Wisconsin ArtsBlog

Americans for the Arts Annual Convention
Philadelphia, PA | June 20-22, 2008

American Evolution: Arts in the New Civic Life was the theme of the 2008 annual national convention presented by Americans for the Arts this past weekend in Philadelphia.

Wisconsin was well-represented at the convention with a contingent of 10 arts leaders, all of whom had many opportunities to show off Wisconsin’s creative sector and soak up ideas, models and inspiration from around the country to bring home. Among the issues “on the table” at the convention:

* A $15.3 million increase for the NEA approved by the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee on June 11, which is now moving through the full Appropriations Committee and then the full House of Representatives
* The critical need for arts leaders to be advocates
* The next generation of leadership in the arts sector
* The changing nature of arts “delivery” and cultural infrastructure
* The arts as a powerful force in education, and how to keep the arts alive in schools and communities.
* New ads from “The Arts. Ask for More.” PSA campaign debut
* Recipients of AFTA’s 2008 Leadership Awards.

Tip of the week: Learn more about the conference and national arts and arts education issues
Check out AFTA’s “ArtsBlog” to get more information and perspective on the convention and national issues that affect you. Anne Katz, director of Arts Wisconsin, was one of the 15 arts leaders designated as an official “blogger” for the convention.

Additional tip: Show your support for increased state investment in the arts and arts education.
Here at home in Wisconsin, Arts Wisconsin urges everyone who cares about Wisconsin’s future to show support for the Wisconsin Arts Board’s New Economy Funding Initiative - an investment of $1 per capita for the Arts Board, the state agency dedicated to culture, creativity, commerce and community.

Join the list of supporters for more state investment in the arts and arts education, and send the link to your colleagues, peers, volunteers, and audiences to ask them to sign on too. We need a broad, diverse and continually-growing statewide coalition of arts, business, education, government, political and civic leaders and organizations to show their support for the New Economy Funding Initiative. Over 130 organizations and individuals have already signed up to show their support. There is strength in numbers!

By now, pretty much everyone in the state has to know that the movie “Public Enemies” has been filming in several locations around Wisconsin since March, bringing visibility, credibility, lots of economic impact, and Johnny Depp (!) to the state. This Universal Studios film is the first major motion picture filmed in the state as a result of the new film incentives legislation which became law on January 1, 2008. The support and advocacy of leaders like Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton and Wisconsin Arts Board Director George Tzougros was instrumental in making the incentives legislation a reality.

“Public Enemies” filming continues in Madison this week, and there’s still more filming to be done in Milwaukee. In addition to the local actors, set designers, costumers, technicians, and other creative personnel employed by the film, construction companies, shoemakers, restaurants, hotels and drugstores in participating communities have reported increased business. This positive first experience will undoubtedly lead to more national and local film activity here!

Check out Film Wisconsin’s website on all things “Public Enemies.”

The new awardees of the 2008 Wisconsin Visual Art Lifetime Achievement Awards are available to be seen on WVALAA’s website. In addition Madison City Channel 12, will be rebroadcasting the recorded event several times. The schedule of viewings is listed below, with statements by the 8 new Awardees and the keynote presentation by Tom Lidtke, Executive Director of the Museum of Wisconsin Art.

Schedule:
Saturday, May 10 at 10pm
Sunday, May 18 at 8pm
Wednesday, May 21 at 2pm
Saturday, May 24 at 9:30am
Saturday, May 31 at 8pm

In addition to Sunday’s awards ceremony, an associated exhibition, “Building a Visual Arts Legacy,” will be on view through June 8 in the James Watrous Gallery at the Overture Center, 201 State St., Madison. For more information, call (608) 265-2500.

2008 STATE ELECTIONS STARTING TO HEAT UP

Presidential campaigning has been going on for a while now (now there’s an understatement), but here in Wisconsin statewide campaigns are now becoming more visible. These races include all 8 Congressional seats and, 3/4 of the State Legislature (the 16 even-numbered Senate seats and all 99 Assembly seats). In addition, the 2009-2011 state budget process will be increasingly in the news as the year goes on.

