Voices from the Field Blog

#AFTACon 2014 in Nashville!

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...

We Did It! #FoodWaterAirART

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...

Politics Unusual - 7 Revelations from a Newly-Hatched Arts Advocate

On March 24 & 25, 2014, ArtPride NJ gave me the life-changing opportunity to participate in National Arts Advocacy Day in Washington D.C., run by Americans for the Arts, our national arts advocacy group. I and my fellow New Jersey delegates met with our Congressional representatives to advocate for the Arts. As with most revelations, my time in D.C. was a quietly extraordinary experience – one...

Turn Up The Volume! A2160 & S1133

We’ve turned up the heat, now we need to turn up the volume! A2160 and S1133 are written to RESTORE state funding for arts, history and tourism ... dedicated funding that has been eroded over the years. Even when overall revenue has grown, the arts, history, and tourism communities have been working with the minimum amount of funding allowed by law, and we think it only fair that these communities...

Alliance for Arts & Health New Jersey Presents Survey Results

The findings from a new study, “Arts in Healthcare in New Jersey,” will be released by the Alliance for Arts & Health New Jersey, or AAHNJ, at this month’s New Jersey State Council on the Arts meeting. A project of ArtPride New Jersey Foundation, AAHNJ is a network of arts professionals and health and wellness providers who work together to educate, advocate, and advance best practices in arts and...

Turn Up The Heat! Urgent Arts Action Needed Now!

Two bills, A2160 and S1133, have been introduced in the new 2014 legislative session to restore state funding for arts, history, and tourism. We need your help NOW to recruit co-sponsors for both bills to return state funding to 2005 levels of support. ArtPride New Jersey, the Advocates for New Jersey History, and the New Jersey Travel Industry Association are working together to achieve this goal...

The Inaugural Music Educator Award at the Grammys

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...

NJEAL Creative & Ambitious Minds Learn from Business Leaders

There are people out there that don’t think of my millennial generation as focused, motivated, or responsible. However, I have consistently seen that Princeton Regional Chamber events bring out the best in my peers who are expanding their networks and heightening their ambition. I walked in to see a sea of about 200 young corporate professionals Friday, November 1st, when the Princeton Regional...

New Jersey Emerging Arts Leaders Creative Conversations 2013

Happy National Arts & Humanities AND Jersey Arts Month! Every October, in honor of National Arts & Humanities Month, Americans for the Arts partners with arts and community leaders from across the country to host Creative Conversations, local gatherings of engaged citizens in communities as part of a grassroots movement to elevate the profile of arts in America. This local tool empowers arts...

New Jersey Emerging Arts Leaders Storm the Castle!

On July 15th, The New Jersey Emerging Arts Leaders held three simultaneous events to celebrate Bastille Day, and get to know each other a little better. A program of ArtPride New Jersey and a chapter of the Americans for the Arts Emerging Leaders Network, NJEAL strives to identify and cultivate the next generation of arts leaders and artists through professional development and peer networking...