Meaningful engagement in arts education can have a life-changing impact on teens. An initiative and guidebook from the National Guild for Community Arts Education, Engaging Adolescents: Building Youth Participation in the Arts outlines a holistic approach that integrates arts learning with principles of youth development. It is designed to help staff and faculty develop new programs and services for teens or to rethink and strengthen programs they already offer.
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAKES DEEPER CUT TO NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed H.R.1, a appropriations bill written to target at least $100 billion in domestic spending cuts in the current fiscal year. This legislation includes a $43 million reduction for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)—from the current $167.5 million to $124 million. This represents the deepest cut to the NEA in 16 years. Representatives narrowly passed an amendment to the originally proposed appropriations bill on Thursday by a vote of 217-209, which increased an already dramatic cut to total the $43 million reduction. The Senate, which may be more supportive of the NEA, will begin its consideration of the appropriations bill starting February 28, following a week-long recess in observance of Presidents Day. For more information about the federal budget process, please contact Associate Director of Federal Affairs Gladstone Payton at gpayton@artsusa.org.
The city of Gillette provided two grants so residents can, for the first time, have access to a large community kiln. The Wyoming Arts Council kicked in a $10,000 grant, and donations to the AVA Center also helped pay for the $28,000 kiln and its enclosure, which will protect it from Wyoming's harsh elements.
"In northeast Wyoming there isn't any place they have an outdoor kiln," said Sandi Aberle, executive director of AVA. "It's a whole new opportunity for potters and students and their imaginations can just explode."
After the kiln is in place alongside the building at the corner of 4J Road and Wyoming Highway 14-16, the AVA Center plans to offer pottery classes that will feature new techniques, clays and glazes. Aberle said the current plan is to fire the kiln about once a month starting in mid-December. The frequency will depend on the size and number of items to fire.Read the entire CST story at http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_6c99f869-1ac9-5b79-8841-ff4bba26e8c7.html
"With that big kiln we open so many opportunities for potters," Aberle said."If you were just putting cups in there, you'd literally be able to fire hundreds of them."
You are cordially invited to join Gov. Ritter as he signs four bills that will strengthen Colorado's Creative Industries
Tuesday, May 18, 2010, 1-2:30 p.m., The Art Institute of Colorado, 1200 Lincoln Street in Denver
From 1 to 2 p.m. enjoy light refreshments, the Industrial Design students' gallery show and interactive student artwork in the fields of design, culinary arts, media arts and fashion.
At 2 p.m. Gov. Ritter will sign the bills and provide remarks. He will be joined by lawmakers and members of the creative industries.
The Governor will be signing these four Creative Industries bills:
SB 10-158, The creation of the Creative Industries Division within the Colorado Office of Economic Development - merges the Office of Film, Television and Media, the Colorado Council on the Arts, and the Art in Public Places Program, and renames the State Council on the Arts as the Council on Creative Industries and authorizes the Council to establish policies for the merged entity.
HB 10-1180, The Criteria to Qualify for a Performance-Based Incentive for Film Production Activities in Colorado - changes the criteria required of a film production company to qualify for a performance-based incentive for film production activities in Colorado, making the incentive more usable and thus able to attract more film and television work to Colorado.
SB 10-094, The Definition of Capitol Construction Appropriations for Purposes of the Art in Public Places Program - clarifies that the thirty-three year old Arts in Public Places Statute applies to all capitol construction projects funded with state dollars, regardless of the funding mechanism.
HB 1273, Arts Education for Workforce Development - strongly encourages all Colorado public schools to provide education in the visual and performing arts and directs the State Board of Education to recognize the importance of the arts in development of future graduation guidelines.
“Working Vermont Landscape: Variation 1” by artist John M. Miller of CoventryArt of Action is a multi-faceted art project funded by philanthropist Lyman Orton, owner and proprietor of the Vermont Country Store in Weston.
The exhibit recently closed after a six-week run at Burlington International Airport; another will open Monday at the Staart Gallery in St. Albans.
The project was conceived and organized around four goals, said Elaine Scolaro, communications and development director for the Vermont Arts Council, the Montpelier-based nonprofit that serves as the project administrator: To create visual interpretations, by commissioned artists, from a report that describes Vermonters’ concerns about the future, the issues that are important to the state.
To exhibit the artwork, 105 works created by 10 artists, around the state.
A nine-month tour, that will end in July, will bring the artwork to 27 towns. Exhibit spaces include (or have included) galleries, town halls, libraries, a car dealer showroom, and Burlington International Airport.
The exhibit will travel to Washington, D.C., in April, where artwork will be on display in the Russell Senate office building.
FMI: http://www.vermontartscouncil.org/
In back-to-back votes on October 29, both the House and the Senate passed the final version of the bill appropriating $167.5 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in fiscal year 2010. The funding legislation agreed to by a House-Senate conference committee earlier in the week set the arts endowment budget for the year with an increase of $12.5 million above the 2009 level of $155 million.
President Obama had proposed raising the arts funding to $161.3 million, the same amount set in the Senate version of the legislation. The House had allocated $170 million for the arts endowment in the coming year.
The appropriations measure passed by the House and Senate also includes authority, requested by the president in the administration's 2010 budget, for the appointment of four additional members to the National Council on the Arts, returning the endowment's advisory body closer to the size it enjoyed before Congress decreased the board's membership several years ago.
The appropriations bill also includes a general provision prohibiting any agency, including the NEA, from any activity, publication or distribution of literature that "in any way [emphasis added] tends to promote public support or opposition to any legislative proposal on which Congressional action is not complete other than to communicate to Members of Congress. . . ." The bill urges the NEA to take immediate steps to ensure that all employees are aware of these provisions when conducting any activities funded by this appropriation. The legislative admonition is in apparent response to concerns raised in recent months by members of Congress and others over efforts by the Obama administration to engage in dialogue with various constituencies on issues of interest to the White House.
The Interior appropriations bill accompanies a continuing resolution to carry seven unfinished money bills through December 18 while Congress continues work to finish those remaining funding measures. The president is expected to sign the bill before the October 31 deadline when the current continuing resolution expires.
