In January, President Clinton requested a $150 million budget appropriation for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in FY2001 -- a $52 million dollar increase over the agency's current FY2000 budget of $97.6 million. the President also requested an increase for the NEH, from the current level of $115.3 million to $150 million, and an increase for the Office of Museum Services, (IMLS) from $24.3 million to $33.3 million.

The Post reports that the agency heads both emphasized that after five years of severely reduced budgets, many of the programs which Congress favors -- such as training for teachers in arts and humanities, access to culture for rural communities, and digital access for the arts -- are severely jeopardized.

"We have a dramatic inability to fund projects," the Post quotes NEH Chairman Ferris as saying.

The 36-percent funding reduction which the agency suffered in fiscal 1996 is still reverberating throughout the humanities community, he continued, according to the Post. "This has resulted in a serious decline in the availability of humanities programs for the American people and has eroded the humanities infrastructure the endowment worked hard to build over the last three and a half decades."

"We are topped out," the Post quotes NEA chairman Ivey as saying.

The NEA, a visible target for conservative critics in the late 1980s and '90s, had its budget reduced 40 percent in fiscal 1996. Although four years ago the Arts Endowment could grant about 34 percent of all applications; this year it will be just under 21 percent, an all-time low, Ivey said, according to the Post. The number of awards has increased, but the typical grant size has shrunk from $55,000 to $25,000.

Both chairmen also pointed out that the extra funds would support new programs, such as NEA's Challenge America and NEH's Rediscovering America. But the Post reports that Ferris warned future expansion should be built on a strong foundation, and that is endangered.

In testimony to the Subcommittee, available on the NEA website, Ivey also pointed to the Arts Endowment's five-year Strategic and Performance Plan, saying that preliminary data for fiscal year 1999 is very encouraging.

"From Alaska to Maine, from California to Florida, from Texas to Chicago," Ivey stated, NEA grants

• reached more than five million children through arts education and arts enrichment projects;
• increased access by supporting approximately 7,500 concerts, performances or readings;
• supported more than 200 exhibitions, fairs, and festivals; conserved, documented and preserved more than 3,000 works of arts, artifacts or collections;
• supported 940 classes, workshops and activities to enhance knowledge of and teach skills in the arts;
• supported more than 1,000 artist residencies, both during and after school; and supported the creation of more than 400 works of art.

According to the Post, the House Appropriations subcommittee, which is chaired by Rep. Ralph Regula, (R-OH) praised both agencies for their management and programs.

Sources/resources:

Jacqueline Trescott
"Arts Chiefs Warn Against More Cuts;
Adoption of $87 Million Increase Urged"
THE WASHINGTON POST-- http://www.washingtonpost.com
March 24, 2000

"Chairman Bill Ivey's Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Interior U.S. House of Representatives"
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS WEB SITE -- http://www.arts.endow.gov/endownews/news00/Testimony3-00.html

"President Clinton Requests $150 Million Budget For NEA"
Arts Wire CURRENT -- http://www.artswire.org/current/2000/cur021500.html
February 15, 2000

"We all know that if our country is to be a true global leader when it comes to creativity, our government should make an investment to help fuel, if nothing more, the enormous growth in employment, tourism, and support of our country's number one export," Semel told a sizeable audience of artists, arts administrators, arts advocates, members of Congress and members of the Administration. "I say that notwithstanding the fact that they may not appreciate the artistic value of what many of you are helping to bring about in the world."

Semel, who is Vice Chairman of the President's Committee for the Arts and Humanities, and on the board of the Guggenheim Museum also emphasized the importance for the arts of becoming a true partner in rapidly developing new Internet technologies, and he advocated combining the talents of for-profit arts companies with the talents of not-for-profits.

Terry Semel was introduced by Alma Powell, Vice Chairman of the Kennedy Center, Bob Lynch, President and CEO, Americans for the Arts, Jennifer Goodale, Philip Morris Companies, inc. and Bill T. Jones, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. His remarks were followed by closing words from Bill Lehr, Chairman of the Americans for the Arts Governing Board.

