Job opportunity: Executive Director of Colorado Creative Industries

Our sister state arts agency in Colorado is looking for a new director. Here's a synopsis of the job description take from a WESTAF press release:

The Creative Industries Division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade is looking for a new executive director. The agency’s mission is to promote, support, and expand the nonprofit and for-profit creative industries in order to enhance Colorado’s quality of life, drive Colorado’s economy, and grow jobs. The Division grew out of a long tradition of service as a state arts agency and continues many of those traditional services even as it strives to recast its work in terms of the broader “Creative Industries” charge.

The successful applicant will benefit from the interest of an arts and creative economy governor.  As Governor, John Hickenlooper maintains the pro-active interest in the development of the arts and the creative economy he exercised as Mayor of Denver, and as a successful member of Denver’s business community. In addition, the successful applicant will work intensively with Robert Clasen, the recently retired Chair and CEO of Starz, LLC. Mr. Clasen remains active in the entertainment industry and is a working chair of the policy council that guides the work of the Colorado Creative Industries Division.

The position of the Director of the Creative Industries Division is responsible for working with the Colorado Creative Industries Council to develop and implement the Division’s strategic plan. In addition, the Director is responsible for the direction, management, and evaluation of all agency operations, programs, and services, and for maintaining effective internal and external relations. The holder of this position provides leadership to the nonprofit and for-profit creative industries in Colorado; represents the agency and its advisory body to governmental and legislative bodies, arts organizations, creative industry corporations, private foundations, the media, and the public.  The Director manages the administration of agency operations; and provides leadership to the agency’s personnel and contractors. The Creative Industries Director reports to the Director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), serves on the OEDIT leadership team, and is responsible for the management of three full-time employees and three contracted professionals.

Applications are due on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.

Please submit a cover letter and resume to: Laurel Sherman, Search Coordinator, WESTAF, 1743 Wazee, Suite 300, Denver, Colorado 80202. Electronic submittals are welcome: Laurel.Sherman@WESTAF.org

Arizona joins the ranks of states with a poet laureate post

Congratulations to our colleagues at the Arizona Commission on the Arts in Phoenix. Thanks to their efforts, and those of the Arizona literary community and State Senator Al Melvin, the 2012 legislature passed a bill establishing a poet laureate post for the State of Arizona. On May 11, 2012, Governor Jan Brewer signed SB1348 into law, and October marks the beginning of the nomination, review and selection process.

Until now, Arizona was one of only eight states without a poet laureate position. Wyoming’s poet laureate is Patricia Frolander of Sundance. She is Wyoming’s fifth poet to serve in that position.

The Arizona bill specifies that the appointed poet laureate will serve a term of two years; will offer public readings throughout the year, in both urban and rural communities in various regions of the state; and will pursue a major literary project over the course of the appointment term.

The Arizona Poet Laureate will be provided with an annual honorarium of $2,500 to offset travel and so that he/she is able to actively serve the broadest constituency of Arizonans, who live, learn and work in urban, rural and suburban areas of the state.

The honorarium will be disbursed from the Arizona Poet Laureate Fund, which consists of private monies donated by individuals, organizations or businesses – raised by the Arts Commission and its statewide literary partners.

Interested parties may nominate themselves or others for the position of Arizona Poet Laureate through a process managed by the Arizona commission on the Arts. The initial deadline for nominations is November 9, 2012. To review details and information regarding the nomination/application and selection process, visit http://www.azarts.gov/azpoetlaureate.

WAC staff members and board chair join arts agency colleagues at Assembly 2012 Oct. 4-6

Arts leaders from across the nation converge in Washington, D.C., October 4-6 for Assembly 2012, the annual meeting of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA). The event is a major gathering of public arts grant makers, convening representatives from the nation's 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies.

Wyoming will be represented by Wyoming Arts Council staff members Rita Basom, Camellia El-Antably and Annie Hatch, all from Cheyenne, and Board Chair Karen Stewart from Jackson. 

Hosted by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Assembly 2012 brings together state arts agency staff and volunteer leaders, federal agencies and cultural leaders from across the nation. Participants use the Assembly as an opportunity to exchange best practices for serving citizens and to discuss the unique role that the public sector plays in improving economic, civic and educational opportunities across America.

This year's conference explores creative placemaking, with NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman addressing participants about ways that the arts and design are revitalizing communities and enhancing quality of life. Conference sessions also address creative economic development, cultural tourism, effective use of data and new frontiers for cultural resource development.

