The Partner Blog

"Study Proves the Arts Mean Business!"
By Nancy Glaze, Executive Director | June 11, 2012

Establishing the value of arts and culture within the framework of its economic impact on a specific community or region is not always an easy task – particularly when communicating that value to those outside of arts and culture circles. Business and government leaders in Silicon Valley and beyond typically “get” that the arts help fuel creativity, beautify the cities they do business in or represent, and generally improve the quality of life. We’ve done a good job in getting that message out! However, when these leaders are approached to fund and invest in arts and culture what they want to know is how this will attract and retain a skilled and innovative workforce – and contribute to community and economic vitality. Core to our mission is helping tell that story. For the last year the Arts Council, in partnership with the City of San Jose, Office of Cultural Affairs, has worked diligently with arts and culture organizations throughout the County to gather data for our participation in American for the Arts’ Arts & Economic Prosperity IV national economic impact study, a comprehensive study that underscores the economic impact and value of the arts. We are glad to announce the results as this study provides compelling new evidence that nonprofit arts and culture are a $167.4 million industry in Santa Clara County – one that generates 4,224 full-time equivalent jobs. The $167.4 million total includes close to $105 million in spending by arts and culture organizations and $61.9 million in event-related spending by arts and culture audiences.

This study solidly confirms that the arts not only bind the social fabric of our communities, but are also integral to driving local economic growth. We would like to thank the many arts anchor organizations throughout Santa Clara County who participated in the study and helped us gather the data to tell this important story. In the months ahead we look forward to sharing more details of the study and how the arts mean business in Silicon Valley. Stay tuned…

"New Tool for Arts Education Supports Critical Need"
By Nancy Glaze, Executive Director | May 10, 2012

As evidence mounts about the value of arts education to all - especially for young people - and as support for these important programs continues to decline, we will respond by creating an online arts education directory that will be a tool to connect schools, families and individuals with the rich and diverse mix of arts we are fortunate to have in our community. Using our own technology, the Artsopolis.com software platform, the directory will help meet the growing demand for arts educational programming in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Teachers, after-school care providers, and others looking for educational programming or professional development will be able to search the directory by provider, subject, discipline, grade level, program type, or keyword and easily access photos, videos, and curriculum materials.

We are very excited about this new tool and envision that it will reveal the rich and diverse mix of arts activities in the area and connect arts providers with local youth. We also expect that organizations will have opportunities to increase their earned income stream, expand their reach to a previously untapped audience, and potentially engage with donors who are interested in supporting arts education. Because of the robust and scalable platform the directory will be built on, we further expect that the directory can be used in ways we have not yet discovered. We look forward to actively engaging and working with our current partners to discover and implement them. Stay tuned…

"Emerging Leaders for Changing Times"
By Nancy Glaze, Executive Director | April 12, 2012

The Arts Council’s new strategic direction is about addressing our changing environment including funding, demographics, economics and leadership. Along the lines of leadership we must be very tuned in to the generational changes occurring here and across the country. This provides an enormous opportunity for us to look at the transformations during the tenure of the baby boomer generation and, more importantly, for innovation and increased effectiveness. We need to provide new opportunities for younger and emerging leaders to advance to leadership positions for the arts. I’m happy to announce that 1stAct Silicon Valley has transitioned oversight of the emerging leaders program, genARTS Silicon Valley, to the Arts Council and we are excited to build upon this foundation. Focused on preparing emerging arts professionals to be the next generation of arts and culture leaders in Silicon Valley, genARTS provides professional development and networking opportunities. The Arts Council is looking forward to supporting what promises to be an exciting set of goals and initiatives. Be sure to connect with genARTS via Facebook and Twitter and stay tuned to many new developments offered through this program in the coming year.

"Make a Resolution for the Arts"
By Nancy Glaze, Executive Director | January 19, 2012

Happy 2012 to all! I love the start of a New Year and making resolutions. I’m all about new beginnings! Here’s my top three…

Resolution #1 is to attend more arts events. It’s the fuel that keeps me excited about the work I do. I’m reminded to keep this resolution every time I see a new LiveSV.com “Discover the Unexpected” ad on a bus or train or on a billboard on my way to work. How exciting for the Arts Council to be part of this campaign!

