, DC on Friday. 2010-04-12T15:00:33+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/fighting-arts-education-budget-cuts-in-florida-school-district/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/fighting-arts-education-budget-cuts-in-florida-school-district/ With school districts around the country facing major budget shortfalls, many are cutting back on already depleted art and music programs to close the gaps. Teachers, students, and parents in the Broward County area, however, joined together recently to show their support for arts programs and help prevent further cuts to their budgets. 2010-03-24T15:17:20+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/detroit-faces-lack-of-art-and-music-teachers/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/detroit-faces-lack-of-art-and-music-teachers/ The city that brought the world Motown no longer guarantees their students will even learn about this movement, much less create their own. Only 55 percent of Detroit’s public high schools have a music teacher today and teachers and parents alike are concerned about the effect that a lack of arts education will have on this struggling school district. 2010-03-24T14:28:41+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/violins-not-violence/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/violins-not-violence/ For years, the neighborhoods that sprawl over the mountains in northern Medellin, known locally as “Las Comunas,” have been consumed by poverty, unemployment, and gang warfare. For young people, the lure of crime can be overwhelming. Pressure to join armed gangs for protection and to earn a livelihood is constant, and with a lack of other viable options, the young people from these communities are often drawn into the world of violence and crime. 2010-03-24T13:38:33+00:00 http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/arts-have-power-as-revenue-generator-in-california/ http://www.artsactionfund.org/news/entry/arts-have-power-as-revenue-generator-in-california/ As states face economic difficulty the chair of California’s Joint Committee on the Arts, State Senator Curren Price sees the arts as a revenue generator. “As manufacturing continues to leave the state, our creative sector continues to grow and holds the greatest promise, I think, for our future jobs engine,” Price said at a recent Joint Committee on the Arts hearing. 2010-03-24T13:08:14+00:00