The Arts, Politics, and Nonprofits

Protest Art: Occupy

2011-11-21T08:40:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about the Occupy movement the other day and the great posters I saw from the protests. Every movement creates artwork to define and convey their message. With the rise of social media and the internet, protest or resistance art has transformed from printed material and art to videos, blogs, and multimedia presentations. With the Occupy movement being an on foot and in the streets movement, there has been a rise of signs, prints, posters, and music again. Internet is being used to reach a wider audience, but art is being utilized in the streets to convey the message.

I haven't seen anyone carrying a Guernica around yet, but I did find this piece below from an article in the Washington Post about the pepper spraying cop.

And again spraying Lady Liberty in Delacroix's work.

There appears to have been a whole DIY art movement around the Occupy protests. Websites like www.occupytogether.org have printable posters, instructions for making your own posters and banners and graphics you can use to protest. Occupy art galleries and showings have popped up throughout the nation. There are also currently 713 Occupy items for sale on Etsy. One of my favourite ones is below (The saying was apparently lifted from a protest poster, which really just brings up more questions in my mind, but I digress.).

And, of course, there is an OccupyArt facebook page.

Below is an invitation created by Shepherd Fairey for an Occupy event. There has been a lot of talk about Fairey evoking the black power movement; but, isn't that what great art does - get people talking!

As long as there is tyranny or unhappy people, there will be protest art. While I haven't gotten very political in this political blog, I will say something not about the nation's politics, but about art and museum politics. This kind of Occupy art does not belong in a museum or a gallery, it belongs in the streets. I would allow a museum show in perhaps fifty years though.

Access to the Arts

2011-10-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

NPR had an interesting article about arts giving this weekend. While charitable giving (not fees generated by ticket sales, etc.) is up, the giving is flowing to larger organizations. This article really highlights my fear for the arts in the future – that only those who can afford access will benefit from the arts.

Dorfman says the majority of foundations giving to the arts goes to organizations with budgets of $5 million dollars a year or more.

"Most of your museums, symphonies, opera houses — large established cultural institutions that are promoting the European cannon," he says. "The audiences for those institutions continue to be predominantly upper income and white. So what it means is that this funding is not really benefiting everyone in our society.”

State and federal funding for the arts in Indiana flows through the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC). The commission distributes grants throughout the state through their Regional Arts Partners.

The Regional Arts Partnership is a network of 12 regions of Indiana, developed by the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) to enhance the delivery of arts services and to move the decision-making about state and federal arts funding closer to the arts community and the arts consumer. Region 4 is the largest geographical partnership in the state. Serving a population of over 525,000, Tippecanoe Arts Federation (TAF) has proudly served as Region 4 Arts Partner of the Indiana Arts Commission (IAC), a state agency, since 1997.

I serve on the Regional Advisory Council (RAC) for the Tippecanoe Arts Federation. RAC is a board created by TAF to advise “on matters that affect planning, delivery, and evaluation of the four core services: cultural planning, grants making and grants management, information and referral, and technical assistance…The vision is that arts organizations will have better access to services at the regional level, and individuals will have better access to the arts at the community level.” (TAF website).

Each county in the region has a representative on the council and part of our charge is to ensure that arts funding reaches more rural areas (or our underserved population in our region). We do this through promotion of grant opportunities in our counties and sharing of information within the region. Even with this support, of the fifteen organizations awarded operating support grants, seven were from Tippecanoe County. I have also served as a grant panelist for the past two years and want to note that far more grant applications come from Tippecanoe County organizations than other counties (even Howard County [Kokomo]).

As there are not a lot of arts funding opportunities, community foundations can really make-up the difference in counties. Our own Montgomery County Community Foundation (one of the largest in the state) awarded $77,250 in the past year for arts support to organizations including the Crawfordsville Main Street Program (for the Athens of Indiana Arts Studio and Gallery), the Montgomery County Cultural Foundation (Rotary Jail Museum) and the Sugar Creek Players.

Access to the arts will be very important as schools continue to make cuts and the recession continues to hurt arts organizations. Arts organizations and museums in Montgomery County need to come together to create an arts and cultural plan for the county. This will ensure that a plan is in place that will allow for both access to the arts (and not just for those that can pay for it) and form partnerships that will strengthen economic development in the county through the arts. A comprehensive plan may also allow for more funding to flow in and throughout Montgomery County.

Art Shopping in Crawfordsville

2011-10-15T12:12:00.001-07:00

I made my way to the Athens of Indiana Arts Studio & Gallery to do some early Christmas shopping and talk arts funding with the gallery director and ended up getting a new piece for myself by Jody Franklin (who was the featured gallery artist in September. Typical for west central Indiana are landscape and nature scenes, but what Franklin does is so different. It's such an interesting combination of surrealism and cubism - I really had to stop myself from buying more *ahem, Christmas - mom or dad*. There is a story about Franklin on the Athens blog here.

Get the Facts

2011-08-26T13:05:00.001-07:00

Public Art Shelf Life

2011-08-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

There has been an uproar recently in Indy public art world over the decision by the Indianapolis Airport Authority to remove James Wille Faust's work "Chrysalis" and replace it with digital art and advertising.

Faust won't be the only artist to see his work moved or replaced. Airport officials said they determined from the start of the public art program that work eventually would rotate. Bertolini said that policy was disclosed in the contracts with the artists.

From the start of the debate, I also began to wonder how long public art should stay in one location. I suppose there are many answers. But, coming from a law background I am going to throw out there that public art like Chrysalis is sculptural public art with a contract. The airport authority and the artist entered into a contract which included terms and consideration. Upon completion of the project, it became the property of the Indianapolis Airport Authority (or the city of county).

The Public Art Indianapolis website has an example of a public art contract and I pulled out the part about removal of public art which is below (the artist and agency would agree on one of the following options):

[Option I]
8.2 Alterations of Site or Removal of Artwork
a. The Agency shall notify the Artist of any proposed significant alteration of the Site that would affect the intended character and appearance of the Artwork. The Agency shall make a good faith effort to consult with the Artist in the planning and execution of any such alteration. The Agency shall make a reasonable effort to maintain the integrity of the Artwork.
b. The Agency agrees not to arbitrarily remove or relocate the Artwork without first making a good faith effort to contact the Artist. The Artist shall not unreasonably withhold approval of removal or relocation of the Artwork. Should the Artist agree to such removal or relocation, the Artist shall provide the Agency with written handling instructions. In the event that the Artist is deceased or unable to otherwise give the Artist’s consent, the current owner of the copyright of the Artwork shall not unreasonably withhold permission, keeping in mind the intentions of the Artist at the time of commission and fabrication.
[OR]
[Option II]
8.2 Alterations of Site or Removal of Artwork
a. The Agency shall notify the Artist in writing upon [adoption of a plan of construction or alteration of the Site] which would entail removal or relocation of the Artwork which might result in the Artwork being destroyed, distorted or modified. The Artist shall be granted the right of consultation regarding the removal or relocation of the Artwork. If the Artwork cannot be successfully removed or relocated as determined by the Agency, the Artist may disavow the Artwork or have the Artwork returned to the Artist at the Artist’s expense.
b. The Artwork may be removed or relocated or destroyed by the Agency should the Artist and the Agency not reach mutual agreement on the removal or relocation of the Artwork after a period not to exceed [90] days after written notice to the Artist. During the [90] day period, the Parties shall engage in good faith negotiations concerning the Artwork’s removal or relocation.
c. In the event of changes in building codes or zoning laws or regulations that cause the Artwork to be in conflict with such codes, laws or regulations, the Agency may authorize the removal or relocation of the Artwork without the Artist’s prior permission. In the alternative, the Agency may commission the Artist by a separate agreement to make any necessary changes to the Artwork to render it in conformity with such codes, laws or regulations.
d. If the Agency reasonably determines that the Artwork presents imminent harm or hazard to the public, other than as a result of the Agency’s failure to maintain the Artwork as required under this Agreement, the Agency may authorize the removal of the Artwork without the prior approval of the Artist.
e. This clause is intended to replace and substitute for the rights of the Artist under the Visual Artists’ Rights Act to the extent that any portion of this Agreement is in direct conflict with those rights. The parties acknowledge that this Agreement supersedes that law to the extent that this Agreement is in direct conflict therewith.

Coming from a law background, I guess that's how I see the shelf life of sculptural public art. The Indianapolis Business Journal was apparently having the same thoughts as me and posted this article asking for responses about the shelf life of public art.

A Leap for the Arts or Overcompensation for Cuts?

2011-05-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Indiana Business Journal had a May 14, 2011 article proclaiming that the number of Indiana arts organizations or arts related businesses had increased by 19% from 2009 to 2010. There was also an interesting quote from Lewis Ricci, the executive director for the Indiana Arts Commission, “In these challenging economic times, it is encouraging that the number of arts-related businesses increased from 2009 to 2010. Businesses must exist before jobs can be created, and such a significant increase in one year’s time should be a positive indicator for job growth."

I am always encouraged by a growth in the arts, I have to wonder if some of the growth doesn't come from a reduction in the arts in schools and funding cuts to the arts at the state and federal level. Some of what we have seen in the past year or two may be a rush by organizations and businesses to compensate for funding cuts. One other statistic from the article may help support this theory: The creative arts industries in Indiana have seen a 4% drop in employment from 2009 to 2010.

So, while the number organizations and businesses have increased by 19%, the people on the ground doing the work of these places has decreased by 4%. Perhaps Mr. Ricci shouldn't be so encouraged just yet.

Superbowl XLV and Nonprofits

2011-02-08T07:07:00.000-08:00

Well, my Steelers didn't win the Superbowl last Sunday, but it was a good game and I don't like dislike the Packers, so I'm not super disappointed (at least not like the Saints-Colts loss).

I did learn one interesting fact in the past week though. My awesome ex-boyfriend sent me a link to a segment on the Rachel Maddow show about the Packers being the only non-profit football team in the NFL.

The way the Packer's ownership is set up is in violation of the current league rules, which state that there can only be 32 owners or less of one team and one of those owners must have a minimum 30% stake. That ownership policy was established in the 1980s and because the Packers have been around since 1919, they were grandfathered in and do not have to follow this ownership policy.

I think it is interesting that the NFL has this policy. The NFL teams involved are big business. They are corporations set up to earn a profit off entertainment. As a public organization, the Packers are not solely driven to earn a profit off entertainment. This public ownership allows Packers fans to participate in the governance of the organization and through that stake, they support something that benefits the entire community, not fewer than 32 owners. In return (and with good management decisions), Packers fans have been able to produce a Superbowl team.

State of the Union Fun

2011-01-27T17:48:00.000-08:00

Did anyone else watch the State of the Union address? What am I thinking, of course you did. Well, did anyone catch it live on www.whitehouse.gov? Below you will find the video. For the first time in history, the speech that was streamed live on the internet came with awesome graphs to enhance the speech! For politicos like me, it was heaven. Kudos White House tech team!

The Palladium and Me Being a Music Snob

2011-01-27T08:13:00.000-08:00

As you have probably read by now, the Center for the Performing Arts opened this past weekend in Carmel. There were many, many, many articles about the disagreements between the city council, mayor, and redevelopment commission in Carmel about the cost of the project and I have written about it previously on this blog here. At the end of the day, for better or worse, it is open.

The actual Palladium is the main stage, which will be used for musical performance (1,600 seats). The Tarkington is a 500 seat theater which will be the new home of the Civic Theater. Finally, The Studio Theater (original, I know) is a black box theater for more experimental productions (200 seats).

Less reported on is the the opening of the Great American Songbook Archive & Museum, which is under the Feinstein Foundation. Michael Feinstein is the Center's Artistic Director and more than 6,000 feet of space at the Center is now devoted to the archive, museum, as well as the Feinstein Foundation's headquarters. I can't find any information on how much rent the Center is charging for this use.

