Voices from the Field Blog

At The Center for Contemporary Art (“The Center”) in Bedminster, we proudly declare on our website that we, “recognize the diversity of our community’s abilities and needs and are committed to enabling all people to experience the benefits of arts education.” We offer seven year-round programs that provide an outlet for creative expression in a safe, supportive setting for children with Autism...

For the past 18 months, a team led by the New Jersey Arts Education Partnership has been developing the next multiyear statewide arts education advocacy campaign: Arts Ed Now. The Arts Ed Now campaign officially launched yesterday as part of National Arts in Education Week, with advocates featuring the initiative at both the local and statewide levels all week long providing a springboard for the...

The ArtPride New Jersey Foundation will honor Pleasantville, N.J. educator Tamar LaSure-Owens for her outstanding arts advocacy at the 35th annual Governor’s Awards in Arts Education. This year’s Awards, which promote awareness and appreciation for the arts, will take place on Wednesday, May 27 at the Patriots Theatre of The War Memorial in Trenton. Each year, ArtPride New Jersey recognizes an...

From Arts Education to the Country Music Hall of Fame, from Big Data and Advocacy to Ben Folds, from Creative Placemaking to Hatch Show Prints, the Americans for the Arts Annual Convention was designed to inspire arts leaders from all across the country ... and inspire it did! For nearly 60 years, Americans for the Arts has convened an annual convention for arts and community leaders to network...

Thanks to all of you, we met our goal and the movement is real! Our wonderful backers will hear from us shortly regarding t-shirt sizes and any other details regarding your perks. We appreciate everyone who has played a part in helping to spread the word that the arts are essential to all of our lives! About our Project: Can art fuel a movement? You bet it can! History is thick with examples of...

I don't know about you, but I was thrilled to see the GRAMMY Awards honor a music teacher last night! The first-ever Music Educator Award went to Kent Knappenberger of Westfield Academy and Central School in Westfield, N.Y. Knappenberger was selected for the award from a field of more than 32,000 applicants. He was nominated for the award nearly a year ago by two former students and the parent of...

Americans for the Arts recently released their National Arts Index. Measuring data from 1998-2008, this report measures “the health and vitality of arts in the United States by using 76 equal weighted, national-level indicators of arts activity.” A report with an index score based on these factors will be released annually moving forward. I participated in an AFTA webinar led by Randy Cohen...