Now That's What I Call Cultural Tourism!

Peter Murphy, one of New Jersey's best writer/teachers (and an ArtPride NJ member!) is hosting the 14th Annual Winter Getaway in Cape May in January (12-15), 2007. Here's the incredibly rare opportunity to work with the best writers in the country, take some other arts workshops (painting, songwriting and photography), and just GETAWAY from it all while you hear the surf pound the shore! Just what the doctor ordered after the hectic holiday season!

Check it all out at www.wintergetaway.com and you'll find the full schedule, bios on the faculty, and descriptions of the various workshops offered in poetry and prose.

This is Cultural Tourism at its best! The package can't be beat at The Grand Hotel--you even get to start the day with yoga and end it with dancing and music at one of Cape May's local eateries. Go for it!

American Boychoir & Paul McCartney--How Cool is That?

The American Boychoir will be featured in a concert performance at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, November 14 of Ecce Cor Meum, a full length classical work composed by Paul McCartney.

Ecce Cor Meum, or Behold My Heart, was released on September 25. McCartney was asked by the President of Magdalen College Oxford to compose something to set the seal on a new concert hall for the college. His hope was for "a choral piece which could be sung by children like Handel's Messiah." It is McCartney's fourth classical album since his first release in 1991.

The concert is being broadcast by WNYC-FM and will be streamed on their website. For more details on Ecce Cor Meum, visit its web site www.eccecormeum.com and congratulations to the American Boychoir!!

Discover Jersey Arts for the Holidays!

Don't miss the Discover Jersey Arts Holiday Fashion Show at the Jersey Gardens Mall at 3 pm on November 18! Dancers from the American Repertory Ballet, Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company and Roxey Ballet (all ArtPride members!!) will strut their stuff down the runway in the latest fall fashions, just in time for Christmas shopping!

CD 101.9 will be at the Mall starting at noon to give away free tickets and merchandise, and you'll have the chance to spin the Jersey Arts Prize wheel for free stuff, too!

Free Jersey Arts Holiday Guides will be available and coming soon is the Jersey Arts Gift Card available at participating arts groups and centers throughout New Jersey. Here's the perfect holiday gift--the recipient will be delighted to use the card to purchase tickets of choice at locations like Appel Farm Arts & Music Center, the Bickford Theatre in Morristown, George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, the NJ Performing Arts Center, and Dante Hall Theater of the Arts in Atlantic City.

For more information on the Holiday Fashion Show and the Jersey Arts Gift Card, go to www.jerseyarts.com ArtPride is proud to be a co-sponsor of the Discover Jersey Arts statewide arts marketing initiative.

The Best 38 Minutes You'll Spend!

Of course no one has time. Nevermind time to sit in front of your computer and watch a video on creativity.

HOWEVER, if you're sitting at your desk and eating lunch, this video will aid your digestion. Listen (if you can't watch) to Sir Ken Robinson speak at the National Governor's Association Conference last week. He speaks passionately, eloquently, humorously, and engagingly about the need to nurture creativity, not only in education (and through education), but as vital to the future of American culture and the economy. Something we must nurture in NJ legislators!!

Here's the link (copy and paste it into your browser) and scroll down the page to August 7.
http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.6c9a8a9ebc6ae07eee28aca9501010a0/?vgnextoid=365dab5b42f5c010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=530f749a71302010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD

I guarantee it's the best 38 minutes you'll spend on the computer this summer. Thanks to Bob Morrison at the Music for All Foundation for posting it in his Music for All News today!

A Girl's Gotta Do What A Girl's Gotta Do!

Cultural tourism? How about spa and an afternoon at the theater? How about yoga, green tea and a show at George Street Playhouse?

GSP has got it down, girlfriends! From the Diva's Deluxe Retreat to Zen Friends to La Dolce Vita to redhatchat...some extremely creative theater packages that cater to the ladies and a special treat to zap the stress out of your life...for an afternoon or evening at least!

Check out georgestplayhouse.org and click on packages for all the details. Diva's Deluxe Retreat takes you to the East Brunswick Hilton's Boca Salon & Spa for a facial, massage, or manicure/pedicure and a shuttle directly to the theater with overnight accommodations back at the Hilton and breakfast the next morning!!!

Zen Friends starts with an afternoon yoga session with green tea or a smoothie at Port City Java afterwards and a 2 pm matinee performance. La Dolce Vita takes you to Catherine Lombardi Italian Restaurant right before the GSP show and redhatchat caters to chapters of the Red Hat Society with post-show dessert and coffee and guest speakers from the artistic team of the theater.

Go for it! I dare you!!!

So What Difference DOES $3.586 mil Less Mean to NJ Arts?