Obviously, I love any museum related to music. The Great American Songbook, as described on the Center's website is:

The "Great American Songbook”, sometimes referred to as “American Standards”, is the uniquely American collection of music, lyrics, culture, and history, of Broadway and other musical theatre, Hollywood musicals, and Tin Pan Alley from the 1920s to 1960. Familiar composers include George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, and Richard Rodgers. Singers include Frank Sinatra, Al Jolson, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Torme and so many others.

Here is where my snobbiness comes in. Having visited Stax Museum, Sun Studios, Experience Music Project, and even the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame, I am really sad that this is what Indiana has to offer to music. I understand these artists made a contribution to the musical community as a whole, but, I just like my music with some soul. I would pick Otis Redding and Booker T and the MGs over Frank Sinatra and George Gershwin anyday. I don't want to paint Indiana as a state without soul, so I will mention that The Percussive Arts Society recently moved their headquarters to Indianapolis and opened a museum.

I am realistic and I know Indiana will never produce a Stax (I don't think any place in this time could). I also realize that the patrons of the Palladium will probably love the songbook museum. But, while we are trying to raise musical and arts awareness in the state, I think it is important that we remember to highlight all different types of music and promote the idea that music is not just for the people that can pay for it.

Happy New Year, Post-Birthday Freakout Blog

2011-01-11T06:45:00.000-08:00

Hello world. I am now 30. When did that happen? Well, technically it happened on January 7, but I'm not sure how I got here.

My post-Christmas push into my birthday was filled with illness followed by illness. I visited my dad on December 26th as he was just getting over the stomach flu and on my way home on the 30th, I was overtaken by the same illness. I can honestly say that was the first time since 2nd grade that I threw up (without some other factor involved). That illness lasted four days and on the tail end of not feeling queasy anymore, I got a cold/flu thing. As of today, I am still battling that illness with no end in sight.

So, for my birthday I was sick. Which, in hindsight, probably worked in my favor to lessen the blow of 30. Luckily I really celebrated my birthday (and Robin's) weeks before my birthday in Chicago. We (Robin, Chad, and I) stayed with friends up there and that was great because I didn't get lost once and they knew all the best places to eat. We danced all night at the clubs (well, Chad and I did...but the last night Robin busted out a few moves), conducted our own dive bar tour, shopped, had fun downtown, and did I mention danced all night at the clubs? It was pretty awesome.

For my actual birthday, mom gave me a big present and then we went down to French Lick for gambling and fun. I was actually still pretty sick at this point, but we had a good time and I only lost $30 at the casino (which is kind of sad because I was up $50 at one point). We also went to the winery and hit Bloomington and Indy for Goodwill 1/2 Price Day on the way back home.

Around New Year's Eve, my friend who has a birthday right after mine said, "You only have seven days to have 20s sex." At the time I thought it was hysterical, but then I started thinking about how true it was. Perhaps not the sex part, but that this carefree 20s part of my life was coming to an end.

I might have been sad about this whole 30s thing if not for one thing. After Thanksgiving, we planned this trip to Chicago and I told myself I wouldn't be happy in Chicago or otherwise unless I lost some weight. I had hoped to lose 30 before Chicago, but I made 25. As of today, I'm down 35, so I feeling like my 30s are going to be really good.

Cultural Districts in Indiana

2010-12-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

I have begun to compile research for a report on cultural districts in Indiana. I'll probably post some of my research on here little by little, so today I bring you background information.

A cultural district "is a well-recognized, labeled, mixed-use area of the community in which high concentrations of cultural assets serve as the anchor" (I believe this quote is from a book entitled Cultural districts: The arts as a strategy for revitalizing our cities, but Wikipedia and the Indiana Arts Commission website apparent do not believe in quoting sources..ugh). I'm not particularly fond of this definition, but I digress. In 2008, Indiana passed legislation that added a IC 4-23-2-7 which allowed cities, town, or counties to apply for certification as an arts and cultural district. It also allowed the Indiana Arts Commission to establish an arts and cultural district certification program.

According to the IAC website, there is no funding associated with the designation. IAC remarks that the benefits of the program include increased tourism marketing and economic activities, potential collaboration with the Indiana Artisan program, and the opportunity for districts to apply for highway signage. After each district has been certified, they must reporting annually to the IAC (I am unsure at this point what the annual reports look like).

So far, there have been three districts that have been certified and are the Tippecanoe Arts and Cultural District, the Carmel Arts and Design District, and the Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District (BEAD). From internet searches, I have been able to determine New Albany and Noblesville will be applying this year. There is no information on who has applied in the past and not been certified.

The certification process looks involved and lengthy, but probably good for community development. The Tippecanoe Arts Federation led the charge in Tippecanoe County and they have a lot of great information on their website found here. From cursory examination, it appears TAF had two evaluations conducted by outside firms, a cultural plan and an arts facility needs assessment and operating plan for which they received grants to pay for the cost.

So, let's check back with the definition: A cultural district "is a well-recognized, labeled, mixed-use area of the community in which high concentrations of cultural assets serve as the anchor." That does not say anything about receiving certification from the state to make it a cultural district. If you follow anything Indianapolis, you may have heard about their six Cultural Districts. I am unclear at this point who designated these districts, but the website lists contact information of the BOS Community Development Corporation, which I believe is somehow associated with the City of Indianapolis and/or the Indiana Neighborhood Housing Partnership. They are using the cultural district designation to promote tourism and development just as a certified cultural district would.

Where do I go from here I must ask myself. I suppose one question would be, "Why certify?" I imagine determining the impact of state certification on a cultural district may be very complicated. Adding to that might be the question of whether the certification drives economic development in the district. I enjoy a good look at process and looking at how units develop their application through research and community involvement would be interesting. An add-on question to that might be if and from where did they receive funding for their preliminary assessments. I would also like to find out if units applied and were not accepted and for what reason.

As you can see, I have a lot of planning and thinking to do, but it seems like an interesting topic and hopefully I'll get around to posting more research. Unfortunately the book I mentioned above, Cultural districts: The arts as a strategy for revitalizing our cities by Hilary Anne Frost-Kumpf is no longer in print, but I will keep searching for it and other resources.

Money for Artists

2010-12-13T11:11:00.000-08:00

From the Indiana Arts Commission:

The Indiana Arts Commission will lead a grants workshop targeted at artists interested in applying for the Individual Artist Grant Program for FY2012. Applicants may request up to $2,000 in unmatched project related funds. Eligible disciplines for this year include Theater, Dance, Music, Literature, and Folk Arts connected to each. Participants will learn about the history and requirements of the program as well as basic grant writing tips, deadlines, and get acquainted with our online process.

Each workshop runs approximately 2 hours. Registration is recommended, please contact the host site of the location you wish to attend.

Bloomington
Date: December 15, 2010Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Bloomington City Hall, McCloskey Room (401 North Morton St., Bloomington, IN 47404)
Hosted by: Bloomington Department of Economic and Sustainable Development and ArtsWORK Indiana
Presented by: Susan Britsch and Laura Frank
RSVP: Register by contacting Miah Michaelsen at 812-349-3534.

Fort Wayne
Date: Monday, January 10, 2010
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Arts United of Greater Ft. Wayne (303 E Main St, Ft. Wayne, IN 46802)
Hosted by: Arts United of Greater Ft. Wayne
Presented by: Susan Britsch and April Blevins
RSVP: Register by contacting Dan Swartz at 260-417-8846.

Indianapolis
Date: Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Phoenix Theater (749 N. Park Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46202)
Hosted by: Phoenix Theater
Presented by: Susan Britsch and Laura Frank
RSVP: Register by contacting Sharon Gamble at 317-635-7529.

Lafayette
Date: Monday, December 20, 2010
Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Tippecanoe Arts Federation (638 North St., Lafayette, IN 47901)
Hosted by: Tippecanoe Arts Federation
Presented by: Susan Britsch
RSVP: Register by contacting Paige Sharp at 765-423-2787.

Arts Events: What's Going on in Montgomery County: December - March

2010-12-09T06:50:00.000-08:00

December – March Events for Montgomery County

Museum Events
All museums in Montgomery County close in December and reopen in either February or March. They are available for tours by appointment only during those months.

September 15 - December 12: Superstitious Montgomery County
Rotary Jail Museum

December 3, 2009: 4th Annual Holiday High Tea and Fashion Show,
General Lew Wallace Study and Museum
3:00 – 5:30 p.m., by invitation only

December 11: 9-11 - JUMP – Youth Service Bureau Activity
Rotary Jail Museum & Center for the Arts

December 11: Santa's Workshop
Rotary Jail Museum & Center for the Arts

December 12: Holiday Open House
General Lew Wallace Study and Museum

Vanity Theater
December 3- 5 & 10 – 12: A Christmas Carol, Vanity Theater
February 18-20 & 25-27: Wizard of Oz

Galleries/Shows
November 30 - January 3, 2011: Is It Watercolor or Not? by T. Jeurissen
Crawfordsville Public Library

December 1 – 31: Home for the Holidays
Athens of Indiana Arts Studios & Gallery

January 29: Grand Gala, Time TBA
Athens of Indiana Arts Studios & Gallery

Wabash College
January 21: Art Exhibit Opening: Alumni Invitational Exhibition
Eric Dean Gallery Fine Arts Center, 4:30 - 6:00PM

January 23: Roger Ide Organ Recital by Walter Hilse
Wabash College Chapel, 3:00PM

February 17: Poetry Reading by Samuel Green
Korb Classroom (M120), Fine Arts Center, 8:00 PM

February 23-26: A Lie of the Mind
Ball Theater, Fine Arts Center, 8:00 PM
Tickets are required information: Fine Arts Center Box Office, 765-361-6411

February 28: Art Exhibit Opening: Layers Exposed: Exhibitions by Orie Shafer and Nhat Tran
Eric Dean Gallery, Fine Arts Center, 8:00 - 9:30PM

March 1: Visiting Artists Series presents Circo Aereo
Ball Theater, Fine Arts Center, 8:00PM
Tickets are required information: Fine Arts Center Box Office 765-361-6411

March 18: Fine Arts and Honor Scholars Concert
Salter Concert Hall, Fine Arts Center, 7:30PM

Art Classes
December 3: 10–noon & 1-3: Jail House Artists
December 4: 10-3 - Open Studio – All Ages – Prices Vary

Other Events
December 8: Community Chorus Performance
Wabash Chapel, Wabash College

December 12: The Crawfordsville Community Chorus and Chamber Orchestra, Handel’s Messiah.
Wabash College Chapel, 7:00 - 8:30PM

December 18: 5th Annual Santa Visit
Crawfordsville Square, 1-4 pm

Shocking report - Charities struggling to keep up with need

2010-12-06T10:51:00.001-08:00

The Indianapolis Business Journal usually has very interesting articles, but there is one today that is quite possibly the worst article I've read this year. The article is entitled "Charities struggling to keep up with growing need". The article describes that charities struggle to keep up with the need as people lose unemployment benefits and cannot find work. Really? I had no idea? Thanks Associated Press.

I really only bring up the article because as I read the comments section, which I don't normally find myself doing (but I did want to see if anybody was going to call out this weak article), there was a comment about the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County's study of township governance - and it was written by a man (well, identified by the name Joe, so I am only assuming here). Pretty exciting. The study is quite interesting and can be found here. Deanna Durrett was the principal author of this study and she is amazing! I just love a thoughtful, well-researched study.

Open Letter to Jeremy Efroymson

2010-12-02T06:59:00.000-08:00

December 2, 2010

Open Letter to Jeremy Efroymson, Executive Director of the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art (IMOCA):

As I was rummaging through my billfold yesterday, I stumbled across my membership card for the IMOCA. I noticed that my membership expired a few months ago and was surprised I didn’t receive a renewal through email or in the mail. That led me to think about the IMOCA and, from an outsider’s perspective, offer suggestions that might help the organization thrive:

1. Send out membership renewals.

That is all.

No, I kid. But, I do actually have more suggestions; so, if you will indulge me, I will continue.