"NASAA conferences are where all of us as state arts agencies gather to learn from each other as well as from national experts on public policy and public-sector leadership," says Arni Fishbaugh, NASAA board president and executive director of the Montana Arts Council. "Participants from across the country come away with information and ideas that they can immediately put to use in their state to enhance their agencies' services to citizens."

The meeting is seasoned with performances by local artists and excursions through downtown D.C.'s Penn Quarter. Featured artists include internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, The Washington Ballet and U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey.

"We are honored to host NASAA Assembly 2012 in the District of Columbia," says Lionell Thomas, executive director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, "We welcome the opportunity to showcase our many achievements here in the District and to share the outstanding creative talent that is such an important asset to our community."

The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies is the membership organization that unites, represents and serves the nation's state and jurisdictional arts agencies. Founded in 1968, NASAA represents their individual and collective interests, empowers their work through knowledge and advances the arts as an essential public benefit. To learn more about NASAA and state arts agencies, visit www.nasaa-arts.org.

Register now for Americans for the Arts 2012 convention in San Antonio

From Americans for the Arts:

The New Normal—we hear about it every day, but what does it mean to your organization?

The 2012 Americans for the Arts Annual Convention this June 8–10 in San Antonio, TX will bring together more than 1,000 arts and community leaders to focus on how the arts field can function, change, and thrive in The New Normal—a landscape of economic uncertainty and shifting demographics.

Register before the early-bird deadline, April 27, to save up to $175! Plus, register now and receive $50 off a second registration for a colleague. Check out all the Ways to Save and book your hotel room today!

NASAA guidebook shows ways to engage adolescents in the arts

From NASAA (National Assembly of State Arts Agencies) Notes:

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.

"Buckaroo culture" icon Waddie Mitchell receives top award from Nevada Arts Council

From the Nevada Arts Council:

Cowboy poet and Great Basin buckaroo Bruce Douglas “Waddie” Mitchell is the 2012 Nevada Heritage Award recipient. With an extensive history of artistic achievement and teaching, Mitchell continues to advance the significance of our Western heritage and cowboy poetry wherever he appears. His work and life will be featured on our website this fall. Created in 2010, the Nevada Heritage Award honors and recognizes Nevada master folk and traditional artists who, at the highest level of excellence and authenticity, carry forward the folk traditions of their families and communities through practice and teaching.

Mitchell was nominated for the award by the Western Folklife Center in Elko, home of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, which notes that he has become "an icon of Nevada, of buckaroo culture and of cowboy poetry itself."

Wyoming Poetry Out Loud awards presentation set for 10:30 a.m. in the Capitol Rotunda

Trek on down to the Wyoming State Capitol Rotunda for the Wyoming Poetry Out Loud awards announcement at 10:30 a.m. today. State Parks and Cultural Resources Director (and musician and theatre guy) Milward Simpson will serve as emcee and Secretary of State Max Maxfield (he'll be seen as The Cat in the Hat this week reading to students at various schools) will hand out the awards. Come down to the Capitol and celebrate the arts in Wyoming.

For those who attended the state finals last night at the Historic Atlas Theatre, you know what a great batch of  competitors Wyoming had this year. The program keeps growing. If you're a teacher or a student, grades 9-12, give the Wyoming Arts Council a call at 307-777-7742 for more info. You may also e-mail Linda Coatney at lcoatn@state.wy.us.

See you at the Capitol...

Americans for the Arts: U.S. House makes deeper cuts in Arts Endowment budget

From Americans for the Arts:

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.

WAC welcomes your response to its long-range plan

The Wyoming Arts Council’s Long Range Plan for 2011-2015 is now available for public comment through January 31, 2011.

Access the plan online from the WAC homepage at http://wyoarts.state.wy.us./

The WAC welcomes your input!

Wyoming Arts Council CAP grant helps fund new outdoor kiln at Gillette's AVA Center

From a story about the AVA Center's new kiln in today's Casper Star-Tribune:

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.

"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."

Read the entire CST story at http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_6c99f869-1ac9-5b79-8841-ff4bba26e8c7.html

The $10,000 Wyoming Arts Council grant for this project came from the Community Arts Partnership (CAP) category. Get more information about these grants at the WAC web site or by contacting Randy Oestman at 307-777-7109.

Colorado Council on the Arts gets new name and mission on May 18

Wyomingarts found the link to this news release on the Colorado Council for the Arts twitter site:

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.