Well it was interesting reality on Tuesday at the NJSCA annual meeting. The Council celebrated its 40th anniversary and it was very clear that it's come a long way since its infancy when only a few grants were awarded and it was just getting its feet wet as a grantmaker.

Here we are 40 years later and after one year with a record $22.86 million to give to non-profit arts groups, political reality has taken hold, and the funding level is back to $19.112 million for what year? 2007??!! Shades of a few other administrations...like 1990 when funding was $19.060...and 2000 when it was $19.369 million. See if you can guess who the chief executives were for those budget years! And remember the old slogan of "20 by 2000??" Makes you wonder what "dedicated revenue" really means, doesn't it?

All cynicism and sarcasm aside, it's time to move ahead and I don't want to see $19 million or less again...EVER!!! Are you with me???

Shop for NJ ARTS!!!

Ok all you shoppers out there! Here's your chance to discount shop at Macy*s on September 16, enter a great raffle and support the ArtPRIDE NJ Foundation all at the same time!

We've constructed a store to make it easy for you at www.artpridenjstore.com/store/store.php

For $5.00 you can participate in this ArtPRIDE fundraiser which will happen in Macy*s stores throughout New Jersey. If you can't shop on September 16, a pre-sale is possible 10 days prior to the sale day. Use your credit card to shop and your merchandise will be charged the sale price on the day of sale and will be ready for you to pick up any day after 9/16.

So treat your family and friends and support ArtPRIDE and its efforts to increase awareness of how important the arts are to New Jersey's quality of life! If you don't want to use PayPal, call ArtPRIDE at 609-443-3582 or email us at www.artpridenj.com and we'll reserve your tickets!

It's Deja Vu All Over Again!

We worked hard. We played by the rules. We got burned again.

Three years ago we had everyone from John Amos to leading Assemblymen and Senators standing on the steps of the NJ State House to "Save NJ Arts." We came out of the battle with a dedicated revenue source from a newly legislated hotel/motel occupancy fee. We became the poster child for how to effectively activate a grassroots advocacy campaign. Here we are three years later and the NJ State Council on the Arts budget is cut by $3.568 million and the dedicated revenue source doesn't look so dedicated anymore. Let's not even talk about the NJ Cultural Trust (more on that in another blog).

What happened? There are as many explanations or excuses as one can find or imagine. Some bottom lines have to do with a state in a fiscal crisis that failed to deal with it in a legitimate way three years ago--now having to "pay the piper" while other states are claiming record budget surpluses. The typical case of "smoke and mirrors" catching up to you. How New Jersey??

So we all have to suffer, some more than others--look at Rutgers! Outsiders look at the arts and say, hey you're still better off than you were three years ago, so quityer complainin'! But those on the inside, running the non-profit arts groups know they are just getting by and any major upset to the funding ecology wreaks havoc, particularly from one of the sole sources of operating support in the state.

We'll be at it again next year, starting now, and the rally cry feels like "We're not gonna take it anymore!" At least for now...stay tuned!

GPCA Advocate Insider Interview with Ben Cameron

Wise Words from a Wise Man--Ben Cameron is former Executive Director of Theatre Communications Group and will soon join the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation as Program Director for the Arts (thank the Lord!).

Reprinted with permission from the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance newsletter, The Arts & Culture Advocate. For more information on the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, visit www.philaculture.org.

Q: You often hear several lines of thoughts in arts advocacy efforts. People talk about the economic impact of the arts, the importance of arts education, and the intrinsic value of what we do. What is the most compelling argument?

A: At root, advocacy is the ability to speak to where your audience is listening from. Rather than entering a funding meeting with a pre-established agenda, we have found great benefit in listening, in tailoring any request to the listener's interests. In the political arena, for example, certain congresspeople will respond to theatre's role in education. Other congresspeople will be interested in our role in economic development. For yet others, it will be our role in promoting social tolerance that will be most compelling. But the idea that there is a magic bullet or a single argument that will carry the day is, I'm afraid, a thing of the past. Advocacy arguments need to be conceived individually and more specifically.

Additionally, I think we need to be better storytellers. I am always struck at the prominence of story in the great political conventions. In presenting an issue, a speaker will often lead with specific, concrete data, e.g., X percentage of the population on welfare transition into full time jobs wehn they spend Y percent of their time in job training programs. But after making these statistical arguments, they'll put a human face on it. "Betty Smith was a mother on welfare and is now a successful businesswoman" and up she stands in the gallery! Politicians are experts at combining the quantifiable with the anecdotal. In the arts, we have often separated these arguments, rather than combining them. Learning for politicians and their successes can benefit us.