2. Hire a fund development director. To truly make an organization sustainable, focus must be given on cultivating donors. I am confident I do not have to tell you the importance of developing a broad and strong donor base. Having someone to focus on this area will also allow the director and assistant director the opportunity to be more creative and focused on the art. Ideally, the museum would have a membership/volunteer director, but with limited funds, a fund development director could also assume the role of membership director (and send out my membership renewal!:).

3. Expand your board of directors. On your current website, there are only 13 board members listed. I would expand the board to include 15. I am unsure of the current backgrounds of board members, but remember to draw on not only artists, but business professionals, attorneys, and community leaders.

4. Expand arts education to bring contemporary works and artists into the schools. I note in a recent interview with the Indianapolis Star, you indicate you are a "huge proponent” of arts in the schools. With cuts to school funding and arts programs in schools, it seems the IMOCA is uniquely positioned to fill that gap by securing art for school displays, conducting after school contemporary art classes, and/or classroom lessons involving contemporary artists.

5. Turn donors and/or members into volunteers. In September of 2009, I emailed your assistant director and offered to volunteer in whatever capacity you needed (which was after I tried to fill out the online form with no success). A few weeks later I received a response that the museum was in a transition period and they did not need any volunteers. I can understand being in a transition period, but not having any need for volunteers is pretty outrageous. I hope by now the organization has a volunteer recruitment and retention program, but I see nothing on the IMOCA website about such a program.

6. Develop a strategic plan and/or post such plan on the website. I am unsure if the IMOCA has a strategic plan. With you just coming back to serve as executive director in the last year, now would be a perfect time to develop and implement a new strategic plan for the IMOCA. After such plan is development, publish it to let donors, membership, and the community know what the mission and vision of the IMOCA is and how you will achieve that.

I do believe over the past year, the IMOCA has done some worthwhile and interest shows and the partnerships with the IMA have been a success. The new website and email blasts of events are fantastic. In conclusion, what I am really saying is that the art and art related activities are great, but could be expanded, and the organization could be improved to ensure future sustainability through strategic development.

Abstractly yours,
Carrie Sosbe

The back-up plan

2010-11-30T07:36:00.000-08:00

I've noticed recently that a lot of my favourite bloggers have retired. Most are in PhD programs and I'm sure their time is precious, others have just gotten too busy with life. I can certainly appreciate the latter. In the past year and a half, I've served as President of two organizations, been secretary and director of a state organization, served on two other committees, was Tri-Chair of the church bazaar, finished my certificate in nonprofit management (with a 4.0 and A+s in every class!-yeah!), and had an unexpected, but welcomed, visitor stay with me for four months. I suppose you could say that things have been busy.

I turn 30 in January and despite frequent panic attacks about getting older, things couldn't be better. Nearing 30 for me has forced me to accept the notion that my life, as I planned it in my teens, did not turn out as planned. As a teenager, I planned to be married, maybe have a kid by 27-29ish, and be an attorney. Those were the big three.

In those 15 years or so, I've come to the conclusion that: Marriage is not always a great thing (that, of course, comes from someone who has worked on divorce cases for 8 years). Kids, while awesome, are expensive, time consuming, and if my childhood was any indication of how my children will turn out, I will probably not make it to 40 if I have children:). Law school is expensive and there are many law school students who graduate without jobs. And finally, you can't plan your life out at 15, you can only prepare yourself for whatever the future holds.

So, at almost 30, I find myself happily single, without the burden of raising kids yet, the ability to go anywhere and do anything at a moment's notice, good friends, good family, no debt, a few houses, and a positive outlook on the future.

It is with that same optimism that I look to the next phase of life. I've spent a lot of time saving money for grad school. Now, only working part-time through grad school, I won't have to take out student loans to go (and am still hopeful about a research assistant position). In the past few months, I have been considering the following:

1. Indiana University (IU) Law School
2. IU-MPA Nonprofit Management (2nd in nation)
3. IU-MPA Nonprofit Management/MA Philanthropic Studies
4. IU-Masters of Arts Administration
4. Ball State-Masters of Urban and Regional Planning
5. University of Illinois-Champaign Urbana-Masters of Planning (3rd in nation)
6. USC-Masters of Public Art Studies

As you can see, it's a pretty wide field. After creating that list, I am still determining what field I really want to go into post graduation. Right now professor/researcher is winning out, which means probably finishing my MPA is next. I'll let you know if the next few months.

I think its interesting to see where some of my friends at 15 have ended up. I think a lot of them are doing exactly what they wanted to do at 15, while some are completely off in left field. There are a lot of doctors, lawyers, law school students, PhD candidates, performers/administrators in the arts. I was probably pegged for lawyer, and who knows, someday that may be in the cards. For now, I'm just going to do whatever is most fun and enjoy being 30.

SPEA and IAC Release Report

2010-07-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

The Indiana Arts Commission and the SPEA released the Nonprofit Capacity Assessment for Indiana's Arts and Culture Organizations late last month. The report can be found here. This is the first report of its kind in Indiana. The problems identified by the report are not shocking, but it is good to have the hard evidence to back up the problems that many of us see everyday in arts and cultural organizations.

A few of the highlights include:

Expanding donor base and securing funding from foundations are corporations are seen as a huge challenge.

Organizations with one or more board vacancies report more challenges in addressing capacity building

Human resources is a concern for a lot of organizations
Organizations across Indiana report similar problems

SPEA identified four ways IAC can help organizations: funding assistance, peer learning (through organizational interactions), joint activities with other organizations, and support for technical assistance.

Part of a larger problem

2010-06-24T06:31:00.001-07:00

Having just experienced an air conditioner malfunction at the Rotary Jail Museum, I thought this article on Channel 8 was interesting.

The Henager Family Museum near Evansville is asking for donations of $3,500 to fix their air conditioner. Temperatures in the museum have reached 90 degrees and in terms of museum conservation - that equals disaster.

I tend to feel that the museum's board of directors has not performed their duties in ensuring the museum has the proper funds to cover such a disaster. At the Rotary Jail Museum, our biggest concern was getting the best price we could to fix our problem - it was never a question of where is the money coming from (we've had those moments, of course, but never about something as basic as proper museum artifact care). This problem the Henager Family Museum is experiencing is probably part of a larger problem at the museum.

Big Changes at Landmarks Foundation

2010-05-12T06:16:00.000-07:00

Perhaps this is old news by now, but I have been busy so you'll forgive me...

The Historic Landmarks Foundation announced in April they were changing their name to Indiana Landmarks. They also created a new website, which is a huge improvement from their last website. The name change is also a step in the right direction, I believe. Not having Indiana in the organization's name might lead funders to wrongfully believe they are giving to an organization that supports a nationwide preservation cause. The last thing an organization would want to do is misrepresent their mission to funders.

I am unsure why Indiana Landmarks dropped the word "foundation" from their name and am also unsure how they are established through their bylaws. I will point out that the IRS distinguishes between private foundations and public foundations. Private foundations are typically funded by families or corporations and have more restrictions than public foundations. Public foundations are most often community foundations or other organizations that raise money and disburse it in accordance with the mission of the organization. Public foundations can either raise money for other organizations or provide funding for their own activities. It appears that by dropping foundation from the name, it is just in name only.

Also in May, Indiana Landmarks announced they were moving their offices AND starting a new capital campaign to help restore the Old Centrum in Indianapolis, which will house their new offices and be used for performances, films, lectures, weddings, etc.

Aiding Indiana Landmarks in this campaign was a lead donation from Bill, Gayle, and Carl Cook of Bloomington of 7 million. Indiana Landmarks expects the work to be completed by November of this year. The Cook Family are big supporters of historic preservation and the arts in Indiana.

What I enjoy about Indiana Landmarks and historic preservation is how it mixes history and economic development. Through grants, loans, and support, historic preservation societies raise awareness and money for projects that provide a foundation for economic growth in a community and across the state.

The Dalai Lama Has Landed

2010-05-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

The Dalai Lama has made his way back to Indiana this week. His first stop was at the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington and May 14, he will be speaking at Conseco Fieldhouse (or is it CNO Financial Group Fieldhouse now?:). The event will be open to the public and ticket information can be found here.

Picture from The Herald Times online (Bloomington).

Carrie Update

2010-04-19T07:04:00.001-07:00

I am happy to report my Proposal Development and Grant Administration class is over and I have maintained my 4.0. This was a challenging, but fun semester. Some of what I am doing at the IU Foundation is grant development, so it's been really nice to learn a subject and concurrently have the opportunity to practice what I have learned. My final project in this class was to develop a grant on anything I wanted. I choose a project the League of Women Voters of Indiana has been looking at: Registering new citizens as voters at naturalization ceremonies. I won't get into the full description (you can email if you'd like a copy of the grant for your League to use), but Indiana naturalizes around 5,000 new citizens each year and only nonpartisan organizations are allowed to register voters at these ceremonies. So, the League could play an important role.

Both of my electives thusfar have been in the fund development realm, but I still feel I have a lot to learn. Unfortunately, the two classes I have taken are the only ones that are offered for my masters program, so my learning will have to continue outside of the classroom.

I am also happy to get back to my blog and hope that with the slowdown in my nonprofit work this summer, I will have more time to write papers and articles as well. There have been a lot of really interesting developments in the arts, politics, and nonprofit world since I last wrote. I will probably be tracking down some articles and information over the next few days to discuss. I start two classes on May 12, so it's going to be a mad rush to get everything updated, but I work best under pressure.

The Fundraising Horse Before the Cart

2010-03-17T06:13:00.000-07:00

As many of you are probably aware, Carmel is building a new concert hall, recently named The Palladium. The cost for The Palladium is over 150 million dollars. As the article notes, Mayor Brainard remarked in 2005 and 2007 the hope was to draw in someone to donate 25 million in exchange for naming rights to the hall. After the 25 million was secured, the strategy would be to go after the smaller donations. In 2010, Mayor Brainard admitted that the 25 million donation search has not been successful. Early on he also remarked he was confident the hall would raise 50 million in private donations. Unfortunately, the fundraising arm for the hall, Carmel Performing Arts Foundation, has only been able to raise 4 million.

In light of the recession, foundation executive director has decided to take the foundation in a new direction. Instead of focusing on the 25 million donation, his plan is to go after smaller donations of $500 – 2 million. He is quoted as saying,

"Eventually, we will focus on the $25 million. The reason for that is there is a larger pool of donors who can contribute from the range up to $2 million and a limited pool for $25 million."

The new strategy is interesting. Typically, the immediate focus is on those donors who are able to give larger sums of money and then an organization will work to capture the larger pool of smaller donors. As the article indicates, there has been mixed support for The Palladium. Much of the worry has focused on the use of taxpayer money to fund the project. Perhaps this new strategy is a way to gain more public support for the project and have more community “buy-in”. Or perhaps it is the backup strategy you have to utilize when you have spent 5 years (2005-2010) searching for the larger donors to no avail.

Competition is good and bad in the arts arena, but the impact of The Palladium on the Indianapolis area arts community, in terms of fundraising, will be significant. Both the symphony and opera are struggling mightily. Other arts organizations have seen a significant drop in revenues and grant income (federal and otherwise). As the Carmel Performing Arts Foundation embarks to raise millions of dollars, other arts organizations might see the effects in their fundraising efforts.

Sikich, Chris. (2010, February 12). Carmel christens concert hall but is still hoping for big donor. Indianapolis Star. [Retrieved] 2010, March 11 from http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ article?AID=20102120351

March-June Events in Montgomery County

2010-03-10T07:35:00.003-08:00

Museum Events

The Lew Wallace Study will be closed for renovations for the 2010 museum year, but the Carriage House and the museum grounds will be open.

March 2: Preservation Workshop: Victorian Landscapes

General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, Carriage House, 7-9:00 p.m.

March 2: Opening Day for Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County

Exhibits include 2010 Invention Convention winners, Democracy in Action: The League of Women Voters and the 90th anniversary of the passing of the 19th amendment.

March 6, 2010: Exhibit Opening: Sanctuary: Preserving the Legacy of Lew Wallace

General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, Carriage House, 6:00 p.m.

March 13: Quilt Lecture

Rotary Jail Museum, 1:30-3:30 p.m.