EDITOR'S NOTE: By way of comparison, the Wyoming Arts Council, an agency within the Division of State Parks and Cultural Resources, supervises the state's Art in Public Buildings program. It offers grants programs for organizations and individual artists, convenes an Arts Summit every two years and stages the annual Governor's Arts Awards. The Wyoming Film Office is in the Travel & Tourism Division of the Wyoming Business Council.

Arts education in Mountain West one of hot topics at May 13 conference in Salt Lake City

One of the intriguing sessions at the "Mountain West Arts Conference: Risk and Reward" on May 13 in Salt Lake City is one on arts education:

The Status of Arts Education in Utah and the Mountain West, with Tim Bothel, Ph.D. of Bothell Assessment and Research

The Utah Arts Council, in partnership with the Utah State Office of Education, Montana Arts Council, Idaho Commission on the Arts and the Wyoming Arts Council with their sister education agencies conducted a survey about the status of arts education, K-12 in all four states. Tim Bothell will share with the audience the key findings of that survey, where Utah stands, how we compare to the other states, what educators want and how they perceive the role and importance of arts education. We all acknowledge the future of arts organizations and how we prepare kids to navigate a complex and global society is highly impacted by the quality of arts education children and youth receive. Join us as we explore where we are and where we want to go.

To register for the conference, go to http://artsandmuseums.utah.gov/resources/professional_development/conferences/index.html

Vermont artists imagine the future

“Working Vermont Landscape: Variation 1” by artist John M. Miller of Coventry

Great idea from the Vermont Arts Council:

Art 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/

Congress votes for $12.5 million NEA boost

Thomas L. Birch, Legislative Counsel for the National Endowment for the Arts, forwarded this news to all state arts agencies today:

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.

FMI: http://arts.endow.gov/

The Wyoming Arts Council receives approximately 45 percent of its annual budget from the NEA. The rest is provided by the Wyoming State Legislature. The WAC budget also includes a small amount of private funds.

Congrats to our fellow writers in Utah

Guy Lebeda at the Utah Arts Council sends this news:

2009 Winners of the Utah Arts Council's annual Original Writing Competition
Class A: Novel
First Place: Nancy L. Roberts, Park City, "Deep Water Moon"
Second Place: Michael Gills, Salt Lake City, "Go Love"
Class B: Biography/Autobiography
First Place: Jennifer Sinor, Logan, "Rogue Wave"
Second Place: Lynn Zaristsky, Mount Pleasant, "In One Piece"
Honorable Mention: M. Dane Picard, Salt Lake City, "Field Book of a Geologist"
Class C: Collection of Short Stories
First Place: Adrian Stumpp, Ogden, "All the Variables"
Second Place: Michael Palmer, Salt Lake City, "Bodies, Water"
Class D: Young Adult Book
First Place: J. Corey Willis, Centerville, "Fair Forever"
Second Place: Darlene Young, South Jordan "Inside Out"
Class E: Poetry
First Place: Susan Sample, Salt Lake City, "Terrible Grace"
Second Place: Nancy Baird, Salt Lake City, "Kukui"
Honorable Mention: Markay Brown, Springville, "Eve’s Child"
Class F: Short Story
First Place: Stephen Tuttle, Provo, "In California"
Second Place: David Pace, Salt Lake City "Flying Bishop"
Class G: Essay
First Place: Michael Palmer, Salt Lake City, "Dark Blue Biology"
Second Place: Patrick Madden, Lehi, "The Great Escape"
　
About the Annual Original Writing Competition: Started in 1958, the Annual Original Writing Competition identifies and awards Utah writers for works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry in the form of short stories, essays, poems, and full-length manuscripts. Submissions must be original works and unpublished at the time of entry. Entries will be reviewed in a blind process by seven judges selected from outside of Utah. Past award winners have included Ron Carlson, David Lee, Katharine Coles, Ken Brewer, Pam Houston, Lyman Hafen, Margaret I. Rostkowski, Lance Larsen, John Bennion, Scott Cairns, Rod Carney, and Susan Howe.

If you have any questions about Utah's Annual Original Writing Competition, contact Guy Lebeda, glebeda@utah.gov, (801) 236-7553.