We also need to enlist our boards as advocates. Especially in a time of real controversy, it is too easy for the artists' voice to be dismissed as too self interested to be heard. It is in moments of controversy that bank presidents, real estate agents, and stay-at-home mothers will be heard by their own legislators and representatives with a power that the artists can't have. We must enlist larger public participation, and our own boards are a logical and easy place to start.

Grow That Revenue Source! Move That Bus!

Sounds sort of like "Move That Bus!"

The ArtPRIDE NJ Foundation is presenting a workshop for cultural groups on May 22 from 10 am - 2 pm at Thomas Edison State College on "Positioning & Packaging Cultural Experiences for Travel & Tourism." The presenter is Joe Veneto, The Opportunity Guy, who comes with a wealth of information and insight into the tourism industry. Joe recently presented workshops at the NJ Governor's Tourism Conference and last fall did two highly successful seminars for ArtPRIDE to introduce cultural groups to the tourism industry. This is a chance to get "down and dirty" and start building cultural tourism packages with tourism industry providers like restaurants, accommodations, group tour operators and receptors.

The goal of this and the previous workshops is two-fold. First, arts, history and tourism groups need to work together so the dedicated revenue source (the hotel/motel occupancy fee) that feeds their state budgets GROWS. The law allows percentages of revenue from this source to fuel these industries once it passes $100 million. We're somewhere in the vicinity of $80 million at the moment (someone correct me if I'm wrong...) in revenue. The arts get $22.68 million (this year $20.68 as proposed by Gov. Corzine), history receives $3,840,000 ($3,456,000 as proposed by Gov. Corzine for FY07), the NJ Cultural Trust $720,000 and the tourism industry $12,760,000 (no cut proposed by Gov. Corzine). Hotels are springing up everywhere in New Jersey. Municipalities are getting their share--we need to make sure our share not only stays there but gets larger. "Move that bus!!"

The other goal driving these workshops, collectively called "Cultural Tourism--The Right Direction!" is the need for cultural groups to learn that they really CAN tap into the tourism market with the appropriate technical assistance. The non-profit arts (and historic sites) industry counts on cultural tourism to build audiences, so tourism should be part of a marketing strategy no matter the size of the cultural group.

The Opportunity Guy will use this workshop to help cultural groups strategize and position themselves for the tourism market. I guarantee positive results!! Space is limited but still available (as of May 4), so click on www.artpridenj.com and the Cultural Tourism logo for more info!!

NJ Arts After School

The ArtPRIDE NJ Foundation, in partnership with the NJ State Council on the Arts, circulated an online survey in March 2006 to arts groups throughout the state to better understand the extent of arts involvement in after school programs.

A total of 111 arts groups, of varying sizes and representing all 21 counties, responded to the survey. Of these responses, 67% said they were involved in after school programs and reported a total of 1,260 programs serving 35,769 children.

This is just a snapshot from the perspective of arts groups--imagine what the total involvement is!!! We are now learning that there is no comprehensive overview of what happens throughout our state after school. The NJ Department of Education is currently working on the concept of an "After School Network" that is directly tied to Governor Corzine's interest in this policy issue.

In the meantime, the ArtPRIDE NJ Foundation and the NJSCA are working together to see how we can increase information sharing about existing opportunties for arts groups to tap into funds through programs like NJ After 3 and the 21st Century Learning Centers Project (federal funds) and increase the involvement of arts groups in after school learning either as providers or partners. The NJ Arts Education Census Project will provide additional data from the school perspective to help clarify the snapshot of the current landscape.

In the meantime, if you'd like to view the results and analysis of ArtPRIDE's online survey, go to www.artpridenj.com and mouse over "Publications" and click on NJ Arts After School.

Try It, You'll LIKE it!!

Yesterday was National Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, DC and about 20 New Jerseyans joined over 300 other arts advocates to learn more about pending legislation regarding the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Arts Education funding in the Department of Education, and tax law that affect artists donating art and charitable giving to the arts.

It's a lot to take in. How did the NEA get that $5 million increase last year, and why wasn't it a full $5 million by the time all the money was counted? Why can't artists donate artwork to museums while they are alive and take a tax deduction for the full market value of their work? And how does that affect museum acquisitions?

Why is it that the President has NOT included arts education funding in the Department of Education budget and it takes the Senate (not the House) to get the money included back in the budget?

All of these questions and more are answered in great detail by Americans for the Arts staffers and experts in the field. Training is provided and bill numbers get memorized (for the most part) before arts lobbyists are set free to walk the walk up and down Capitol Hill along with those in white coats, those in wheelchairs, and Moms pushing strollers down halls lined with photos of our servicemen who have lost their lives in the ongoing war in Iraq.