March-May Exhibit: Sugar Creek Quilting Guild Exhibit

March 14: Opening reception, 1-3:00 p.m.

Rotary Jail Museum

March 16: Preservation Workshop: Green Design in Preservation

General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, Carriage House, 7-9:00 p.m.

March 27: Park Day: Partnership with Civil War Preservation Trust and the History Channel

General Lew Wallace Study and Museum. Public invited to ground from 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. to help with projects

March-November: Coffins, Crape and Cakes: Nineteenth-Century Mourning

Lane House

May 16: International Museum Day

Museums have free admission

Vanity Theater
April 16-18 & 23-28, 2010: The Women

Crawfordsville Public Library

February 20-March 14, 2010: Tri Kappa High School Art Show

Crawfordsville District Public Library

March 15-April 30: Spring Dance of Quilts

Crawfordsville District Public Library

April 30 - May 3: Installation Art by Joanne Beck

Crawfordsville District Public Library

May 31 - June 28: A Renaissance Woman's Art by Carol Griffith

Crawfordsville District Public Library

Wabash College

March 1-April 9, 2010: Art Exhibit: Jeff Eisenberg and Kristen S. Wilkins: Stake Your Claim

Opening reception: March 1, 8-9:30 p.m. and Gallery Talk: March 2, 2:00 p.m.

Eric Dean Gallery, Fine Arts Center

March 19: Fine Arts Scholarship and Honor Scholarship Concert

Salter Concert Hall, Fine Arts Center, 8:00 p.m.

March 21: Glee Club Campus Concert

Salter Concert Hall, Fine Arts Center, 4:00 p.m.

April 1: Visiting Artists Series presents Imani Winds

Salter Concert Hall, Fine Arts Center, 8:00 p.m.

April 17: Jazz Bank and Jazz Combo Concert

Salter Concert Hall, Fine Arts Center, 8:00 p.m.

April 19-May 16: Art Exhibit: 2010 Senior Art Majors Exhibition

Opening reception: April 19, 8-9:30 p.m.

Eric Dean Gallery, Fine Arts Center

April 21-24: The Tempest

Ball Theater, Fine Arts Center, 8:00 p.m.

April 22: Brass & Woodwind Ensembles Concert

Salter Concert Hall, Fine Arts Center, 8:00 p.m.

April 25: Chamber Orchestra Concert

Salter Concert Hall, Fine Arts Center, 7:00 p.m.

Art Classes

March 12, 2010: Mug Shot-Pottery Painting Night

Rotary Jail Museum: 6-8:00 p.m.

March 13: Design a Quilt Block

Rotary Jail Museum, 10:00 a.m. – Noon

March 23, April 13 and 27: Paint-in Art Classes

Crawfordsville District Public Library

March 27: Kite Making

Rotary Jail Museum, 9:00 a.m. – Noon

Every Monday, 10-Noon – Jail House Artists – Topics Vary

Rotary Jail Museum

Supreme Court Ruling and Nonprofits

2010-02-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

At the convergence of politics, the law, and nonprofits (I don’t know how I managed to find an article with my three favorites!) is an article on The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s website entitled “Supreme Court Campaign-Finance Ruling Could Aid Nonprofit Advocacy but Adds New Concerns”.

The ruling the title is discussing is the recent ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, in which the Supreme Court ruled (5-4) that a “law barring corporations from using money from their general treasuries…to urge that a candidate for federal office be elected or defeated” is unconstitutional. According to the article, legal experts agree that the language about corporations applies to nonprofits as well. The group bringing the case, Citizens United, is, in fact, a nonprofit organization.

Advocacy groups under 501c4 status can now advocate for or against a candidate without having to setup a PAC. Additionally, they can also accept contributions from businesses to engage in such activity. Currently, 501c3 groups are barred from partisan political activity. Legal experts (according to this article), expect some charities to challenge the existing lobbying and political activity rules because of the weight given to the First Amendment in the ruling. That may lead to tax-exempt donations being used for political lobbying and partisan activity.

From a fundraising standpoint, corporations may now finance tax exempt groups to advocate in federal elections. In the future, we may see an influx of money being channeled through tax-exempt nonprofit corporations. The ruling may also make “speaking out” easier for advocacy organizations, but the article discusses the concern that nonprofit fundraising may not be able to match corporate coffers.

It is hard to determine at this point what the impact will be on nonprofit fundraising. Nonprofits will have to work hard to examine the IRS rules and laws that govern them, corporate donations, and determine how best to approach fundraising in light of the SCOTUS ruling.

Perry, Suzanne. (22 January 2010). “Supreme Court Campaign-Finance Ruling Could Aid Nonprofit Advocacy but Adds New Concerns”. Retrieved 10 February 2010, from The Chronicle of Philanthropy website: http://philanthropy.com/article/Supreme-Court-Campaign-Finance/63715/

Rotary Jail Museum-Upcoming Art Classes

2010-02-15T06:36:00.000-08:00

For my own selfish reasons (as I am President of the Montgomery County Cultural Foundation) and for promotion of events in Crawfordsville, I bring you upcoming art classes at the Rotary Jail Museum.

February

* February 15 (Monday), 10 a.m.-noon: Jail House Artists* - topics vary

* February 20 (Saturday), 10 a.m.-noon: Family Ancestry and Self, Part II: Self-portraits - $15
Self-portraits are more about how you perceive yourself than how you actually look. A local artist will help guide you and your teen though the process of creating a self portrait as you reflect on your ancestry and personal identity. For up to 12 adult/teen teams. Part I on February 6 is not required.

* February 22 (Monday), 10 a.m.-noon: Jail House Artists* - topics vary

* February 27 (Saturday), 10 a.m.-noon: Drawing Animals - 5th-7th grade - $20
Lions, Tigers, Bears, Oh No? Animals are not hard to draw if you break them down into their basic shapes. A local artist will guide you through the process of drawing animals and push your imagination as you create a fantasy one. Limited to 12 participants.

* February 27 (Saturday), 1-3 pm: Clay Work Basics: 6th grade & up - $20
See January 23 for complete description.

March

* March 1 (Monday), 10 a.m.–noon: Jail House Artists* - topics vary

* March 8 (Monday), 10 a.m.–noon: Jail House Artists* - topics vary

* March 12 (Friday), 6-8 pm: “Mug Shot” - Pottery Painting Night
Gather the family and paint/glaze your own unique mugs. Participants from the “Clay Work Basics” class are welcome to paint their items instead. All ages welcomed. $10/ mug includes firing and glazes.

* March 13 (Saturday), 10 a.m.-noon: Design a Quilt Block – Adults - $20
Every quilt is as unique as its maker. This class will help fuel your creativity to design a unique quilt block and envision it as a finished quilt. No sewing. Take a lunch break and come back for the lecture.

* March 13 - Saturday - 1:30–3:30 pm: Quilt Lecture - $5
View the current quilt show and listen to a local quilter talk about her experiences. Make a day of it, and come to the morning quilt class.

* March 15 (Monday), 10 a.m.–noon: Jail House Artists* - topics vary

* March 22 (Monday), 10 a.m.–noon: Jail House Artists* - topics vary

* March 27 (Saturday), 9 a.m. – noon: Kite Making: 3rd-6th grade - $25
Let’s go fly a kite … but first we need to make it! Kite supplies/kits will be provided and we’ll visit a local park to fly them when complete, weather permitting.

* March 29 (Monday), 10 a.m.-noon: Jail House Artists* - topics vary

So it goes...Indianapolis Opera

2010-02-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

The Indianapolis Business Journal (who has been stepping up their coverage of nonprofits, I believe) carried an article on February 12, 2010, about the Indianapolis Opera's budget woes.

The opera is currently operating with a $40,000 budget gap and will cancel the third production of the season. This cut will save the opera $150,000, and they are currently in the process of trying to sell their office building as well.

Last year, the opera cut down productions from four to three, so they have had a big jump from 4 to 2 in the past two years. They have also had trouble with grant money; having written grants into their budget and not receiving the money for those grants from funders.

This next year will be a critical year for the Indianapolis Opera.

http://www.indyopera.org/

What have I been up to?

2010-01-26T13:01:00.000-08:00

You may be asking yourself, "what has Carrie been up to since she hasn't posted in a while." Well, thank you for your concern :)

Actually, I am excited to announce that I got an internship at the Indiana University Foundation in the Corporate and Foundation Relations Department. I had my second day on the job today and it is going to be a lot of fun. Obviously, I cannot talk about the specifics of my day-to-day job online, but I will say that everyone in the office is so nice and the job will be a lot of fun. It runs until May 31st, so I should be able to get a good idea of what the foundation does.

Already, I know that my department at IUF helps to provide grant writing services to all the departments on all the campuses. Besides that, they also work on grants to help fund the university and special projects.

From IU Foundation's website:

In fiscal year 2008-2009, Indiana University received more than $100 million in gifts from more than 100,000 individuals, corporations, and foundations.
IUF manages an endowment of approximately $1.2 billion, administers about 6,000 gift accounts, and provides related fundraising services to IU and its donors.
IU consistently ranks among the nation's top 20 universities in total voluntary support, the sum of gifts and nongovernmental research grants received from the private sector.
Among public universities, IU ranks in the top 15 in the nation in the market value of its endowment.

So, I might be away from my blog more often than before, but I should gain a lot of experience, so I can be a more knowledgeable blogger!

Cartier Jewels for the Rich

2010-01-14T12:38:00.000-08:00

NPR had a wonderful story on NPR about the subject of the exhibit at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco entitled "Cartier and America". You should listen to the story, but I wanted to include the website address because they have pictures of jewels on display and photographs of the people who wore them.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122537370

Picture from NPR website

Should I stay or should I go?

2010-01-12T06:44:00.000-08:00

As I am sure everyone is aware, Ruth Lilly passed away at the end of December. (It's unfortunate she couldn't hold on until 2010 when there is no estate tax.) An article appeared in the Indianapolis Star on January 1, 2010, about how Lilly's gifts (which have grown to over 200 million) to the Poetry Magazine Foundation has caused rifts.

Trustees have expressed concerns about plans to build a 25 million dollar Home for Poetry Center in Chicago, an expensive website update, and unethical spending practices. The Illinois Attorney General is investigating the last concern, but no charges have been filed yet.

Since 2002, more than half of the organization's trustees have resigned or said they were forced out after expressing concerns. (http://www.foundationcenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml?id=279900008)

Often when there are concerns over mismanagement in a nonprofit organization, the accusations do not make it to the press. In this case, it sounds like the ex-trustees have been the ones to take it to the press. I find it amazing that over half the board members have resigned or been forced out when they expressed the same concerns. If that is the case, perhaps they should have gotten together before leaving the board and ousted the president, with whom they have had the biggest problems.

The important question is if there are questionable activities taking place in an organization, is it better to stay on a board and work to fix those problems or is it better to resign and file a complaint with the press or civilly to correct the problem.

Break out the Flannel

2010-01-12T06:34:00.000-08:00

I just got my first visitor from Canada! So, welcome Canadians, and thank you for the greatest show ever, Kids in the Hall.

I'm practically a senior today!

2010-01-07T06:29:00.000-08:00

It's my 29th birthday today and I felt like a senior walking into work today. Not that I felt old, but apparently someone thought it would be a good idea to drop a lot of snow on Indiana (and all of the midwest apparently). With the snow, I am reminded of many, many parents getting their cars stuck in our driveway or getting into accidents on the way to my birthday parties over the years.

One of my fondest birthday memories would be from 3rd grade. I dated a boy in 1st grade and we broke up in 2nd grade - because our love couldn't withstand being in different classrooms apparently. It was a snowy January 7th and instead of teaching, the three 3rd grade teachers combined classes to show us a terribly uninteresting cartoon. Either I wasn't feeling well, or just nervous about my birthday party that night, when my stomach revolted and I ended up throwing up all over the kid in front of me - who happened to be my ex-boyfriend from 1st grade. Years later, I felt sorry for him, but in that moment, I didn't feel much remorse. I went home for the rest of the day and was well enough to have my party that night. He's a teacher now and perhaps a kid is throwing up in his class today too, nervous about a birthday party.