Resolution #2 is to engage more with social media. My communications team often reminds me of my important role in growing our social media presence. So, I plan on telling ALL my friends about our campaign to Like Us on Facebook and enter our sweepstakes to win two tickets to see Cirque du Soleil’s TOTEM – doesn’t that also tie in to attending more arts events in 2012?!

Resolution #3 now seriously… help the Arts Council forge new paths in arts philanthropy and address the increasing gap in nurturing and supporting our artists and arts organizations. As with all new ventures, forging new paths does not always feel comfortable or easy. Like any good New Year’s resolution, this means we will need to push the boundaries of what is possible and continuously test our resolve and commitment to change.

"LiveSV.com Goes Live!"
By Nancy Glaze, Executive Director | December 1, 2011

 For the last 18 months we have been working diligently with 1stACT Silicon Valley to create LiveSV.com, a dynamic new website platform and online community. LiveSV.com was designed to help the public discover, experience and share what’s new and unique in the Silicon Valley arts, culture and entertainment scene. As of today, LiveSV.com replaces the Arts Council’s local Artsoplis.com website. We believe that LiveSV.com is a perfect example of technology, creativity and community coming together to help power a vibrant arts and culture network in Silicon Valley. LiveSV.com will also serve as the engagement platform for the arts visibility initiative, “Discover the Unexpected,” that expands on what makes arts and culture unique and special in Silicon Valley. Starting December 5, the Discover the Unexpected media campaign will be launched to celebrate and reveal the many exciting and often unexpected arts, culture and entertainment experiences in our community. The launch of LiveSV.com underscores the Arts Council’s commitment to not only promote the amazing range of arts and entertainment opportunities offered in this region, but to provide an innovative community framework for audiences to engage and participate. We’re so excited to share this with all of you!

"When Arts and Technology Collide"
By Nancy Glaze, Executive Director | October 13, 2011

The Grantmakers in the Arts (GIA) Conference was held this month in San Francisco. The conference brings together funders from across the nation that represent all sides of philanthropy including private foundations, corporations, art councils and government. I was excited to participate in the planning team for a one day arts and technology pre-conference held in San Jose (the day before the kick-off of the San Francisco activities). The intent of the pre-conference was to provide a snapshot of a variety of projects here and across the nation that use technology in some way to support the arts in new and clever ways. Among the highlights was Silicon Valley-based artist, Chris Eckert, who presented "Gimme", a sculpture that tracks gallery visitors and cajoles donations, as well as Scott Sona Snibbe, an interactive media artist who uses digital technology in his work. 

A number of presentations focused on how to create immediate linkages between artist projects, nonprofits and individual donors. I was very excited by what I learned. The Arts Council is actively exploring ways in which we can incorporate these new tools and technologies in what we’re doing to support the arts and culture in Silicon Valley. To truly build a culture of arts philanthropy we want to take advantage of all tools that will help us achieve this goal.

Pictured: Scuplture by Chris Eckert.  "Gimme"

"The Arts Mean Business"
By Nancy Glaze, Executive Director | September 15, 2011

Our primary focus is to create an environment in Silicon Valley where artists as well as arts and cultural organizations can flourish. We need to highlight and communicate the value of the arts to policy makers and business leaders who often influence how funding is allocated. Creating a culture of arts philanthropy means that we tell the entire story regarding the impact of the arts not only from its intrinsic value, but from the impact the arts have on our communities. Our credibility hinges on providing strong and reliable data that not only underscores the many impacts the arts have on us personally, but the economic benefits the arts have on our society.

Once again the Arts Council is leading Santa Clara County’s participation in the Arts & Economic Prosperity Study, a national research study conducted by Americans for the Arts, a national organization based in New York and Washington D.C. In partnership with the City of San Jose, Office of Cultural Affairs, the study will evaluate the economic impact of spending by the nation's nonprofit arts and culture organizations and the event-related spending of their audiences during fiscal year 2010. It will also document the key role played by the nonprofit arts industry in strengthening local economies.

We are actively collecting data for the study and look forward to sharing the results when they are made available in June 2012.

