NASAA News and Current Information

Leadership Sessions for State Arts Agencies

State arts agency chairs, council members executive directors and deputies can develop their leadership abilities this September at NASAA’s 2019 Leadership Institute. Sessions designed specifically for this group focus on cultivating strategic partnerships, grant-making equity, mindfulness for leaders and more. Position-specific peer sessions are unique opportunities to meet with others from around the country who share your questions and challenges. And our host, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, has the arts-and-culture scene covered to inspire you! Please reserve your room and register (team discounts available!) so you can join us September 18-20 in Providence.

Why Not Now?

Not everyone understands the impact of state arts agencies, but you do. You know that state arts agencies help the arts THRIVE in local communities across your state. What you might not realize is how much state arts agencies rely on NASAA to do this vital work. When you support NASAA you help state arts agencies receive the credible research, effective advocacy, peer support and on-call assistance necessary to do their best work on behalf of the artists, individuals and communities they serve. Please give to NASAA today or make a lasting impact with a monthly gift. Thank you!

Arts in Health: Advocacy Messages

Americans for the Arts has published a paper that qualitatively explores Americans’ perceptions of the connections between arts and health. Promoting Appreciation for the Role of Arts in Health and Wellness in the Twin Cities is based on research undertaken by AFTA, Metris Arts Consulting and Topos that drew from more than 100 conversations with a diverse cross-section of individuals. The paper’s research was based on the hypothesis that communicating effectively about the health benefits of the arts may persuasively demonstrative the public value of funding the arts. The paper concludes with recommendations for communicating clearly about the value of the arts. It also includes a discussion of “messages that miss the mark.”

New State Fact Sheets from the NEA

In a new set of State Fact Sheets, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) demonstrates the many benefits that federal support for the arts brings to every state. The agency has created a separate fact sheet for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The sheets highlight how many grant dollars the NEA has awarded to every state as well as the reach of NEA programs like Blue Star Museums, Poetry Out Loud, Creative Forces, Shakespeare in American Communities and NEA Big Read. They also note the arts participation rates of state residents as well as the economic impact of the local arts and culture industry.

Measuring Public Value

Nesta, the U.K. based innovation foundation, has published a report proposing “better ways of mapping and measuring public value.” While the report addresses public value on a broad scale, it also has chapters devoted to specific subject areas, including arts and culture. Public Value: How Can It Be Measured, Managed and Grown? contains a review of the types of methods currently used to assess public value, such as cost-benefit analysis, and proposes new methods to better understand indirect benefits and intangible outcomes of programs and services.

Effects of the 2016 Festival of Pacific Arts in Guam

A new article in the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development summarizes research looking at the effects of the 2016 edition of the quadrennial Festival of Pacific Arts. Specifically, Cultural Festivals as Intergroup Settings: A Case Study of Pacific Islander Identification considers the impact of the 2016 festival, which was held in Guam, on the social identities of different Pacific Island groups. The paper was based on surveys and interviews with more than 140 festival performers.

New Creative Aging Advocacy Resource

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance has published a new creative aging advocacy brief that highlights some key facts about the country’s population of older adults as well as research evidence demonstrating the benefits of lifelong engagement with arts and culture. The short paper relates the national evidence to specific creative aging programs within Philadelphia. The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance produced the advocacy tool in partnership with AARP, the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly, the Philadelphia Mayor’s Commission on Aging, and the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging.

Torrie Allen to Join Arts Midwest as President and CEO

Arts Midwest announces the appointment of Torrie Allen as its next president and CEO, effective in August. Allen brings to the position more than 30 years’ experience in the performing arts, broadcast media and arts administration. He most recently served as the chief director of development at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, one of the country’s flagship theatre presenters, where he led a multimillion dollar capital campaign. Allen was chief officer of development and marketing at Alaska Public Media from 2012 to 2016 and executive and artistic director of Anchorage Opera from 2006 to 2012. Prior to joining Anchorage Opera, he was the director of the National Patrons Council at Americans for the Arts. Allen has served as a grants panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wallace Foundation. He currently serves on the board of National Arts Strategies as well as various arts and community advisory committees in New York City and southern Oregon. Prior to his career in nonprofit leadership, Allen spent a decade traveling the world as a professional concert and opera singer. He succeeds David Fraher, who has led the organization for more than 35 years and will step down in September 2019.