On another interesting note, the top yahoo search right now is 2010 CES and those are my initials. So apparently, I'm very popular today (or the Consumer Electronics Show is).

Under One Roof: Social Service Agencies

2009-12-29T09:46:00.000-08:00

A fire struck the United Way Building in Columbus, Indiana, on Christmas Eve. WRTV reported the building contained 37 nonprofit agencies. The fire destroyed most everything, but the report stated the United Way had computer records backed up in a separate location. I imagine most of the other agencies did not. With so many records and files on the computer now, I have to wonder how many social service agencies back up their files.

As much as the fire hurt all the nonprofit agencies in the building, the idea of having many social service nonprofit agencies in one building is a fantastic idea. The idea has been tossed around in Montgomery County, Indiana, as well. For example, Christian Nursing Service, Youth Service Bureau, FISH food, and FISH clothing bank -just to name a few - are all located in different parts of Crawfordsville. A person in need of assistance might not have the means to travel all over the county to obtain help. Even if they have the means, I believe they would be well served to have all forms of assistance available to them in one location. How wonderful would it be to have governmental assistance programs in the same building as a food pantry, clothing pantry, mentoring moms help, a free clinic, a well baby clinic.

The barriers to this idea are not easy to overcome. Most agencies have established homes, many of whom own the buildings where they are located. FISH services are located in churches and many are reluctant to give up this mission work. Also, not every person in need lives in Crawfordsville and having agencies located throughout the county helps serve all those in need.

It is interesting that Columbus was able to combine many agencies under one roof and, perhaps, in the future, some agencies in Montgomery County will come together under one roof.

One Paper Down, One Book To Go

2009-12-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

I have delusions that many, many people read my blog. Working under that assumption, I believe you might be wondering what I have been up to the past week or so. Well, I appreciate the concern, and will let you know that I have been working on a final paper for a class.

I was taking a class in management of nonprofits. The course syllabus seemed promising, but the instructor had some personal issues and was not available throughout most of the semester. The design of the class was a little odd as well. Most of the activity took place Tuesday through Friday, with assignments due Friday night. As someone who is working, it was frustrating to cram class time in during the week, and then have time on the weekends with nothing to do for class. But, the readings were great and I feel like I learned a lot. I had a perfect score going into the final paper, so as long as I did well on it, the class should turn out alright (for me at least).

For our final paper, we got to pick a real life nonprofit management dilemma and write about the background of the organization, what caused the dilemma, possible responses, and the actual response. My topic was to examine how nonprofits evaluate personnel needs as they expand programming. I used the Rotary Jail Museum as my real life example. I have not had much personnel experience, so I got to learn a lot. I think the paper turned out well (especially since it was my first research paper in 3-4 years). For this paper, I actually conducted my research well in advance and then spent a few weeks writing the paper and editing. I remember in college writing two research papers that were 25 pages each in a few nights before they were due (and somehow managing to get an A and an A- on them!). So, it was a bit odd to write a paper properly, but it felt good. I'm anxious to get my grade now though.

As one of my many, many readers, I hope that you have a good holiday. I'll be sitting behind a computer for most of my break finishing work on the book, Focus on Montgomery County. Hopefully, I will finish quickly and can squeeze in a mini vacation (I do believe I hear Neo in Chicago calling my name.)

NEA Releases 2008 Survey

2009-12-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

Today the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) released their 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. The survey can be found here and an article about the survey can be found here. The decline of attendance at arts related events is not surprising, but it is good to have the statistics. One interesting finding is that participation of the arts relating to new media is increasing and there is an increase in photography and filmmaking from previous years. Both photography and filmmaking are becoming more accessible and I have seen an increase in the number of these arts programs in the schools. There has also been in increase in recent years in the number of photographs received and showed in the Downtown Art Exhibit in Crawfordsville.

Performance arts audiences are decreasing while audiences viewing arts performances online is increasing. Because of the surge in new media, there is a real need for arts administrators to identify new ways to reach different audiences. While the art of engaging current arts audiences has been studied, there is still a lot of work and research that needs to be done in engaging new media arts audiences.

The Frankfort Public Library is awesome!

2009-12-09T11:30:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday I attended a Regional Arts Partnership/Regional Advisory Council meeting in Frankfort at the public library. After the meeting, we were given a tour of the library and it is such a neat place!

For starters, they have a coffee shop! If you know me, you have probably heard me complain endlessly about our library not allowing food and drinks. Every city I have lived in since high school (Bloomington, Indy, Brownsburg, and Denver) has had a coffee shop or station in the library. I thought perhaps this was because those cities have a bigger library, so I was happy to see a smaller library that welcomed food and drink. Frankfort's coffee shop is called Harry's Coffee Bar and is run entirely by volunteers for the benefit of the Friend's of the Library. They offer food and sandwiches and the shop manager Lorraine was the sweetest lady.

The library has three levels and is attached to the old Carnegie library. It looked very similar to our Carnegie Library. Most of the old Carnegie library is used for storage and office space. One project that volunteers are working on currently is cataloging old court records from the 1880s-1900s. This is especially interesting to me because my great grandfather practiced law in Montgomery County around that time and I'm sure he probably had a few cases in Frankfort.

From our guide, it sounds like the Frankfort Public Library is really focused on arts. The library owns many works of art that are located around the building (and one really amazing stained glass work that is 3D). On the second floor in the new part of the building, they have a large gallery space and two other gallery spaces. They have a large classroom for art classes and a secondary meeting room that also houses art classes. The Saturday we were there, students were having a beaded purse class and a kid's art class. What blew me away was steps from the art classroom and gallery was the Skanta Theatre. This wasn't a small blackbox theater, but a medium size, full stage theater with backstage area, lighting, and sound booth above the audience. The Clinton County Youth Theater and Civic Theatre call this space home. It was a great space and well planned how it was attached to the gallery space.

The Frankfort Public Library's leaders have had amazing vision in developing this library. In 2006, the library won the National Award for Museum and Library Services. This is the same award that the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum won in 2008. I think that is a testament to the strong leadership we have in this region of Indiana in the museum and library field.

Upcoming Arts Events in Montgomery County/Crawfordsville

2009-12-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

Below is my events report for Montgomery County for December - March:

December – March Events for Montgomery County

Museum Events
Most museums in Montgomery County close in December and reopen in either February or March. They are available for tours by appointment only during those months.

December 4, 2009: 3rd Annual Holiday High Tea and Fashion Show,
General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, 3:00 – 5:30 p.m., by invitation only
December 4, 2009: Hoosier Salon Exhibit, Carnegie Museum
December 12, 2009: Holiday Open House, Rotary Jail Museum
9:00 – 10:00 a.m., JUMP Art Class
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Community Art Class and Center for the Arts Tour
December 13, 2009: Holiday Open House, General Lew Wallace Study and Museum
Events All Day
December 14-20, 2009: Christmas at the Linden Museum, Linden Depot Museum

Vanity Theater
December 4 – 6 and December 11-13, 2009: Miracle on 34th Street
February 19-21 and February 26-28, 2010: The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood

Crawfordsville Public Library
Art Exhibits Not Yet Released for 2010. Library will typically have one art exhibit per month.

Wabash College
October 26-December 11, 2009: Art Exhibit: Lamidi O. Fakeye: Africa’s Master Carver
Opening reception, Monday, October 26, 5-7 p.m., Fine Arts Center
December 6, 2009: Chamber Orchestra Concert
7:00 p.m. – Salter Concert Hall, Fine Arts Center
December 9, 2009: 42nd Annual Christmas Festival of Music & Readings
8:00 p.m. – Wabash Chapel
January 18 – February 19, 2010: Art Exhibit: Richard Koening: Photographic Prevarications
Opening reception, January 18, 8:00-9:30 p.m., Eric Dean Gallery, Fine Arts Center
January 24, 2010: The Visiting Artists Series presents Peter Basquin on piano
4:00 p.m. - Salter Concert Hall, Fine Arts Center
February 6, 2010: The Visiting Artists Series presents The Actor’s Gang
The Trial of Catonsville Nine, 8:00 p.m - Ball Theater, Fine Arts Center
February 21, 2010: 11h Annual Roger Ide Organ Recital featuring Stefan Engels
3:00 p.m. – Wabash Chapel
February 24 – 27, 2010: Wabash Theater presents Terra Nova
8:00 p.m - Ball Theater, Fine Arts Center

Other Events
December 6, 2009: Christmas Parade, Downtown Crawfordsville
December 13, 2009: Community Chorus Performance
Wabash Chapel, Wabash College

Museums and Website Presence
While I was researching events in Montgomery County, I became curious about how much of a web presence each of the museums had. The Montgomery County Visitors Bureau’s website has a complete list of all our museums and websites. In my never ending frustration with our Visitors Bureau, the calendar on their website ends in December, making research on upcoming events in Montgomery County in the coming months very difficult.

General Lew Wallace Museum and Study: http://www.ben-hur.com/
This museum also has a blog on Blogger, Myspace page, Facebook page, YouTube account, and Flickr account.
Daughters of the American Revolution House: No Website
Lane Place: http://www.lane-mchs.org/
Linden Depot Museum: http://www.lindendepot.com/
Mid’town Museum of Native Cultures: No Website
Rotary Jail Museum: http://www.oldjailmuseum.net/
Ropkey Armor Museum: http://www.ropkeyarmormuseum.com/index.html
Carnegie Museum: http://www.cdpl.lib.in.us/carnegie/
The Carnegie is owned and operated by the Crawfordsville Public Library and their website is contained within the library’s website. They also have a blog on Blogger.

Financial Woes for the IMA

2009-12-01T06:26:00.000-08:00

The Indiana Business Journal ran an interesting article on November 28, 2009 about a large donor leaving the IMA board. (Act fast to look at the article because I believe you can only view the article for a few weeks without a subscription.)

While the title and first few paragraphs lead you to believe the article is mainly about Wayne Zink leaving the board of governors, the article is really about the financial situation at the IMA.

Like the symphony, the IMA is experiencing a loss of revenue and donations. While the number of museum memberships have declined, the article points out that:

So far this year, the museum has collected $186,000 in dues from “council” members—who pay $1,500 or more. That’s up $35,000 over the same period last year.

One interesting fact the article touches on is that the IMA has one of the largest art museum endowments in the nation.

It stood as high as $393 million at the end of 2007. This year, the endowment provides $16.4 million, or 69 percent of IMA’s annual operating revenue. The stock market crash sent it south of $281 million by the end of 2008.

The endowment became more important after the museum’s $74 million expansion in 2006, which drove up operating expenses, including such items as utilities and especially security personnel, Munsch said. The IMA covered its higher costs by drawing a larger percentage from the endowment.

As the IMA works to reduce endowment spending, the plan includes increasing annual donations and revenue from things like retail sales and special-exhibit admission. In February of this past year, the IMA restructured and cut twenty one employees. The article only mentions a senior conservator position that was cut, but I wonder what other jobs were cut. Like I mentioned in a previous blog about the symphony, one of the first reactions is to cut development jobs. At the same time, you must balance fulfilling the purpose and mission of the organization - like art conservation and education.

With their sizable endowment and fiscal responsibility, I do not believe the IMA is in any danger. Most organizations were able to survive the recession year. Post recession, they will be dealing with smaller endowments, less federal funding, less grant funding for the arts (as foundations look to serving immediate social service needs), fewer donations, possibly lower revenue streams, and fewer volunteers as many retirees take on part time jobs to supplement their retirement.

Back from Cleveland

2009-11-23T06:48:00.000-08:00

I got back from Cleveland on Saturday and my head was swimming with all kinds of ideas. I took a day to rest yesterday and did nothing besides lay around and watch football all day-it was great!