2008 is turning out to be a very critical, and exciting, year for Wisconsin’s arts industry, and arts activists will have many opportunities throughout the election and campaign season to speak up for local and statewide arts and arts education initiatives and programs.

Arts Wisconsin will keep Wisconsin arts activists up to date on all developments, issues and news on the election and budget fronts, with targeted actions to get the attention of decision-makers. Use the Legislative Action Center to keep in touch and keep informed. Make sure your staff members, colleagues, board members, volunteers, audiences, and others who care about the arts and community are signed on to receive alerts and get the news they need, too!

Key election dates to keep in mind are:

June 1: Primary Candidate Filing Open
July 8: General Election Filing Deadline
July 8: Primary Candidate Filing Deadline
Aug. 20: Mail-in Primary Voter Registration Deadline
Sept. 9: Primary
Oct. 15: Mail-in Voter Registration Deadline
Nov. 4: General Election

Election and political news can be found at:

State Elections Board
WisPolitics.com
WisOpinion.com
The Wheeler Report - daily news about politics in Wisconsin
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - state politics blog
Wisconsin Vote - Wisconsin Public Radio campaign website
ArtsVote 2008 (Americans for the Arts’ national campaign coverage)
Tip of the week: Start checking out the 2008 elections and candidates
Arts Wisconsin’s Legislative Action Center has up to date information on:

Your current elected officials and the current state legislative leadership
2008 Presidential, Congressional, and State Legislative races
The latest advocacy news and developments.
These resources are there for you, so you can learn more about elected officials - candidates - and the issues you should know about. Remember, advocacy is most effective when you’ve built and sustained relationships with decision-makers, so it’s in your best interest to stay informed about the people and issues involved.

AUTHOR SPEAKS UP FOR THE ARTS, EDUCATION, AND CREATIVITY
This week, Americans for the Arts released an audio version of the 21st Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts & Public Policy, presented by Americans for the Arts , on March 31 at the John F. Kennedy for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.

In this provocative, pointed, and entertaining lecture, Pink makes what he calls a “hard-headed case for arts education.” He explains how three powerful forces in the economy are making logical, linear, rule-based, “left-brain” abilities necessary in the workforce, but no longer sufficient. And he shows how these three forces—what he calls abundance, Asia, and automation—are making artistic, empathic, big picture, “right brain” abilities the most important abilities in just about every profession in industry.

This important speech advocating for the essential public value of the arts is worth taking the time to hear. Click here to listen.

One of the most important issues in the global arts and creative economy world these days is the awareness that “attention must be paid” to the next generation of arts leaders. The arts world is changing, as the world is changing, and the forces that are shaping emerging leaders today and into the future are very different from those in the past.

Arts Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Arts Board, with our national partner Americans for the Arts, are paying close attention. Our statewide organizations have started to connect with Wisconsin’s emerging arts leaders, to delve into issues, provide services to address them, and help these talented individuals lead into the future.

The Wisconsin Emerging Arts Leaders Summit, to be held on Friday, October 12, at a new art gallery in Madison, is one of the ways we’re doing that.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Wisconsin Arts Board recently announced the results of the most comprehensive economic impact study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry ever conducted in the state. The release of the Arts and Economic Prosperity III report shows that in 2005, Wisconsin’s nonprofit arts industry generated over 15,000 full time jobs and $61,840,000 in state and local government revenue. Cumulatively, the arts contributed $418,055,786 in total economic activity.

That’s a significant impact, and great information for arts leaders to use to make the case for the arts.

More data and specifics at…http://artsboard.wisconsin.gov/static/.

Arts Wisconsin proudly launches this blog to bring together/connect/join (pick one or substitute a word of your own) Wisconsin-ites involved in the arts who are just starting out, or who are exploring a new career path, or who are continually learning along the way. It’s a word in progress, so you’ll see changes and adaptations in the future. Please join us — share your thoughts, dreams, ideas and comments — and spread the word!

Next week…a delegation of Wisconsin arts leaders (some emerging, some not) will attend the Americans for the Arts convention in Las Vegas, NV. We’ll be posting observations, lessons learned, and stories picked up in the meeting rooms, hallways and casinos. Stay tuned!