United We Serve -- the arts

This announcement comes from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, or NASAA. The Wyoming Arts Council is a NASAA member:

United We Serve is a nationwide service initiative that kicks off on June 22, 2009. Led by the White House and coordinated by the Corporation for National and Community Service, United We Serve asks organizations across America to engage new volunteers in their work and encourages individuals to volunteer and develop community service projects with friends, family, and neighbors.

After an initial 81 days – June 22 to September 11 – the president hopes that the initiative will grow into a sustained, collaborative effort to promote service as a way of life for all Americans. More information about the initiative is available at http://www.Serve.gov.

By participating in United We Serve, artists and arts organizations can demonstrate the unique and vital contributions the arts make to every aspect of community life. Volunteer efforts may be centered on cultural activities or on those relating to one of United We Serve’s areas of focus: education; health; energy and the environment; and community renewal. In addition to the inherent benefits of volunteerism, either by engaging volunteers or serving as volunteers, artists and arts organizations can strengthen their community ties and make the arts more visible in local recovery efforts.

How to Participate:

• Post a call for volunteers. Invite members of the community to get involved with your organization and its programs. Go to Serve.gov and register your organization and your project(s) in the All for Good database, a national hub of volunteer opportunity listings. Record numbers of volunteers are expected to seek service opportunities this summer, so be sure to capitalize on this momentum.
• Become a volunteer. Contribute your time to a volunteer project taking place in your community – and identify yourself as an artist when you do! Search Serve.gov and All for Good for nearby opportunities.
• Create your own project. Consult the on-line toolkit for tips on how to design local service efforts that make a difference. The best practices profiled there can maximize the impact of any community arts or cultural engagement initiative.
• Share your story. Make the arts a visible part of America’s service movement by sharing your story on-line. Describe how you have engaged volunteers for arts projects and how those projects have transformed lives, galvanized community action or assisted populations in need. Include pictures for maximum appeal. A wealth of stories is being posted on the White House Delivering Change map.
• Promote your participation. A sample press release is available to help you get started.

Additional materials about United We Serve are available on-line, including a video announcement by President Obama, answers to Frequently Asked Questions and a Media Advisory Guide. National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, 1029 Vermont Avenue NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, D.C. 20005, 202-347-6352, http://www.nasaa-arts.org/

Remembering Solomon Foss, WAC volunteer

Wyoming Arts Council Administrative Assistant Evangeline Bratton recruits and supervises volunteers for the agency. One of the WAC's longtime volunteers was Solomon Foss who passed away March 16 in Cheyenne. Here's a remembrance of Sol, written by Evangeline:

Wyoming Arts Council Volunteer Solomon Foss joined the WAC's Volunteer Family with his wife Wanda in 1988.

Sol, as he preferred to be called, enjoyed his time spent with others either in assembling a massive mailing for the Arts Council or to braving the early cold morning hours at Lions Park picking up debris and whatever else he would find to clear the park of trash. As he once mentioned at one of his volunteer visits to the Arts Council, he likes that time of the day when it's very quiet, no one else is around and one's thoughts are not hindered as he would pick up bottles, papers, etc., He found treasures as well as "stuff" at the park for more than 10 years.

During World War II, Sol played in the U.S. Army Band. He loved wearing his signature veteran's cap, a familiar sight that revealed his character. It was his friendly, talkative, amiable, down-to-earth character and his smile we will always remember.

Sol was a witty, sharp, and intelligent guy as he would talk to just about anyone and about any subject. He could speak in a German dialect that he learned from his German immigrant parents. He spoke often of his Army experiences, and liked to give out Hawaiian greetings as well.

The Arts Council was delighted and honored that Sol and Wanda came to the December 2008 WAC Christmas party. They also attended the annual Governor's Arts Awards dinner over the years until health reasons prevented them from coming to the event.

Sol's last stint donating his skills, time and good cheer to the Arts Council was on March 13, 2007, with labeling of the Youth Arts Month Poster mailing. He and Wanda were always happy to take the time to help us out until ill health forced them to curtail their activities and be home bound.

Whenever I would call them for an upcoming project and Sol answered the phone, he would always say: "I'll have you talk to Wanda, the boss." And then Wanda would say that both of them would be at the WAC on the appointed day.

"Arts Mean Business" (and economic stimulus)

On March 17, the Casper Star-Tribune, The Casper Journal, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle and other papers around the state featured an Associated Press story by reporter Mead Gruver. The CST story came with the header “Wyo Arts Council seeks stimulus funds.” Gruver interviewed Wyoming Arts Council Manager Rita Basom, Cheyenne Symphony Director Chloe Illoway and a spokesman for the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. Here’s an excerpt:

CHEYENNE -- The job of preserving jobs has fallen in part to a small state agency that normally specializes in promoting the arts: The Wyoming Arts Council.