Having never left North America, I think what was most interesting about the conference was the international scene. There were so many people who attended from all over the world. In one session on philanthropy, Beth Breeze spoke about the Centre for Philanthropy, Humanitarianism, and Social Justice at the University of Kent. The Centre opened just 18 months ago, but they have already conducted a lot of research. Beth spoke mostly on their 2009 Million Pound Donors Report that was just released November 9, 2009. There is a lot of good information in the report. One thing I found interesting was the change in the amount banked in foundations and the amount spent directly. From 2006/2007 to 2007/2008 the amount banked in foundations decreased and the amount spent directly increased. Reasons discussed for the change were the recession, or perhaps deeper were the change in attitudes. Traditionally, foundations have been established to exist in perpetuity. The new model in the UK (that has already been happening in the US) is setting up foundations with limited life spans.

The University of Kent conducted this study using the Center on Philanthropy model. This kind of research sharing is important for the field. The Centre is just at the beginning of studying UK philanthropy, but they have already conducting some important research.

I'll be giving more reports on presentations and research in the next few days.

Arnova 2009: Cleveland

2009-11-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

I will be attending the ARNOVA Conference on Friday and Saturday this week in Cleveland, OH, and will be blogging about my experience from there. For those that don't know, ARNOVA stands for the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action. If you would like more information about ARNOVA, you can find them at www.arnova.org As a new member (practically brand new!) I'm exciting to learn how the organization operates and also to hear all the interesting research that is being conducted.

Other attendees that will be blogging include:

* Debra Beck
* Heather Carpenter
* Graham Dover (and at www.si2.ca)
* Lindsey McDougle (and at thirdsectornetwork.org)
* John Ronquillo (and at thirdsectornetwork.org)
* and guest bloggers Taylor Peyton Roberts, Alice Walker and Debra Weiner

Additionally, several conference attendees will be tweeting about the conference using the #arnova09 hashtag.

Keeping Quality Up When Revenues Are Down

2009-11-17T07:27:00.000-08:00

The Indianapolis Star featured an article today about the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra today. The ISO is operating with a 2.8M deficit this year. This is not the first year the ISO has been in the red. Many orchestras around the country are also experiencing similar problems.

In order to reduce operating expenses, the article states:

In October, the ISO announced a 12 percent pay cut for musicians as part of a three-year contract, as well as cuts in administrative salaries, which should result in a combined savings of about $6 million over those three years. The annual budget for the orchestra's current fiscal year also was reduced from $29 million to $26 million.

The CEO and president also states:

"We will be working to increase income from both ticket sales and donations throughout the year," he said. "At the same time, we will be controlling costs, but I do not envision further cuts at this time."

Obviously, an organization operating with a deficit needs to look at all cost cutting measures. What is interesting with arts organizations like orchestras or theatres is that a large percentage of income is through ticket sales. When organizations begin to cut musician or actor salaries, the level of artistic integrity is jeopardized.

As the articles points out, they have done a good job of diversifying their programming. During recessions, organizations have to look to their base for increased donations and ISO will be doing that. One thing all orchestras and operas need to undertake is strategically planning for how to make their art relevant to the baby boomers and younger populations. Addressing social media marketing tactics as well as events aimed at that population (for example, celebrity guest conductors) will help build a large donor base.

For the ISO, this is the largest deficit they have ever had. It will be an interesting year as they work to balance the budget and provide quality services to the public.

Art and ...Redistricting?

2009-11-14T20:07:00.001-08:00

At our League of Women Voters of Indiana meeting this morning, a member handed out a brochure from the Secretary of State on his thoughts about redistricting. As many of you are probably aware, he is lobbying for some changes to the redistricting process. We are awaiting legislation in the upcoming short session before we advocate one way or another, but I was a huge fan of the design of his brochure! (The one from the website is not in brochure format, but you can review it as pages.) The SofS's website for redistricting is also in the same theme.

Also at today's meeting, a state League history book was passed around and I found in 1932, a legislative action priority dealt with the "elimination of township government"! To put that in perspective, Indiana local government was designed in the mid 1800s and The Kernan-Shepard Report on Streamlining Local Government, which called for elimination of township official duties was published December of 2007. We are currently compiling data at the state level to study township government and perhaps we will come to the same conclusion our colleagues did in 1932.

Frontier Foundation in National News

2009-11-12T18:58:00.000-08:00

CBS News is now investigating Steve Buyer's Frontier Foundation (as I previously blogged about). Above is a clip from the interview they secured with Steve Buyer. Having been involved with trying to get him to appear at a candidates' forum with no luck, I am absolutely shocked CBS was able to get an interview with him.

I think it's interesting that Buyer actually admits to having an "appearance" problem, which I believe is the main problem. I'm not sure if readers will be able to see, but on guidestar.org a quick look at their 2008 tax filing brings up a few interesting items. The last two pages are the Scholarship Application for 2008. The 8 in 2008 is scratched in throughout the document and there is an application deadline of March 1, 2008 (did they accept any applications for 2008?). For 2008, they have direct fundraising expenses of $29,116 and they awarded $1,700 in grants. For every dollar they awarded, it cost $17.13 in direct fundraising expenses (not including rent, salaries, etc.).

While the actions may not be illegal, it erodes the public trust in nonprofits. Luckily for Hoosiers who work in the nonprofit sector, a survey conducted last year found that:

The survey, managed by the Center for Survey Research at Indiana University, was given to 536 Indiana residents in October 2008. They were asked if they trusted nonprofits and charities in their community to do what is right just about all the time, most of the time, some of the time or hardly ever. Findings included:

75 percent trusted nonprofits and charities to do what is right most or just about all the time.
56 percent similarly trusted businesses and corporations in their communities.
46 percent trusted local government and 44 percent trusted state government.
21 percent trusted the federal government to do what is right most or just about all the time.

Of Interest: Our Morphing Media and Public Policy webcast

2009-11-12T18:48:00.000-08:00

On November 11th, the Indiana Chapter of the America Society for Public Administration and IUPUI's Public Affairs Student Association (PASA) presented a panel discussion on Our Morphing Media and Public Policy: Towards a New Frontier.

It seems like anything the PASA plans is always around noon (as if students don't work while they are in school...), so I wasn't able to attend this. But they did put the webcast online and I got to watch it this afternoon. It is over an hour long, but really interesting if you have time.

This is the description from the flyer:

The practice of journalism and the nature of the media is undergoing dramatic change. That change has significant consequences for our common political life and for the process through which we make public policy. What do we know about the changes taking place? What are the likely consequences, for good or ill, of this morphing of our media? How do these changes affect the ability of public administrators and policy-makers to do their jobs?

Professor Sheila Suess Kennedy will moderate a conversation on these topics by a distinguished panel consisting of Bruce Hetrick, CEO of Hetrick Communications; James W. Brown, retiring Dean of IUPUI’s Journalism School, and Matthew Tully, political columnist for the Indianapolis Star. Join the discussion and learn where these changes are leading, and why the health and credibility of the Fourth Estate is vitally important to the field of public administration and to our national self-interest.

It's all in a name

2009-11-10T18:47:00.000-08:00

For class, we had a reading from the Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership & Management and the footnote on the first page of Chapter 15 caught my attention as I reread the chapter tonight.

"The author would like to acknowledge the support of the Nancy Bell Evans Center of Nonprofit Leadership at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington..."

That is a mouthful! This reminded me of my post on legacies and naming of buildings. I am unsure if the programs were simply named after them or if the Evans donated money to receive recognition in this way, but my guess would be the latter.

It makes me happy The Center on Philanthropy at IU isn't the Rosso Center on Philanthropy or something similar.

Can machines die?

2009-11-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

Terrible, terrible news out of New York today:

Jerry Fuchs has passed away. Better known as The Machine, Jerry was a brilliant drummer (one of my favs) and apparently an accomplished graphic designer and writer. Nicknamed The Machine because of his precision and ability to adapt to any musical style, the world is missing a backbeat tonight.

From Rolling Stone:

Gerhardt “Jerry” Fuchs, a drummer for indie-rock bands like !!!, the Juan MacLean and most recently Maserati, died early Sunday morning, November 8th, after falling down an elevator shaft. Fuchs was 34. LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, who once worked with Fuchs, told theNew York Times Fuchs was “one of the only people we all knew who was literally great at what he did.”
According to reports, Fuchs and a friend were attending a benefit at a Williamsburg, Brooklyn warehouse when the freight elevator they were in got stuck between floors. While Fuchs’ friend made the four-foot jump out of the elevator, Fuchs’ jacket reportedly got snagged, pulling him backwards and through the crevice. Friends recovered Fuchs at the bottom of the shaft, but he was unable to speak. He later passed away at Belleville Hospital.
“Jerry was one of my best and most loyal friends. He was hands-down the best drummer I have ever played with or seen for that matter,” Juan MacLean wrote on his official website. “He was utterly sincere and fiercely loyal.”

Jerry performing with Maserati. Not one of my favourite bands, but still a cool view.

I tried really hard to find a clip of Jerry playing with !!!, but they travel with a lot of different members. I did find this really awesome concert clip from 2002, which I am sure does not have Jerry in it, but his memory is there for me.

P.S. For future rock/electronic bands - Can we please bring back horns?

Update: The New York Times also carried an article about Jerry.

The Price of Immortality

2009-11-03T08:52:00.000-08:00

One of the fun things about being a SPEA student is getting a media report each month with a list of articles written by or including research or comments by SPEA or Center on Philanthropy professors and researchers. It's always an interesting list and it's a good way to identify interesting professors who share similar interests (for example, I REALLY want to take a class taught by Shelia Kennedy or Les Lenkowsky).

One article Les Lenkowsky contributed to caught my attention. It appeared on Bloomberg.com entitled Getting Your Name on a Building Gets Cheaper as Nonprofits Compete. As the Cultural Foundation works to complete our Art Center, we have been talking about naming rights. This article states that the cost of naming a building is typically 50% of the cost. The article discusses projects over 1 million dollars. For smaller projects like our Art Center, 50% really opens up the field to a big percentage of the population in Montgomery County. While I am not a big fan of naming different parts of a building (for example, the atrium, bathroom, kitchen, etc.), I believe this kind of fundraising with naming rights for an entire building is a good idea.

Real Life: Speakers' Fees for Events

2009-10-29T08:48:00.001-07:00

Yeah! A topic about nonprofits and politics again!

So, Politico.com ran an article today about the Iowa Family Policy Center's effort to gather $100,000 to pay for Sarah Palin to speak at an event they are holding. The article isn't really well written in my opinion, but it does touch on the idea of nonprofit speakers fees for events.

Upon research, I learned the Iowa Family Policy Center is a 501 (c) 3 research and educational organization "committed to strengthening the family." From the article on Politico.com:

At the request of the Iowa Family Policy Center, Team Sarah, a national pro-Palin organization not formally connected to the former governor, has begun raising money among its members in an effort to collect the $100,000.

Reached on his cell phone, Iowa Family Policy Center president Chuck Hurley said he had been expecting another call from the “202” area code and declined to answer questions, saying alternately that he was signing checks and in a meeting.

He passed his phone to Bryan English, a spokesman for the group, who initially said their effort to raise money was only to secure a venue, pay for lighting and promote the event.

But then he said he was “not personally aware of a speaker’s fee.”

“There may or may not be, I don’t know,” English said.

And he added: “Any details of arrangements between our speakers and our organization are between our speakers and our organization.”

I think this article brings up some really interesting topics. Nonprofits secure speakers for events all the time. Having someone interesting speak at an event is a good way to get members and public figures to an event and raise awareness of your organization. In the nonprofits I have been involved with, the payment for speakers is minimal. I understand in larger organizations, the fee may be much more (depending on the speaker of course). To hold an event and break even or come out on top is where you want to be (and which depends on what the event is for [eg education vs. fundraising]).

With someone like Sarah Palin, I imagine the Iowa Family Policy Center will be able to charge a lot for the ticket price and get a lot of people there. If they did not break even, they are taking away money from their mission. But, they are also gaining publicity for their organization (see Politico.com article) which could help with fundraising in the future. On the other hand, an organization might have to answer questions from donors about what their money is really being used to support.

