Securing private funding is more competitive than ever given this current recession. So, how do we make the case for supporting the arts and how do we maintain a vital relationship with the private sector in spite of the funding downturn? How do we define the relevance of the arts to business in the face of urgent and basic social needs?
Americans for the Arts is leading efforts to stimulate additional support from the three major areas of the private sector: businesses, foundations, and individuals. Our efforts include two interactive opportunities for the public to weigh in on the future of private sector support.
The first opportunity is the Green Paper: Private Sector Support for the Arts. This paper raises questions about the future of private sector support to prompt dialogue from the field. It's called a green paper because once drafted, it can and will be shifted and changed based on ongoing feedback from arts practitioners. This discourse will be fueled by Green Paper Ambassador Keely Saye, who will prompt conversation topics and synthesize feedback over the course of the year. CLICK HERE.
The second is a blog salon for the week of March 8 focusing on building awareness about why and how the private sector supports the arts. This salon event will appear on ARTSblog. A team of 20 select bloggers from the private sector and local arts agencies will include Diane Swonk, Chief Economist for Mesirow Financial; Gary Steuer, Chief Cultural Officer for the City of Philadelphia; Janet Brown, Executive Director, Grantmakers in the Arts; Colin Tweedy, Chief Executive, Arts & Business UK; Larry Thompson, President of Ringling College; Mark Brewer, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Central Florida, Inc. CLICK HERE.
Read the Green Paper for inspiration, and then jump into the blog salon beginning on Monday, March 8. Americans for the Arts are hoping that these discussions will be provocative and inspire some new thinking on the future of arts support.
For more from Private Sector Initiatives of Americans for the Arts, CLICK HERE.
