If you haven't read this, you MUST! Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation President Chris Daggett delivered the commencement speech last week to the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. Considering the toxic tone of political discourse that is evident most everywhere lately, Chris talks about how the call to public service is a high calling, worthy of the best...

Thank you to all the arts advocates who contacted their legislators, and a special thanks to those who made the trip to Washington, D.C. with us last week. Your efforts made an impact on the continuing resolution for FY2011 funding. Though the final 2011 Budget Bill does not include the $167.5 million we requested for the National Endowment for the Arts, it is set at $155 million, which is well...

Last Thursday by 8 votes the House approved a $43 million cut to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) FY2011 budget. This decrease will mean a decrease in NEA grants to New Jersey of $440,340. This FY 2011 appropriations package will be presented to the Senate shortly, so please take two minutes to ask your Senator to vote against cuts to the NEA budget. Send a message directly to both your...

Yes, it's a new year. There are bills to be paid, contracts to complete, but first the brain needs to be cleared out. A new year's resolution? Perhaps! On Sunday I attended a memorial service for a colleague whom I have know for nearly 30 years--hard to believe all by itself! Berda Rittenhouse was my "roomie," which is the way I've lately described her. First at 109 West State Street when the NJ...

There are 14 arts reps at the World Creativity Conference being held in Oklahoma City right now through Wednesday. Creative Oklahoma is leading the way with big minds sharing thoughts (Sir Ken Robinson, Daniel Pink, Andrew Zolli, David Pogue and more! We'll be sharing the blogging goin on from our colleagues...Here's the first entry from Bob Morrison. Follow #wcf2010 on Twitter! Why Creativity...

I recently received an email about a blog post titled “Why Don’t More Members of Gens X and Y Join Boards?” through the Americans for the Arts Emerging Arts Leaders Listserv (which is great, by the way. You should join.) The topic of under-35ers on nonprofit boards is one that has risen several times in my office and amongst our Emerging Arts Leaders group. Though I think a member of Generation X...

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...

The Star Ledger's editorial of December 13, 2009 entitled, "Starving N.J. arts: A sad consequence of our budget crisis" is a callous and ill-considered opinion piece that shamelessly panders to an angry public faced with an economic debacle that was decades in the making. Most notably, The Ledger fails to recognize that state funding for the arts comes not from income, sales or property taxes, but...

As most of you are aware the State funding freeze is a source of major concern for arts organizations (as well as many others.) For more information on the freeze and the effects it may have, please read Peggy McGlone’s article in the Star-Ledger, N.J. Arts Groups Fret as State Freezes $10M in Grants. We will follow up with further resources and information as we receive them. Your comments on...

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...