The article states at the request of the Iowa Family Policy Center, Team Sarah is raising money for this event. Team Sarah, as much as I can determine, is a project of the Susan B. Anthony List, which is a 501 (c) 4 nonprofit organization promoting prolife causes. It's interesting that a 501 (c) 4 would be raising money for a 501 (c) 3 because donations to a (c) 4 are not tax deductible, while donations to a (c) 3 are - making fundraising more difficult for a (c) 4. I have to wonder why the Iowa Family Policy Center would be requesting another organization raise funds for this event.

My View

2009-10-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

A few days before I got sick, I got the chance to grab my camera and snap some pictures of my backyard and beyond my backyard. I'm glad I did because the rain came today and now most of the trees are bare. So, enjoy the view...and be jealous:)

This is the view from my deck looking to my backyard.

This is the view from my backyard looking at the back (or front, I can't decide yet!) of my house. The two trees are for my hammock (which was actually one of the reasons I bought the house!). The upper deck is off my master bedroom (which is another big reason I bought the house.) Look at my cute little furniture and umbrella up there-I bought that at the end of the season...and then it got really cold. But it was really cheap, so that's okay!)

This view is actually behind my back fence. The hill leads down to a tributary that feeds into Sugar Creek. Yeah..I own that. I have always lived in the city, so owning so much land seems unreal, but everything is really amazing. I never really went outside at my old house (especially since I didn't have a deck or big front porch). This summer I spent so much time on the back porch studying and reading. I even started a container garden (see below) and got to make salsa from my veggies!

My container garden. A few weeks ago we had a big storm that came through that destroyed most of the plants. Luckily, it was the end of the season. I still have a few tomatoes growing and my thyme is really big now. I had two blossoms on my eggplant plant, but they never developed. Next summer I am planning on taking it to the yard.

Why Dorothy is still my favorite Golden Girl

2009-10-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

I've been sick with some sort of flu the past few days, hence no posting, but a friend of mine sent me a news article that I thought was so great I had to write about.

It was announced today that in her will Golden Girl and all around awesome actress Bea Arthur left $300,000 to the Ali Forney Center to build a residential facility for young people who are rejected by their families for being gay. What a great cause and hats off to Bea! It's just a shame that this would happen in families though.

Image from http://filmexperience.blogspot.com/

Buyer's scholarship fund hasn't helped a single student

2009-10-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

This was the headline to an article in the Indianapolis Star on August 18th. I was awaiting a statement from Buyer or his Frontier Foundation before I posted, but I did not find any.

You can read the article for yourself, which is quite interesting. Politics aside, one of the main reasons I bring it up is for the questions about mission, purpose, and fund raising. The article states as follows:

Although the original intent was to hand out scholarships once the fund reached $100,000, Buyer said it quickly became apparent that to be self-sustaining and not require ongoing fund raising, the foundation would need to raise at least $1 million. Once that goal is met, he said, scholarships will be awarded.

It is certainly not unethical or out-of-line for the foundation to build up a reserve before giving out scholarships or grants. Their expenses seem to be in-line and do not raise a red flag. My concern is that the foundation has handed out grants totaling $10,500 and not any scholarships (for which their nonprofit was founded).

The sources of income, grant recipients, and fund raising activities, I believe, are a problem for the Frontier Foundation. Nonprofits are built on a system of trust with the public. The foundation might not be doing anything illegal or unethical, but these kinds of questionable activities and motives erode the public trust of all nonprofits.

Hopefully when Frontier Foundation reaches their 1 million dollar mark soon, they will begin fulfilling their mission of awarding scholarships.

How Relevant is the Political Science Field?

2009-10-20T10:00:00.001-07:00

The New York Times has an article entitled "Field Study - Just How Relevant Is Political Science" that came from Tom Coburn's (R-OK) proposal prohibiting the National Science Foundation from "wasting any federal research funding on political science projects."

One comment I thought was really interesting was from Jeffrey C. Isaac, a professor at IU, who said:

“But we’re kidding ourselves if we think this research typically has the obvious public benefit we claim for it. We political scientists can and should do a better job of making the public relevance of our work clearer and of doing more relevant work.”

When I was looking at grad schools, I looked into a political science degree. When I compared it to the SPEA degree, the SPEA degree seemed so much more practical. Instead of researching past elections, I could be working on policies and my research could be valuable now. Of course, the past is important as well, and I think it will be interesting to see how the field of political science evolves.

IPS Art Collection

2009-10-19T06:56:00.001-07:00

The Indianapolis Star had an interesting article about the IPS art collection over the weekend. Pieces include works by Degas, Steele, Indiana, Forsyth, Stark, and others. The pieces are not behind heavy enforcement, but rather, hanging in the hallways for all students and employees to enjoy (and sometimes touch!). They do have security devices in each piece, and admit that over 40 have turned up missing in the past. The more valueable pieces of Indiana artists are on permanent loan to the Indiana State Museum. Teachers have also made a point of incorporated these pieces into their teaching lessons.

The collection is estimated to be worth over 4 million dollars, but generally cannot be sold because of the manner in which they were accepted. As I hate comments on news articles, I couldn't help but read one which suggested that IPS should sell the paintings and use the money for education. They also suggested that the kids can take a field trip to a museum to see the artwork. Another comment was that they should collect all the artwork and put it in a closed school so they would be in one location. I feel like people are missing the benefit being exposed to art on a daily basis.

Mind, Body, and Spirit by William Edouard Scott, 1936 (WPA)

Let's take an example of the works of William Edouard Scott. Scott attended Manual High School, studying under Stark. After fleeing to Europe (where he could show his art and race would not be a factor like it was in the US) and achieving success, he returned to the US and had a long and successful career here as well. Instead of depicting African Americans as workers or slaves (typical for the time), he painted them as successful men and women. His works are inspirational. Having these works displayed in the school system that produced such an artist is important and can encourage students to be aspirational.

So, hat's off to you, IPS. I hope you will make a plan to buy more artwork for display in schools in the future (maybe bring your collection up-to-date with something produced after 1930).

Photo via http://www.chicagoconservation.com/pages/departments/murals/murals_wabash.htm

Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change

2009-10-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

As my high school buddy and resident Buddhist go-to guy, Danny Fisher, informed me, today is Blog Action Day 2009. The focus this year is climate change. You can read his awesome blog at http://dannyfisher.org/.

One of the main national legislative priorities the League of Women Voters has chosen this year has been Global Climate Change. They have a lot of good information at their webpage for climate change. One piece people in the midwest might find particularly interesting is a paper on how climate change impacts this region.

The League has also teamed up with Oxfam to distribute the "Sisters on the Planet" DVD. This is a documentary about how four women, from all over the world, fight against climate change. They are encourgaing viewing parties and if anybody would like a copy of the DVD, just let me know and I can get one to you or you can order one from the Oxfam website.

BBC News: Finger points to new da Vinci art

2009-10-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

Oh, the British and their witty headlines.

Some exciting news today. BBC News has an article about the discovery of a probable da Vinci piece from the late 15th century, identified by style and a fingerprint found on the piece itself. Previously bought for $19,000 (US), I'm sure the owner is quite happy at the discovery. More importantly, it is an exciting discovery (oh, and the piece isn't too bad either).

[Photo from the AP]

Real Life: Nonprofit Marketing and Tourism

2009-10-13T06:57:00.000-07:00

My last post about marketing and technology got me thinking about tourism and the impact on local museums. Visitor and Convention Bureaus hold a lot of power to the nonprofit world. (I wasn't going to go into a lot of explanation here, but I feel compelled to explain something because a lot of people have asked me how the MCVCB works.) The governmental arm of the VCB is the Visitor and Convention Commission. They have the power to vote for an innkeeper tax increase (which the county council must approve). The innkeepers tax is collected from overnight hotel guests.

The commission gives most of their money to the Montgomery County Visitor and Convention Bureau, which is a nonprofit organization (the other part they hold for grants that promote tourism). With the innkeepers tax money, it is the duty of the Bureau to promote the county through advertisements (brochures, ads, billboards, etc), grants for activities that might draw in visitors, and any other creative ideas they come up with. Our MCVCB has two paid staff members and they own a building in which they operate the bureau.

Last year, the Journal Review published a letter to the editor I wrote about the Montgomery County Visitors and Convention Bureau and it appears below:

A recent article in the Journal Review highlighted the Montgomery County Visitors and Convention Bureau (MCVCB) and the many questions they are asked about Montgomery County. While I think it is wonderful that the Bureau provides answers to these questions, the highly competivive tourism industry today requires a more proactive approach.

Tourism is a huge part of economic development for a county. As of June 9, 2006, Montgomery County ranked 63^rd out of 92 Indiana counties in the amount of travel and tourist spending within the counties (The Economic Impact of Travel and Tourism in Indiana Global Insight. June 9, 2006). I think everyone will agree that this ranking is too low considering all that Montgomery County has to offer. Below is how I would change that if I was the Director of the Montgomery County Visitors and Convention Bureau:

1. Expand hours of the bureau. The bureau is currently open Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturdays (April-October) from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. While I would keep day time hours, I think expansion to incorporate night and weekend hours year round is necessary. A pool of volunteers could be recruited for these hours.

2. Work with city officials to get directional signs. Currently, there are no street signs directing tourists to the Pike Street location of the Bureau. If you are coming from 32 or 231, finding the Bureau is impossible. I would work with city officials to get directional signs in place.

3. Promotion of Downtown Crawfordsville. In a recent meeting with Sharon Kenney, she explained that the bureau does not promote downtown Crawfordsville because they are the Montgomery County VCB. Downtown Crawfordsville is an asset that can draw crowds to Montgomery County, and promotion of everything that downtown has to offer is a key component to tourism in this county. It is also important to promote the small towns in Montgomery County, which brings me to my next point.

4. Work with the newly formed Small Community Network. I would help generate and advertise a Towns of Montgomery County Festival Guide, as well as promotion materials for all towns’ libraries, museums, and retail businesses. Did you know that Darlington has a fantastic bakery? I’m sure people in nearby communities would love to know that as well.

5. Reach out to neighboring visitor’s bureaus and create a West Central Indiana Visitors Bureau Alliance. This alliance would not only help Montgomery County tourism, but could help generate new ideas for bringing tourists to this part of Indiana.

6. Work with the Chamber of Commerce and the Build a Better Downtown Entrepreneurial Group. Cooperate to develop new businesses that would bring tourists to Montgomery County as a destination retail experience.

7. Antiques, antiques, antiques. Montgomery County is well known throughout the state and neighboring states for our fantastic antique stores and malls. I would work with these businesses to create Antique Tours, Montgomery County Antique Guide, and perhaps an Antique Festival.

8. Redevelop MCVCB promotions materials and brand Montgomery County. This point is so vital to tourism. When a visitor comes for the Ironman competition, the only information they are given about Montgomery County is a small brochure on colored paper printed in black and white. Is that the image we want to give tourists? You do not have to spend a lot of money to develop and print nice promotions materials. It only takes some graphic design and computer experience. The only brochure the Bureau currently distributes for Montgomery County is an 8.5 X 11 booklet, and I would create a smaller, more manageable brochure. Branding Montgomery County and carrying that image throughout every material distributed is key as well.

9. Strategic plan for distribution of MCVCB materials. In the months of November and December, I took 6 trips to Indianapolis on I-74 and stopped at the rest stops on I-74E and I-74W each time. Except for a permanent display in the rest stop on I-74W, there were no materials about Montgomery County available. Similarly, in December I stopped at a rest stop near Lafayette on I-65 and found no MC materials. On two stops at the Crawfordsville Holiday Inn in November, I found only 2 brochures about MC. Distribution to rest stops and hotels in and around MC is vitally important, and I would create a distribution strategy to accomplish this.