The council has applied for 290,000 in National Endowment for the Arts funding through the federal stimulus act. The money will be part of 50 million the NEA plans to dole out nationwide to preserve arts-related jobs while the nation struggles through recession.

For more of this story, go to http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2009/03/18/news/wyoming/b2359321f2aef4ac8725757d000025b8.txt

Concerned that Wyomingites might not know how much the arts contribute to the state’s economic well-being, WAC Board Chair Bruce Richardson wrote the following response:

Arts Mean Business
By Bruce Richardson

I am here to talk about the ordinariness of arts and why include them in job bills and economic development. Simply put, arts are business and the arts business, both for-profit and non-profit, is a substantial part of the Wyoming economy.

People tend to think of art as odd and special, a separate, realm of elevated, difficult and unusual activities done by talented, but eccentric, flaky people. People remember Beethoven’s genius and bad temper, Vincent Van Gogh’s ear-chopping, and think of starving writers not paying the rent (as in the musical Rent).

In fact, most art workers are pretty regular people. They take and sell photos, repair instruments, plan buildings, design websites, make and sell jewelry, build hand-crafted furniture, teach guitar, fiddle, oboe, make and market sculpting tools, sculpt antlers into beautiful objects and sell them over the web, frame pictures, paint portraits, play Mexican dance music at your wedding, do entertaining and uplifting
concerts, make fine pottery, do leathercraft, sell paintings in a downtown gallery and design your building.

All of these are businesses in Wyoming. The owners rent or own property, buy supplies, pay insurance and taxes, pay salaries, buy groceries and furniture and participate in the local economy just as do the owners and employees of manufacturing companies or coal companies.

So the arts portion of the stimulus bill makes good sense. The grants that will go out in Wyoming must be used to preserve significant jobs in non-profit arts organizations facing cutbacks. As reported in The Casper Journal, arts organizations such as the Symphony and Nicolaysen Art Museum have suffered from decreases in their endowments, donations and fund-raising.

The Arts are taking an especially big hit as philanthropy moves their diminished resources to others areas. Layoffs and canceled programs are a likely result that can hit small towns as well as large. We want to see the robust Oyster Ridge Music Festival in Kemmerer or the Basin Art Center continue to thrive. In the performing arts, a cancelled concert is similar to a layoff. Musicians lose work and money, the audience loses a program, and the organization loses the ticket and sponsorship income.

The small stimulus allotments contemplated by the Wyoming Arts Council will be out there fast and function as a short-term bridge to preserve jobs in the arts. The program will not remove all the threats to jobs, but it is timely, targeted and temporary.

Some may be surprised how many people in Wyoming make their living from the arts. In Sheridan there are 1,123 people (5.8% of the labor force) working in the creative, arts-based economy according to a recent, very careful study, “Tradition, Expression and Recognition: Creative Opportunities in the New West.” Stuart Rosenfeld, the author, gets his data from on-the-ground counts that find the self-employed and others not listed on the standard sources. He also found a cluster of leather and saddle artisans.

The study (available from the Center for Vital Communities in Sheridan) is of significance to the whole state and our efforts to increase economic diversity and attract top creative talent. There is much here already that we can nurture.

For example, the arts economy in Jackson, according to a recent study by Americans for the Arts (Arts and Prosperity III), is one of the largest in the nation. While the study, using Dunn and Bradstreet lists, misses much of the activity, it does allow comparisons and they are staggering. Jackson has ten times more arts spending per-capita than Boulder, Colorado, and twenty times more than Boise, Idaho, both places that promote themselves as arts centers. Cody, not included in the study, is probably not far behind Jackson, and clusters of activity can be found in many Wyoming communities, including Casper.

This matches national trends. Rosenfeld found that the arts economy in Arkansas was the state’s third largest employer and that in Montana, astoundingly, there were more people working in the arts than in the energy industry. It’s no surprise then that arts councils are often part of state offices of economic development, as is the case in Louisiana and Connecticut and that many towns actively recruit artists and promote themselves as arts destinations. Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a decaying manufacturing city has made a huge comeback by stressing music, pottery and food. Each night the downtown swarms with young shoppers and music lovers having a good time and spending money.

