Tag Archives: arts advocacy

Outrage is Easy; Strategy is Hard

Posted on March 6, 2017 by lindaessig

“Outrage is easy; strategy is hard. Outrage provides necessary motivation. But only strategy can deliver victory,” writes Tony Blair in a recent Op-Ed in the New York Times. I wasn’t a particular fan of Blair when he was Prime Minister … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts policy, Culture and democracy, Personal infrastructure | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Enough Already!

Posted on July 23, 2013 by lindaessig

I got one of those emails today in my personal inbox – one of those emails with bad news about arts funding.  The subject line read “House Subcommittee cuts NEA by 49%.”  The political posturing over what amounts to less … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts funding, Arts policy, Culture and democracy | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Culture of Possibility

Posted on June 3, 2013 by lindaessig

I am an optimist.  Not a “glass is half full” kind of optimist, but a “glass is always 100% full” optimist (see illustration for an explanation). It’s all in the way you look at the glass. Arlene Goldbard is an … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts funding, Arts policy, Culture and democracy | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

An Alphabet of Culture and Community

Posted on April 15, 2013 by lindaessig

As part of the third biennial Pave symposium: Entrepreneurship, the Arts, and Creative Placemaking held April 12-13, the Phoenix chapter of Emerging Arts Leaders facilitated a workshop on connecting arts to communities in the Phoenix metro area (or “The Valley” … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts education, Arts entrepreneurship, arts infrastructure, Arts policy, Culture and democracy, Higher education | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

From Reformation to Aggregation

Posted on March 14, 2013 by lindaessig

Two years ago, when Ben Cameron of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation delivered the keynote address at the Second Biennial Pave Symposium on Entrepreneurship and the Arts, and in his Ted talk of 2010, he spoke of the arts being … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts entrepreneurship, Arts funding, Culture and democracy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Michelle Obama’s Bully Pulpit

Posted on February 25, 2013 by lindaessig

“every day through engagement in the arts, our children learn to open their imaginations to dream just a little bigger and to strive every day to reach those dreams.” The numbers aren’t in yet, but it is estimated that a … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts education, Arts funding, Culture and democracy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Diversity, Equality, Bus Lanes, and Arts

Posted on February 19, 2013 by lindaessig

I had the opportunity to hear urban theorist and former mayor of Bogotá Enrique Peñalosa speak this week about his vision for more sustainable and egalitarian cities.  He is a public transportation and urban greenspace evangelist.  One of the basic … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts funding, arts infrastructure, Culture and democracy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Catch 23 in Kansas

Posted on February 1, 2013 by lindaessig

Wichita Public Radio did a story this week* about the before-and-after effects of the decimation and then partial restoration of the Kansas Arts Commission, now the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission.  The change is not just rhetorical.  The piece lists … Continue reading →

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Reading List in Progress

Posted on October 24, 2012 by lindaessig

Many thanks to those of you who responded here or via email to my query, “What to Read?” With just seven sessions, it is especially challenging to decide what to read in a short one-credit course focused on arts policy … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts education, Arts policy, Higher education, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s Not the Economy

Posted on June 20, 2012 by lindaessig

For years I’ve said that the economic impact argument doesn’t work for the arts and arts advocacy.  We keep making it, but it’s not working. A comment by John Shipley on Ian David Moss’s Createquity blog brought into clear focus … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts entrepreneurship, Arts funding, arts infrastructure, Arts policy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments