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Category Archives: Call for Artists

October Member Spotlight: Fundación Banco Popular

In 2022, after more than two decades of investing in this space, we launched a unique educational model that seeks to fill the gaps in the current educational offer in Puerto Rico through the integration and expansion of existing services; as well as the addition of new components adjusted to the needs of a global music industry in constant growth and technological transformation. 

The model consists of six phases of musical talent development: 1) Introduction to music, 2) Instrument specialization, 3) Performance, 4) Music instruments donation, 5) Preparation for university, and 6) Mini grants that support college education and the first steps on the students’ career path. It also integrates a curriculum focused on developing skills related to artistic technique, cultural context and historical context of music, musical entrepreneurship, and technology for the development of music.  

This model is implemented through our proprietary music education programs, such as Aceleración Musical (residential summer internship) and Revive la Música, and by  partner organizations that affect each phase: Make Music Happen, Asociación de Padres y Amigos de las Orquestas Secundarias y Superiores, Fundación Música y País, Taller Folklórico de la Montaña, Coro de Niños de San Juan, Corporación de las Artes Musicales, Programa de Música 100 x 35 (Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico). 

Learn more about Fundación Banco Popular.

You can also learn more about Fundación Banco Popular on the photo credits page.

Ask Your Members of Congress to Support the Charitable Act

United Philanthropy Forum encourages philanthropic sector advocates to support the Charitable Act, legislation that would implement a Universal Charitable Deduction (UCD).

On May 17th, Representatives Blake Moore (R-UT), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Michelle Steel (R-CA), and Chris Pappas (D-NH) introduced the Charitable Act in the House of Representatives. H.R. 3435 is a companion bill to Senate Bill 566.

The Charitable Act would restore the non-itemizer charitable deduction and raise the caps from $300 for individuals/$600 for joint filers to one-third of the standard deduction. In 2023, this change would allow taxpayers who don’t itemize to claim a deduction for charitable giving up to approximately $4,600 for individuals/$9,200 for joint filers, in addition to claiming the standard deduction itself. The deduction in the bill would be in effect for taxable years 2023 and 2024 and indexed for inflation. 

Charitable dollars are essential to maintaining a healthy civil society, vital to both nonprofit charities and local governments that depend on these resources to achieve their critical missions. The charitable deduction is good tax policy – a simple calculation shows that those in need receive at least $2.50 in benefit for every $1 of tax benefit. This is an impressive return on investment.

The Forum supports the Charitable Act and looks forward to working with you to urge Congress to enact this important legislation.

The art world and the Ukrainian conflict: counter-productive sanctions?

In the first weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, European leaders believed that their strategy of financial retaliation against Moscow would immediately bring the country to its knees. Russia’s banking system would collapse, taking with it the economy of the world’s largest country. For want of a better word, the European Union has considerably widened the sanctions, which now also affect the energy sector and private individuals. While this policy has not yet had all the desired effects in the political and economic spheres, it has in the fields of culture and art, making cooperation with Russia impossible.

In the early days of the war, Sergei Fofanov, curator at the Tretyakov Gallery, was optimistic. He told Le Monde (February 25, 2022): “Culture remains the first and last basis for discussion”, recalling that in 1956, at the height of the Cold War, a Picasso exhibition had been held in Moscow. The facts proved him wrong.

In Paris, the “Picasso and Russia” exhibition scheduled to open in September 2023 at the Musée du Luxembourg was quickly replaced by an exhibition on “Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso”. The Philharmonie de Paris has modified the programming for its 2022-2023 season, which initially included Russian guests such as conductor Valery Gergiev, pianist Denis Matsuev and the Bolshoi Orchestra. In Amsterdam, the Hermitage Museum has changed its name to the H’ART museum. This independent branch of St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum, housed in the Amstelhof, a 17the century building, opened in 2009 and presented two exhibitions a year based on the Russian institution’s collections. By changing its name, the H’ART museum has also ended more than twenty years of collaboration with one of the world’s most prestigious museums.

Faberge eggs, Impressionist paintings from the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and the State Hermitage Museum and other masterpieces were actively presented at exhibitions in London and Paris. Now it is impossible. European museums and collectors withdrew their exhibits from Russian exhibitions, both those already in operation and those planned. These are just a few examples out of many.

In an editorial in the Journal des Arts (March 2022, no. 584), Jean-Christophe Castelain, melancholically reflecting on the powerlessness of art in the face of war, rightly wrote: “Culture must be content with the aftermath. (…) The aftermath means not creating antagonism with Russian civil society by cutting off ties with it. All over Russia there are signs of disassociation among artists, intellectuals, scientists and cultural figures who reject this war”.

Among the latter are Roman Abramovich and his ex-wife Dasha Joukova, co-founders in 2008 of the contemporary art center Le Garage, which moved into a building in Gorki Park in 2015, renovated by Rem Koolhaas’ architects. As soon as the war broke out, Le Garage decided to suspend its programming, a decision consistent with its line of openness to Western creation. The institution’s press release announcing this decision, published on its website on February 26, 2022, was clear: “The Garage Museum of Contemporary Art team has decided to stop working on all its exhibitions until the political and human tragedy being played out in Ukraine has ceased.” Against this backdrop, the relevance of European and British sanctions against Roman Abramovitch is questionable. All the more so as the United States itself, which can hardly be suspected of indulgence, at Volodymyr Zelensky’s request, did not sanction the Russian businessman, believing that he could play a role in the peace negotiations (Wall Street Journal, March 23, 2022).

Also, the Director of the State Hermitage Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky, who was a member of the trustees of “Open Russia” (an organization opposing the Russian government), has been placed under Canadian sanctions, on the list of persons “who use their art (music, acting, cinema) to promote the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as persons in the sphere of Russian culture and education, including directors of museums, who are involved in the defacement or total destruction of cultural property on the territory of Ukraine”.

Another example is that of former senator Oleg Tkach, who in the 90s and early 00s, prior to his political activity, was engaged in the development of a major book publishing company. Before the end of his senatorial term in September 2022, he decided not to nominate himself for re-election, and devoted himself entirely to the development of book publishing – fiction, both classic and contemporary literature, as well as books for children. Such literature is now in demand by the Russian-speaking audience, some of whom have found themselves in difficult situations outside the country. However, he is also under the sanctions of the European Union and partner countries.

The Russian government is obviously responsible for the Ukrainian tragedy, but we must ask ourselves whether it is appropriate to turn one’s back completely on civil society. What effect do these examples, which the Kremlin’s propaganda never fails to highlight, have on Russian public opinion? Is there not a risk that they will weld the public around its leaders, rather than detach it from them? Similarly, what sense does it make to sanction businessmen or politicians who appreciate the West to the point of living there and who have clearly distanced themselves from the Kremlin? What influence can these “capitalists” who have “abandoned and despoiled Russia”, these “second-rate citizens, even if they have bought English titles of nobility”, these owners of “yachts and sumptuous villas” who prefer to “send their children to study abroad”, as he himself described them in his speech to the Nation on February 21, 2023, have on Vladimir Putin? Do they have his ear? It’s doubtful. While we wait for the war to come to an end, shouldn’t we be doing all we can to prepare for the “aftermath” by maintaining cultural links with civil society and welcoming these Russians of good will?

 

 

 

 

 

 

What We’re Reading: Why Democracy Donors Should Fund Drag Performers

“There shouldn’t be anything controversial about drag, a multidisciplinary art form that weaves together fashion, acting, song, and dance,” said Beatrice Thomas and Lane Harwell for the Chronicle of Philanthropy. “From the time of Shakespeare, when female roles were performed by men, to the vaudeville circuit and the Harlem Renaissance, drag has been a means of expression that cuts across history, cultures, and continents.”

But not only is it a mode of performance and a way to promote tolerance — it’s also a paycheck. As queer artists and leaders of programs that promote creative expression, we consider drag essential to who we are and central to the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and gender justice.

We envision a world where kids love themselves, support their peers, and stand up for what they believe in. That’s why drag performance should be shared with young people. Yet in August and September alone, protests erupted over drag story hours in communities from California — the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego — to Edinburgh, Scotland and Winnipeg, Canada.

That’s not coincidental — it’s strategic. The retaliation against drag artists is part of a broader, well-coordinated movement against LGBTQ+, Black, Indigenous, and people of color to regulate the conduct of everyone deemed abnormal. Drag is a lightning rod because it defies traditional norms.

Any philanthropic strategy to protect democracy should include funding for drag. Criminalizing one form of creative expression sets a harmful precedent that makes all art forms potentially vulnerable.

That’s why we’re not advocating for separate philanthropic programming to address drag. Since drag touches multiple issues, it should be included in existing programs in areas such as arts, culture, education, civic engagement, workers’ rights, and economic justice.

