Latest News
 

Lend your voice to the One State conference
Although the submission deadline for session proposals has passed, there are still ways to help shape the upcoming One State conference: complete the One State survey, or visit the One State blog and join in the conversation. Do both this week!

One State: Together in the Arts – Converge, Connect, Create, is co-convened by the Illinois Arts Alliance and the Illinois Arts Council and will take place May 17 & 18, 2007 in Urbana-Champaign. Visit the conference blog for more information - http://blog.artsalli ance.org/.

Richard Florida needs you
Richard Florida is working on his new book: WHO'S YOUR CITY: Why the Place You Choose to Live is the Most Important Decision You'll Ever Make. He's looking for people's stories about why they've picked the places they live, and he needs as many stories as possible. Send 100 or 200 words (300-500 words could be even better) to: whosyourcity@gmail.com. For more information, visit Richard Florida's website.

More than a Pastime: Informal Arts Improve Communities and Increase Formal Arts Participation
A recent study, "Informal Arts: Finding Cohesion, Capacity, and Other Cultural Benefits in Unexpected Places" by Alaka Wali and associates, makes a strong case that participation in informal art activities - such as park district classes, library book clubs, and block parties - develops skills necessary for building community capacity. The study indicates that participation in the informal arts leads people to interact across social barriers such as ethnicity/race, class, gender and age.

Furthermore, participants acquire skills useful for building community capacity, such as greater tolerance of difference, trust and consensus building, collaborative work habits, use of innovation to solve problems, the capacity to imagine change, and the willingness to work for it. http://artspolicy.colum.edu/image s/articles/informalArtsReport.pdf.

 

 Resources
 Websites, books and recent research

Directory of Illinois Foundations
On December 5, The Donors Forum of Chicago will publish their new Directory of Illinois Foundations. This popular print resource, now in its ninth edition, offers profiles on more than 3,000 grantmakers, including 300 newly established foundations. The in- depth funder profiles provide staff contacts and application deadlines as well as details on specific giving areas. http://www.donorsforum.org/forms_pdf/DIF9fly er.pdf.

Thriving Arts: Thriving Small Communities
In 2005, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC) of Minnesota conducted a study to answer the following question: Are there critical ingredients or common themes necessary to building long-term vitality for the arts in rural and exurban communities? Though conducted in Minnesota, the findings of this study are relevant to small communities in Illinois and elsewhere. http://www.bushfoundation.org/Publi cations/MRAC_Report.pdf

Shared Wisdom: Top-Notch Free Software
>From TechSoup: The best things in life are free, the saying goes - and so is some of the best software. Here, nonprofit techies share their favorite free applications and how they've benefited from them. http://ga0.org/ct/C71DYyY1Gm-n/

 

 Grants and Awards
 Funding for Illinois artists and arts organizations

Chamber Music America's Residency Partnership Program to Support Live Ensemble Music
Chamber Music America's Residency Partnership Program enables ensembles and presenters to bring live ensemble music to rural, urban, and suburban communities across the United States. Dynamic collaborations and non-traditional partnerships among ensembles/presenters and community-based organizations are encouraged. Residency projects may include workshops, coaching sessions, lecture/demonstrations, and/or concerts that are not part of a regular series. The length of the collaborative project may range from a minimum of three days to a maximum of one year. New this year is a multi-year residency option for ensembles and presenters with prior residency experience. Deadline: December 8, 2006. http://www.chamber -music.org/programs/grant.html

 

 Conferences & Workshops
 Professional development & learning opportunities

Grantmakers & Grantmaking: an inside view
Hear both grantmakers and grantseekers discuss ways to make the the funding relationship a success. November 29, 2006, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm at 1 East Jackson Boulevard in Chicago. Cost: $175 http://nonprofitsuccess.org/forum- nsf16.html

Arts Education Partnership National Forum
What are we learning about the role of arts education in school reform? January 19 – January 20, 2007, Dallas, TX. http://www.aep- arts.org/ForumInfo.htm.

Symposium on the Arts in Society
The conference will be held in collaboration with the International Conference on the Arts in Society. The general theme of the symposium is Arts and Public Reception and will address a range of critically important themes relating to the arts today. Running in conjunction with The Armory Show International Art Fair, one of the leading and largest visual art fairs in the world, conference presenters will include participants in this year's Armory Show, as well as leading theorists and practitioners from NYU and the organization's International Advisory Board. The symposium itself will serve as a platform to investigate issues raised by the Armory Show and other international visual arts fairs, with respect to their impact on the art market and issues of inclusiveness, innovation, and frameworks for conceptualizing contemporary art through public display. February 23-25, 2007, New York University. www.Arts-Symposium.com

Society for Arts and Healthcare Conference
A Composition of Creativity and Caring. Conference speakers and performers will include leading contributors in all areas of the arts, education, and healthcare. This conference will benefit anyone with an interest in arts practice and design in healthcare. Registration will open in December. Nashville, TN, April 11-14, 2007. www.theSAH.org

The Business of Arts and Culture
National Arts Strategies (NAS) has launched a nationwide program offering leaders of non-profit arts groups the opportunity to study with top business and graduate school professors in marketing, finance, management, and other areas of critical interest to arts organizations. Participation by Chicago-based arts leaders is being funded by a $95,000 grant from the Joyce Foundation. Based in Washington, DC, NAS is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the arts and culture sector through leadership education. Seminars are being offered in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Seattle starting in 2007. "The Business of Arts and Culture" consists of executive seminars and applied learning projects, and provides scholarships and travel support for participants across the country. The program brings together a national network of funders and seminars are taught by faculty from top business and graduate schools including Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and MIT. For more information and application details, visit the NAS website: www.artstrategie s.org/section/programs/business_of_arts_and_culture. php

 

 Local Arts Network Member Events
 Cultural happenings throughout the state

What's New In Your Patch of the Prairie?
Share your news! Send submissions to simpson@artsalliance.org with the subject heading: Locals Online Submission.