At the Crossroads of the Rustbelt and the Artist Belt In the second week of April, when St. Louis was blooming with an early spring, 292 people came for Rustbelt to Artist Belt: At the Crossroads—an arts-based community development convening—to be part of the discussion about the arts and social change. This conference combined the [...]

Alec Baldwin: “When I saw ‘West Side Story,’ I wanted to dance like them…in a gang” Here is another portion of the Nancy Hanks Lecture given by Alec Baldwin on April 16 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. This time he addresses the evolution of his appreciation for dance: Thanks again to our friends [...]

Corporate Giving to the Arts: Making the Strategic Connection (from The pARTnership Movement) Though it may seem counterintuitive the first time you hear it, grantmakers and philanthropists will tell you the same thing: giving money away is hard work. Or more precisely, the hard work is allocating funds thoughtfully and with seriousness about making a [...]

Achievement Gap Exposed in New Arts Education Report (An EALS Post) Two major arts education studies were released this past week, the FRSS 10-year comparison and the Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth, a 12-year longitudinal study. When these studies are married, their effectiveness as a tool for advocacy becomes undeniably clear. While the FRSS [...]

Tossing Small Stones to Change an Entire Landscape Change starts small, right? We have seen time and again that small pockets of people, when seized with an idea, can come together and with the right leadership, momentum, and tools can affect change. Change often starts with one person and a vision. If we want to [...]