Member News and NASAA Resources

Jessica Ball Is New Director in Delaware

Jessica Ball has been appointed director of the Delaware Division of the Arts. Since 2018 she served as executive director of the Delaware Arts Alliance, where she oversaw all aspects of managing a statewide nonprofit organization and developed sectorwide strategies to advance arts and culture. Ball serves as the Delaware State Captain for Americans for the Arts’s State Arts Action Network and volunteers on the Delaware Fund for Women’s Young Founders Committee and the Delaware MillSummit Planning Committee. She holds dual master’s degrees in historic preservation and landscape architecture from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design and a bachelor of architecture degree from Florida International University. Ball succeeds Paul Weagraff, who stepped down in July.

Upcoming Creative Placemaking Webinar

NASAA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Community Planning Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program are offering a free webinar, Federal Resources, Creative Community Development and HUD’s Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program (scroll down the page to learn more), on on Thursday, December 9, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The webinar features NASAA’s Creative Placemaking Public Resources Guide, highlights how HUD’s Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program has enabled creative placemaking projects, and features the story of Crosstown Concourse in Memphis. This opportunity is open to all and will be especially useful for creative placemaking practitioners, economic and community development practitioners, and community-based arts organizations. Register and join us!

NASAA Welcomes New 2022 Board Chair and Directors

NASAA is pleased to announce the election of a new chair and three new members to our board of directors. As part of a rigorous national nomination process, state arts agencies elected these exemplary leaders at NASAA’s 2021 virtual Business Bash Celebration last month. As NASAA board chair, members elected former Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs Chair Omari Rush, and elected these new directors:

Alice Bioff, Council Member, Alaska State Council on the Arts
Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director, Massachusetts Cultural Council
Sue Gens, Executive Director, Minnesota State Arts Board

Learn more about the NASAA 2022 board of directors.

Halfway Down, Halfway to Go

Thanks to many early bird supporters, NASAA is more than halfway to our goal of raising $50,000 by December 31. Don’t miss this special chance to turn $50,000 into $100,000! From now until the end of the year, donations will be matched dollar for dollar up to $50,000, as part of our All In for the Arts matching gift campaign. Let’s keep this momentum going—show your support for the arts by giving today! Your gift will go twice as far to help NASAA and state arts agencies support our nation’s recovery, healing and resiliency through the arts. Thank you, thank you!

An Opportunity for Musicians in Your State

The American Music Abroad (AMA) program brings people together across the world through education, entertainment and the legacy of 70 years of musical diplomacy through the U.S. Department of State. AMA sends U.S. bands abroad to reach younger and underserved audiences in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Central and South America, and the Middle East. In 2022-2023, AMA will return to live touring and will select 10 bands to participate. Let the artists in your state know about this great opportunity. Band applications officially close on January 24, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.