Read the full piece here.

New Research: Understanding Arts Service Organizations in a Changing Arts Ecosystem

From ADC Consulting: Primarily serving individual artists and artmaking entities, ASOs frequently provide the greatest benefits to the least resourced artists and groups through capacity building, networking, advocacy, grantmaking, arts education, and/or industry research.

The importance of this role became more pronounced during the pandemic, as ASOs became first responders to a crumbling arts economy and an avalanche of needs, the most pressing coming from individual arts workers who immediately lost work both inside and outside of the arts and were unable to pay for basic necessities.

A better understanding of their story, typology framework, service roster, support structure and ongoing evolution is necessary as the field recovers and transforms.

Learn more about their research here.

What We’re Reading: University of Michigan Alumni Difference Makers Celebrates GIA Board Chair Sharnita Johnson

From the University of Michigan Dearborn: Do you know UM-Dearborn alumni who are making a positive impact like these Alumni Difference Makers? Our alumni are “difference makers” who have continued the university’s legacy of leadership in their lives and careers through their contributions to the university and community. You are invited to join us in honoring deserving UM-Dearborn graduates at this year’s 2023 Alumni Difference Makers Awards ceremony during Homecoming week.

We are excited to uplift GIA Board Chair Sharnita Johnson on receiving the 2023 Graduate of the Last Decade Alumnus of the Year. 

View the full list of winners here.

ICYMI: Hewlett Foundation Welcomes Tom DeCaigny as a Program Officer in Performing Arts

From the Hewlett Foundation: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation announced that Tom DeCaigny will join the foundation as a Program Officer with the Performing Arts Program. Tom will manage a diverse portfolio of grants that support communities, artists, and youth throughout the Bay Area, with a particular focus on arts education policy and advocacy. He will start on January 9, 2024.

Tom brings more than 20 years of accomplished leadership in grantmaking, policy, and advocacy to his new role. Most recently, he served as the executive director of Create CA, a statewide organization that ensures every California student receives a quality arts education. Previously, he was executive director of the California Alliance for Arts Education, which merged with Create CA in 2021.

Learn more about his appointment here.

What We’re Listening To: Eleanor Savage on how artists create social change

“Minnesota is known for its lively arts and culture scene, but a strong arts culture doesn’t just happen by accident. It takes loyal audiences and organizations that support the arts,” Angela Davis and Maja Beckstrom for MPRNews. “One of the key funding organizations for artists in Minnesota is the Jerome Foundation, a private foundation that’s been around since the 1960s. Hundreds of Minnesota filmmakers, playwrights, choreographers, poets and other artists got a boost early in their career through a Jerome Foundation grant.”

“And while some other private foundations are pulling back from funding the arts, Jerome Foundation is doubling down in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic with support for new artists and the organizations that nurture them.”   

“MPR News host Angela Davis talks with the Jerome Foundation’s new CEO and president Eleanor Savage about what the foundation does and its new focus on equity.”

Listen to the full episode here.

 

 

 

New Grant: Social Impact Theatre

From The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation: Our investments are guided by the fundamental belief in the power of live theatre to spark dialogue, bring different viewpoints together on challenging subjects, and provide a lens to process the critical issues of contemporary society.  

Through our annual Social Impact Theatre Grant Program, we proudly recognize organizations that are intentional and innovative in engaging with their audiences around these issues, and are committed to reaching new audiences. We support theatres in Western states that are igniting positive changes in their communities through the programming they bring to life on stage. 

Learn more about the program here.

New Resource: Recommendations for Live Performance Pay & Professional Protections for Working Musicians

From Whippoorwill Arts: In 2020, we embarked on multi-phase research efforts with these guiding questions in mind: All with a focus on live performance – something no new technology will ever replace – also the main source of income and a fulfillment of deep desire for working musicians.

We tackled these questions working together with musicians from diverse backgrounds, music fans and presenters, arts/music funders, professional membership organizations, union organizers and activists, and scientists and researchers. Ours has been a broadly collaborative project incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion as means toward increased community support, a greater degree of dignity, and ultimately, a stronger sense of belonging.

This is Version 1.0 of the Guidelines, a living document that we will continue to revisit, workshop and revise with allies and community partners as needed over time. So we encourage you to share your feedback as well through this short survey. Whippoorwill Arts is available and eager to work with organizations one-on-one to plan ways to transform their practices and relationships with working musicians – so we all benefit.

You can access the full resource here.