We know that appealing towns have lots of arts and that arts draw people and businesses. We also know that arts are fun, that they give pleasure and meaning, that strong art lifts the soul and unclutters the mind. We also know they stimulate creativity and train excellent workers. See The National Governors’ Association report “The Impact of Arts on Workforce Preparation” and their recent, timely and very well-written “Arts and the Economy” Go to http://(nga.org/Files/pdf/090/ARTSANDECONOMY.PDF).

We know that art museums and concert halls are key parts of attractive communities that draw businesses. So we can keep at the Casper Civic Auditorium project, but let’s not forget that the arts are already diversifying Wyoming’s economy.

Bruce Richardson is Chair of the Wyoming Arts Council and a board Member of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. You can reach him at brichard@uwyo.edu and 307-268-2393.

Colorado Council on the Arts faces 50 percent budget cut, postpones grants deadlines

The economic crisis is taking a toll on the creative economies in our neighboring states. We reported a few days ago about a proposed bill to eliminate the South Dakota Arts Council (see http://wyomingarts.blogspot.com/2009/01/sd-govs-budget-eliminates-state-arts.html).

This press release comes from the Colorado Council on the Arts:

The current proposal for the State’s budget balancing plan includes a 50% reduction for the Colorado Council on the Arts. Such a cut would seriously impact the agency’s ability to continue to provide the grants and services for artists, community organizations, schools, creative businesses, and government agencies at its current level. The agency has scheduled a Listening Tour Jan. 30-Feb. 10 to gather important public feedback regarding the critical areas in which state investment is essential to support our state’s creative economy.

Public feedback is vital as the agency determines its future budget priorities.

Due to the budget uncertainty, the Council has also decided to postpone its March 12 grant deadline for the 2009-10 Grants to Artists and Organizations (GAO) and Success through Art (StART Schools) grants.

Artists, community groups, creative businesses, educators and municipal leaders are encouraged to attend a Listening Tour session and to invite their colleagues. The Listening Tour schedule is listed below and posted on the Council’s web site at www.coloarts.org. Additional sessions may be added. If you have questions about the tour, email coloarts@state.co.us.

The Council has also posted an online survey on the web site. This will only take a few minutes and will provide important input regarding the role of state funding for arts activities and creative enterprises in communities around the state.

The “Listening Tour” will travel to several Colorado cities close to Wyoming, including Fort Collins on Jan. 30, and both Craig and Steamboats Springs on Feb. 7.

The Wyoming Arts Council has worked on several projects with our sister agencies in Colorado and South Dakota. Colorado was a partner with Wyoming on the Tumblewords Audience Development Project, when we exchanged writers across borders for programs in schools, libraries and museums. South Dakota was a partner in the Arts Across Art Beyond Boundaries program. WAC also worked with S.D. on its Prairie Winds project.

Artists and arts organizations that have been nurtured by these state arts agencies have brought their talents to Wyoming. Denver's Cleo Parker Robinson dance troupe has conducted residencies in Sheridan and Gillette, among other places. Wonderful Colorado writers such as Laura Pritchett, Mary Crow and Bob Greer have traveled to Wyoming to judge fellowships and teach workshops.

We're all separate states out here in the Great Wide Open. Yet not one of us is an island.

To our colleagues in the region -- wyomingarts wishes you well.

Stimulus package includes $50M for NEA

From a release on the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) web site:

On Jan. 15, the U.S. House Democratic leadership released details of an $825 billion economic stimulus package with $275 billion in tax breaks and $550 billion in spending. The proposal includes a $50 million allocation for the National Endowment for the Arts, with the stipulation that 40 percent of such funding be distributed through state and regional arts agencies, the balance to go out in direct grants from the NEA. The proposal further stipulates that all funds must be awarded by September 30, 2010, using existing grant-making procedures.

The Wyoming Arts Council, a NASAA member, receives about 40 percent of its funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. The rest is provided by the Wyoming State Legislature. Some special projects are funded by corporate and private donations. See the WAC web site for more details.

The specifics of the proposal announced by the Democratic leaders include an unusual statement of accountability attached to the measure, referred to as "an historic level of transparency." Among the safeguards, the measure states: "Public notification of funding must include a description of the investment funded, the purpose, the total cost and why the activity should be funded with recovery dollars. Governors, mayors or others making funding decisions must personally certify that the investment has been fully vetted and is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. This will also be placed on the recovery website....There are no earmarks in this package."