10. Create alliance with Wabash College. On June 5, 2007, Wabash students participating in the Wabash Business Immersion Program spoke with Jim Amidon and he suggested setting up annual meetings with the MCVCB (page 46, WBIP). This has yet to be done. Wabash College is a huge draw to Montgomery County in terms of the number of parents and alumni who visit every year. I would develop a Wabash Parent’s Guide to Montgomery County that would be distributed with Wabash’s help. I would work with the Livable Communities group to help promote Montgomery County as a retirement community for Wabash alumni and faculty. I would also promote Wabash’s events and make MCVCB information available to students. If I were director, I would have set up that meeting on June 6, 2007.

11. Expansion of website. MCVCB has redeveloped their website and this was a great move. I would expand this website further, to include such things as get-away packages, hotel booking, coupons for local businesses, and most importantly, an online calendar of events for Montgomery County.

12. Focused promotion. In 2006, the MCVCB spend $2,242.00 or 12.6% of their advertising budget, in the Chicago Tribune. This money could be much better spent in Indianapolis, or in Hamilton, Hendricks or Boone County. These places are close to Montgomery County and have the highest per capita income (e.g. disposable income) in Indiana.

13. Work with Innkeepers. All of the money for tourism promotion comes from the Innkeeper’s Tax. I would make sure I am doing all I can to help hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and other lodging establishments to let them know that I am working for them and with them.

My goal with the article was to call the bureau to action and hold them accountable. I received a lot of support from community leaders after the letter was published, but did not see any immediate results. Months after the article was published, some long time (and I mean 15+ year) members of the board resigned and new blood was pumped into the organization. Since then, they have added a calendar to their website (albeit poorly labeled as Events) and there was talk of them producing a smaller brochure (which I believe they did, but I haven't seen it yet). As for distribution and budget items, I have not updated my information.

After my letter to the editor, the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County sponsored a Museum and Tourism Impact Tour for local hotel owners and managers. They toured the three downtown museums and heard a tourism report by the then-executive director of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum.

This morning, I was looking at the Indianapolis Art Center website and on the front page of their website, they have links to their facebook, twitter, and blogger pages. As I mentioned in a previous post, this kind of internet marketing is extremely important. After adding the Indianapolis Art Center to my blogger account, I can now receive updates from them right when they are posted. This is the kind of marketing the MCVCB (and all organizations) needs to be doing to proper promote an event. The internet is free and can reach more people than ads or articles. I am hopeful that someday Montgomery County can get on the ball.

What's going on in Montgomery County

2009-10-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

Rotary Jail Museum in Crawfordsville, Indiana

I recently accepted a position on the Regional Arts Council for this area. The RAC serves in an advisory capacity to the Tippecanoe Arts Federation on matters such as grants, cultural planning, technical assistance, needs assessments, etc. For our last meeting, I was asked to make a list of all the cultural events in Montgomery County in the upcoming months and this is what I came up with:

Lew Wallace Study

August 28, 2009: Taste of Montgomery County

October 4, 2009: 6^th Annual Artists in Residence

The program features some of the area's brightest local artists, showcasing their work and demonstrating their craft on the grounds of the Museum. The public is invited. Free event.

Montgomery County Cultural Foundation (Rotary Jail Museum)

September 10, 2009: Jerry Smith: Gems of Montgomery County Opening Reception

September 10, 2009 – November 30, 2009: Jerry Smith Art Exhibit

September 12, 2009: Youth Service Bureau JUMP art class

Each Monday: Watercolor Art Class

Carnegie Museum

November 6 – Hoosier Salon Exhibit

Art League
September 24 – October 4: Downtown Fall Art Exhibit

Vanity Theater
September 25 – September 27; October 2 – October 4: Sugar

Musical Comedy based on the screenplay Some Like It Hot

Crawfordsville Public Library

September 30 – October 30: Art Exhibit

Fascination by Jeff Klinker

October 30 - November 30: Art Exhibit

Art Quilt Artistry

Wabash College

August 31 — October 14: Art Exhibit

Elenor Spiess-Ferris: Sorrows of Swans

Krista Hoefle: The girl who stopped being human!

Saturday, September 26: Homecoming Concert

7:30 p.m.—Salter Concert Hall, Fine Arts Center

October 7-10: Wabash College Theater presents The Bacchae by Euripides

8 p.m.—Ball Theater, Fine Arts Center

Thursday, October 22: Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago

8 p.m.—Salter Concert Hall, Fine Arts Center

October 26-December 11: Art Exhibit: Lamidi O. Fakeye: Africa’s Master Carver

Opening reception, Monday, October 26, 5-7 p.m., Fine Arts Center.

Wednesday, November 11: Brass and Woodwind Ensemble/Jazz Band Concert

8 p.m.—Salter Concert Hall, Fine Arts Center

November 11-13: Wabash College Theater presents Studio One-Acts

8 p.m.—Experimental Theater, Fine Arts Center

Despite being very involved with the arts in the past few years in Montgomery County, I couldn't believe the number of events that we had. Our nickname is the Athens of Indiana and I think for a county of 35,000 or so, we hold our own. Crawfordsville alone has three museums downtown (one of which was awarded the National Medal Award for Museum and Library Service last year). With the upcoming opening of the Montgomery County Art Center by the Rotary Jail Museum, I will be working hard to promote more of these events and activities to residents of Montgomery County and beyond.

Tech Talk, Webinars, and Old People again?

2009-10-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned in a previous post, the League of Women Voters has a lot of older...err.. more experienced members. Without younger members helping, many aspects of technological outreach and visibility (like social networking and even website development) are out of the range of performable tasks for Leagues. Over the past few years, the national League has been slowing nudging its members to adapt to the new technology. For financial reasons, the last National Council was held via the internet and, at our state level, two more experienced members of the board believed the process was very productive and the format was easy to use.

Recently, the National League has begun to utilize webinars to conduct training sessions for League members. For those of you without any webinar experience, a webinar is a presentation, meeting, or training session held on the internet. Participants are connected to other participants through their computer connection and a website. The format the League is using is also connecting participants through a telephone conversation in which they can discuss issues with the presenter and other participants. The last League webinar was about conducting stress free debates. Many Leaguers have remarked how easy the system is to use and how much information they receive in the short amount of time.

For a national organization with state or local ties, the use of this kind of technology is invaluable as it allows for mass participation and low cost training and communication. I also think webinars are important because they give people who are unfamiliar or intimidated by technology-like League members-a brief (and good) experience using it.

As the years pass, I think emerging technologies and nonprofits will be an important field. As nonprofits fulfill their missions, things like fund raising, visibility, social networking, branding, websites, marketing, database collection, and others are directly affected by an organization's skill and ability to use technology to its advantage.

Just my brief search over the past few days has turned up a really interesting nonprofit organization called the Nonprofit Technology Network. Part of the About Us page includes:

We believe that technology allows nonprofits to work with greater social impact. We enable our members to strategically use technology to make the world a better, just, and equitable place.

On October 15, 2009, NTEN is conducting their own intriguing webinar on "Getting Started with Online Donations".

Fashion Photographer Irving Penn dies at 92

2009-10-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

Irving Penn passed away on Wednesday. A gifted photographer, his black and white simplistic fashion photography highlighted the clothing and added the sense of drama to the photograph. Andy Grunberg at The New York times did a wonderful piece on his life and art.

The Getty Center in Los Angeles is running a exhibit, Irving Penn: Small Trades, from September 9, 2009 - January 10, 2010.

The League of Women Voters is filled with old people...and that's a good thing

2009-10-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

With some pushing, I joined the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County in 2005. Within a few months, I was on the board and Voter Service Chair, then 2nd Vice President and now Co-President. I also was able to be on the state League board and currently serve as Secretary. When you join a local League, you are automatically a part of something larger. For me, it was the League of Women Voters of Indiana and the League of Women Voters of the United States. The national League was founded almost ninety years ago and was born out of the suffrage movement. The mission statement is as follows:

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

The League is an interesting organization. It accepts both men and women as members. A lot of the work the League does is researching a public policy topic and creating positions based on that research and consensus of members. From those positions, it advocates and educates. Based on discussions with other local Leagues and my own experience, the membership leans toward mostly older (or more experienced!) women.

Because of the older demographic, the League must work to replace members who pass away. To do this, the national League introduced a new Membership Recruitment Initiative in 2006 which specifically targeted this demographic through outreach efforts, increased visibility, and partnerships with media and other organizations. Studies (Zedlewski 2007; Mutchler, Burr, Caro, 2003) have demonstrated older adults want activities to use their skills post retirement. Nonprofits have a group of adults waiting to be asked and asking is the most important part of membership recruitment.
Since its introduction, the Membership Recruitment Initiative has expanded from a few local Leagues to many. They have trained leaders in select states to carry out the program and by 2012, the national League hopes it will be in place in every state and local League (and hopefully by then we will have a full report I can share with you about the success of the program).
The baby boomer generation and beyond represents a unique workforce for nonprofits. Through active engagement of retirees and soon to retire adults, nonprofits can maximize their organization’s potential while lowering personnel costs. This engagement also benefits development as volunteers who are already engaged in the activities of an organization are more likely to monetarily support the same organization.
More information about the League of Women Voters:
League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters of Indiana
League of Women Voters of Montgomery County

New York Fashion Week 2010 and the Art of Fashion

2009-10-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my first ever blog and website. From an early age, I have had a passion for fashion. I think if you asked any of my friends growing up, they always thought I would be a fashion designer. I had dreams of going to the Art Institute in Chicago to study fashion design, but my hopes were dashed when I found out a BFA is not a degree law schools would accept (law of course being my ultimate goal). Now I’m 28, and having worked in law for seven years, I can firmly say that I do not want a career in law. Somehow, I find myself back at art and fashion, but with a not for profit prospective. And why not, art and fashion are something that everyone should have access to and hopefully, be inspired after experiencing. From this, I suppose it is only fitting to do a first blog on fashion.

As some of you may know, the Mercedes-Benz Spring 2010 Fashion Week just took place from September 10-17, 2009. There was an interesting article in USA Today (Critchell 9/10/09) about the fashion industry trying to make fashion week relevant. Their premise is that the week is really geared towards making consumers excited about the fashions on the runway and then getting consumers to the stores to buy the fashions. This is not flawed thinking. This is the fashion industry and for designers and houses to stay profitable, they must ultimately sell their clothes. But is profit fashion’s only purpose?

For me, Fashion Week is an artistic showcase and under this premise I will discuss my favorite or least favorite artistic achievements of the week.

Favorite Collection: Christian Siriano

Narciso Rodriguez was named “Mercedes-Benz Presents” (which in fashion terms is the Oscar). While his collection was unique, I found his shapes boring and colors a bit off the mark. On the other hand, Christian Siriano had a beautiful show. I was not a big fan of his when he was on Project Runway (I do feel he absolutely deserved to win), but I was anxious to see if Siriano could deliver again. And he succeeded. To fully appreciate the genius of his show, you have to see his entire collection. He was able to achieve a range of designs, colors, and accents, but stay cohesive. And he’s only 23!

Most Overrated: DKNY

Tan and grey are dull colors and Donna Karen is having a hard time being anything other than dull in the recent years. The most interesting pieces from the collection were her yellow and pink dresses, which had abstract designs painted on them. The designs are a work of art themselves, but the shape of the dress adds nothing to finish off the look. If these were on a mannequin in a show I was trying to curate, it would be hard not to give them my own shape. The entire collection was dated and off the mark.

Biggest Surprise: 1980s again?

From neon colors to exaggerated silhouettes with sharp shoulders to long blazers to harem pants. Apparently we have finally hit the point where designers are looking into our “past” for inspiration. I happen to believe the 1980s offered nothing to the idea of beauty and the softness of fabric, but if you like your artistic expression harsh and off-putting, then perhaps you are happy the 1980s are back.

Who I would give my first born to wear: Carolina Herrera

To me, Carolina Herrera is inspirational. Her clothing is luxurious without being off-putting. It is tactile without being harsh. This season, Herrera’s collection was filled with textures and colors that gave an earthy feel. It captured the renewal of spring and optimism missing from many collections this season.

I have not heard of many designers who set out to make millions of dollars. They make fashion because they have an urge to create and express themselves. New York Fashion Week is relevant because create expression is relevant.