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