"New Program, New Processes, New Opportunities"
By Nancy Glaze, Executive Director | August 18, 2011

The most important work that the Arts Council does is providing direct support to arts and culture organizations and individual artists through grants and other resources. For years the Arts Council has been a trusted partner with foundations, corporations and government, to aggregate funding and responsibly distribute these precious resources so vital to our cultural life. We take our role as financial stewards for the arts very seriously. From our unique vantage point we can better spot trends and opportunities that inform our work and each year we examine and retool programs and services accordingly.

As part of our new core focus to better support the arts we are excited to launch our new Artist Laureate Program that was created from the foundation of the Artist Fellowship program. In addition to rewarding mid-career artists, we are delighted to now recognize and support emerging artists who are just beginning to make their marks professionally. And, we owe so much to the artists who have spent their professional lives here that we created the Arts Legacy prize for lifetime achievement that will be awarded to one artist each year.

Our grantees will be glad to know that we have taken to heart your feedback on our granting processes and have significantly streamlined the application process for ALL of our granting programs. We welcome your comments on how we are doing.
 

"All in A Day’s Work…"
By Audrey Wong, Grants Program Manager, ACSV | July 12, 2011

Recently I attended my husband's Baseball & BBQ business mixer at the San Jose Giants ballpark. Even when I'm not able to "talk shop," it's easy to engage in friendly chit-chat with a bunch of strangers, especially when my nametag lists "Arts Council Silicon Valley."

As Grants Program Manager, I read up to 250 applications each year, so I’m pretty familiar with the local art scene. Folks like to talk about art and artists, and they're interested – in many cases surprised – to find out that we award about 125 grants each year through our six granting programs.

Then comes the inevitable comment "What a neat job - it must be fun!"

Well, "fun" is not quite the adjective I'd use to describe my job, which is a tricky mix of public information officer, ombudsman, event coordinator, trainer, data manager, and scutwork queen. It's a year-round juggling act.

The cycle starts in July with program review and guidelines revision, followed by posting of said guidelines and workshop preparation in August, and the presentation of informational workshops in September. With so many grant programs, we have 8 application deadlines from September thru April, with review panel meetings a month or so after each deadline. Every grant program requires intake processing, preparation of review materials, panel session, notification letters, contracts, payments, and reports – with concomitant data entry for every step. Layered on top are capacity-building workshops and site visits.

After ACSV's Board of Trustees approves our core grant awards in May, we have all of June to gather data for our combined end-year report and to clear the decks for the new grant year.

Towards the end of June, I can look over the comprehensive roster of our grantees, applicants, workshop attendees, training consultants, and review panelists. I am impressed, awestruck, and deeply moved by the talent, creativity, energy, dedication, and passion of our arts providers and supporters.

I've been working in non-profit arts administration for over 30 years – and not for the "fun." It is hard work, but work that is gratifying, humbling, inspiring, and rejuvenating. It makes me feel very lucky and very proud to be a part of this community.

"A Vital Arts Community"
By Nancy Glaze, Interim Executive Director | June 15, 2011

Happy Summer! I leave for sunny San Diego this week for the annual Americans for the Arts convention where hundreds of arts leaders from across the country will strive to answer the perpetual question of…what we can do today to make the arts more vital in our communities. Obviously this is not a new question, but one that we must answer in the constantly shifting arts landscape. As I mentioned previously, the Arts Council will begin implementing its new strategic direction next month. Getting to this point has required not only looking at the “landscape” but considerable organizational focus, openness and introspection.

In terms of making the arts more vital in OUR community, what exactly have we been looking at? If I was asked this question by an arts colleague at the convention I would say that we have recognized - as an organization - the need for greater flexibility, nimbleness, and relevance as we serve our arts community. And, we needed to better align our strategic goals with those of funders and patrons. We recognize their desire to deepen and expand our partnership with them and provide a dynamic platform where they can engage more effectively and contribute to the vitality of the arts in Silicon Valley.

To get to this point has been an often challenging 18 month process and it is gratifying for our staff and board - who are so committed to this community - to now be at a point of implementation. I would like to take the opportunity to sincerely thank them ALL for their hard work and heartfelt dedication. For now, I’m off to San Diego and hope to gather more ideas and new knowledge to fuel our work. For more information on the Americans for the Arts annual convention click here.