If you've never participated, it's really worth the experience. It's a real leap of faith to explain your issue to someone (legislative aide) who may be half your age (or younger!) and trust that the information really gets to your congressional representative--their boss! And it reminds you of the diligence and tenacity of youth--these young people work their you know what off, and gain great skill in not only listening but handling themselves in front of people who may or may not be diplomatic while expressing a dissenting viewpoint.

Our NJ group was terrific and eager to share stories about their individual arts groups. While the NEA budget may take decades to return to where federal funding should be, members of our group can look fondly back on days like yesterday where they made a difference by telling our elected officials that the arts really DO matter not only to them, but to everyone touched by the services and experiences that they provide everyday.

Self Portraits Chronicle Alzheimer's Ravages

Today's Star Ledger featured an absolutely fascinating Associated Press story on Page 3 about a Philadelphia artist, William Utermohlen, who has documented the progression of his Alzheimer's Disease by self portraits over time.

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia is featuring an exhibit of Mr. Utermohlen's work from the time he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 1995 to his last attempt in 1999-2000. This exhibit of more than a dozen portraits commemorate the artist's life and the centenary of the discovery of the disease.

The artist is still alive in a London nursing home but has lost his ability to communicate. The artist knew in his later works that his renderings became spatially inaccurate, but he did not know how to fix them. Researchers are finding this work valuable not only to help understand how different parts of the brain are usied in creating art. It is also valuable to understand that the artist still had the desire to create as the disease progressed, despite the loss of skills.

For more information, here is the link to the article. The Star Ledger story includes 2 photos.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-5/114197369449770.xml&coll=1

Eathon G. Hall, Jr. - 1965 - 2006

It is with deep sorrow that we must inform you of the passing of Eathon G. Hall, Jr., who died in a tragic accident on Friday, February 17, while on vacation in Brasil. Eathon returned to Newark last year as Program Director of Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art (from March 1996 through January 1999, he was Assistant Director of Education at the Newark Museum) following his tenure at the Bronx Museum of Art where he served as Curator of Education for five years.

On Thursday night, February 16, at a V.I.P. reception on the occasion of Aljira’s most recent installations—Sudan: The Land and The People; Children of Darfur: Gen Genocide; and Khalid Kodi—Eathon was publicly recognized by Aljira’s Board Chair Charles Russell and Executive Director Victor L. Davson for his innovation and for the engaging experiences in visual culture that were under his development at Aljira. Future collaborations he intitiated include Mexican Vogue with the Newark Museum, Planet Hip Hop with New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and Do You Think I’m Disco?/B-Side with Longwood Arts Project.His passing is a great loss to Aljira and to the larger cultural community, and we will all miss his spirit, commitment and leadership.

A memorial service for Eathon Hall will be held on Monday, February 27, 11 a.m. at the Macedonia Baptist Church in Harlem. It is located at 452 W. 147 St. between Convent and Amsterdam. Phone: 212 283-7973. Further information about the interment and reception will be available at the church.

A MUST Read

A great piece on why we MUST advocate for the arts, by ArtPRIDE board member and Music for All Foundation CEO, Bob Morrison in The Fractured Atlas Newsletter--http://www.fracturedatlas.com

If We Don't, Who Will? by Robert Morrison in Winter 2005: The Advocacy Issue
Advocate, noun, from Latin advocatus, advocare - to summon or to call.(1) one that pleads the cause of another especially before a court.(2) one that argues for, recommends, or supports a cause or policy...

www.artsmanager.org by Kennedy Center

THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS LAUNCHES ONLINE ARTS MANAGER
www.kennedy-center.org/education/news_archive.cfm#story70The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has announced the launch of www.artsmanager.org. It's a free valuable online resource for current and future arts managers, boards, and students. It provides proven solutions to management challenges faced by many of today's nonprofit arts organizations.

You'll find some case studies here along with a job bank for arts managers and board members. It's brand new so it's a little sparse yet, but should prove to be a valuable tool as it develops.

Inside Higher Ed - Great Arts Advocacy Piece

Arts Journal picked up a great article last week in "Inside Higher Ed." It speaks to increasing enrollments in creative and performing arts courses at higher educational institutions. According to College Board data...there was a 44% increase from 1996 to 2005 in the number of high school seniors who say they plan to major in visual and performing arts. For business and commerce majors, the gain was much less modest at 12%, whicle the percentage who plan to major in social sciences and history has decreased by 15%.

It goes on to talk about how colleges and universities are dealing with increased demand for the arts and quotes Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman and Geoffrey Newman, Dean of Montclair State University's School of the Arts.

A great advocacy piece with President Tilghman calling for increased government support for the arts to "sustain a creative overall culture."

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/02/03/arts