By Joe Brier, for USA TODAY Early Alzheimer's patient Bob Blackwell photographs the flowers and wildlife at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Va., Aug. 12. A smile crosses Bob Blackwell's face as he gently lifts his camera to his eye and zooms in on a black-and-yellow swallowtail butterfly hovering near the same flower as a yellow finch. A little while later, Blackwell, 66, rests in the...

March 4 (Bloomberg) -- Corporations and wealthy individuals are donating less to nonprofits, with arts groups taking the biggest hit, according to two new studies. Of 158 companies polled by the economic-research group the Conference Board in February, 45 percent said they have reduced their 2009 philanthropy budget and 16 percent are considering it. The survey said 35 percent of the companies...

We learned in 2000 that New Jersey's non profit arts community generates over $1.5 billion each year. That comes from direct spending by arts institutions on salary, products and services AND the indirect spending of patrons who attend arts events throughout the State. The average spending of patrons outside of the price of admission to an event is $25.94 per person. And we learned that the arts...

Lyceum Hall in Burlington City will be ArtPride NJ's new home by the end of this calendar year. In more than one way, it's an appropriate and fated move. Officially known as Herman T. Costello Lyceum Hall, it's a truly historic building constructed in 1839. It was given to the City of Burlington in 1851 and functioned as City Hall for 140 years. Lyceum Hall was renovated in 1910 and a rear...

The NJ State Budget is nearing completion. After much debate it was passed yesterday and is awaiting Governor Corzine’s signature. Due to your extraordinary advocacy efforts, (like those of arts advocate extraordinaire, Maris Smith, of the NJ Theatre Alliance, pictured in the photo. Maris carried the message to countless theatre audience members of ALL ages), the FY09 budget contains the following...

Sunday, February 24, 2008 -- Leaders of New Jersey's theaters, museums, dance troupes and orchestras are bracing for cuts in state aid that will weaken their already unstable financial health. Gov. Jon Corzine has not released specific details of his budget plan, to be unveiled Tuesday in Trenton, but he has said it will include widespread and painful funding decreases in almost all areas. Any...

For 41 years, arts appropriations have been tied to the Garden State's up and down fiscal affairs. Next year, funding will increase by $2.8 million to $21.5 million. The funds will be distributed among 800 New Jersey arts groups. Last week, the New Jersey State Council of the Arts announced grants. The new funding plan includes increases for the Passaic County Cultural and Heritage Council...

Item: The Paper Mill Playhouse, one of the leading regional theaters in the country, $3 million in debt, threatens to close its doors unless it receives an 11th-hour transfusion of funds. Crisis temporarily averted. Item: The New Jersey Symphony, one of the best orchestras in the nation, also experiencing financial difficulties, considers selling rare and valuable musical instruments to stabilize...

Americans for the Arts is conducting a nationwide scan of the arts environment to help determine the best ways to advance the arts in America. Your voice and input are vital. Please take some time to complete the online survey no later than Friday, May 11 at http://www.AmericansForTheArts.org/go/artsurvey. Just as important, if possible, please send this email to your mailing lists. The more...

There were 19 of us in Washington DC for National Arts Advocacy Day on March 12-13. We spent Monday learning about the issues--from funding for the National Endowment on the Arts to tax law affecting artists and charitable contributions, to the reauthorization of NCLB or ESEA (No Child Left Behind aka the Elementary & Secondary Education Act). Monday night we heard Robert MacNeil deliver an...