Americans for the Arts CEO Lynch explained that building stronger connections to the entertainment industry was one of the reasons that the policy board was pleased that Semel had agreed to be the speaker. "We can learn, I think from someone who created the current model of co-financing pictures while retaining worldwide distribution; someone developing the lead distribution operation in the world for feature films, television, home video, who pioneered the use of DVD; someone whose hands and footprints are in the cement square in front of the Chinese Theater in Hollywood," Lynch stated.

Bill Jones began his introduction by quoting Frank O'Hara --"Let us do something grand just this once, something small and important, and un-American..." -- and then segued into a "talking dance" which moved from Italian Renaissance/David to male beefcake to 1980's concerns about the difference between high and low art: "What was art, what was entertainment."

"...it had a lot to do with the expectations as opposed to the ticket buying public," Jones said. "I have a friend who is a producer at a major theater in New York. When we started criticizing Terry's worlds, the world of the Hollywood studio, she said, "Could you imagine having to make a product that has to sell to 25 million people?"

But it's easy to talk about art that makes money, he continued. "...when you think of it most of the art that we love was made by people who often died in absolute poverty, so why would it be different now?"

The question he had always wanted to ask Terry, Jones told the audience was "does he as a visionary and like many of you here, cultural workers they call us, do we believe -- before -- do we believe that what we do is as important as -- after -- the highways and the hospitals? Can I stand behind asking for money for what I do, when there are people dying of AIDS and after, hunger, after, rainforest, after, child, wife spousal abuse. Is what I do so important as highways and hospitals? This is the question."

SEMEL CALLS FOR A CONVERGENCE OF CREATIVE AND BUSINESS WORLDS; ARTS INTERNET PRESENCE

Noting that he probably wouldn't address all these questions in his talk but that they were areas for future discussion, Terry Semel spoke of running an $11 billion business for 20 years with his partner Bob Daley.

"In short to do what we did called for a creative and a business world that would have to come together," he said. "I will admit occasionally these two worlds did collide."

Distinguishing between "non-profit" and "not-for-profit, he stated that "Most artists and creators want their work to be seen by as many people as possible. They want their words read, their paintings viewed and their music heard. They want to make art and reach as many eyeballs and hearts as possible."

Looking to the future, he emphasized the impact of rapidly developing Internet and full broad-band technologies on the arts. He urged the arts sector to be the ones to provide their own Internet presence, and he suggested taking advantage of the potential of the Internet to solidify the financial base of the not-for-profit arts -- which could then be used to support under-supported arts forms.

"Not-for-profit arts are clearly about choice and diversity, and a broad range of options," Semel stated. "We have many organizations dedicated to various forms of dance, music, theater and museums, as well as other interests. With the channel capacity explosion we now have infinite capacity to handle many niche areas with both large and small marketing efforts."

The key for success here, he continued "rests in two words: joint ventures. Co-ownership, not licensing, combining the talents for at-profit arts companies with talents of not-for-profit. Not-for- profit groups would bring expertise to both."

Semel concluded his speech by affirming the value of arts education. "We will all benefit from making the arts a core part of the educational system," he told the audience in the Eisenhower Theater in the Kennedy Center. "Our children, our families, the entertainment industry, the non-profit arts, the government, the private sector, big business, and small towns, all of us. I think our future depends on it. As I've said, we are moving very, very fast. That means the future will be here before we know it."

Sources/resources:

"Thirteenth Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy"
March 20, 2000
(Transcript by Neal R. Gross, Court Reporters and Transcribers provided by Americans for the Arts)
AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS WEB SITE -- http://www.artsusa.org

"ARTS ADVOCACY DAY"
Arts Wire CURRENT -- http://www.artswire.org/current/2000/cur031400.html
March 14, 2000

Noting that the arts constitute a major endeavor for the State of New York with an immense spiritual, cultural, and economic benefit," Senator Goodman told the audience of approximately 300 that "The arts are at the very heart and soul of New York. We will continue to fight for the arts year in, year out; because it comes from the heart."

"Throughout the state we understand how important the arts are, we will do everything we can," Assemblyman Paul A. Tokasz added.

NY Governor George Pataki has requested a $43.4 million arts budget, according to BACK STAGE which reports that the $10.9 Million increase would raise the amount to $54.3 million. Senate leaders are currently calling for a $4 million increase over Pataki's recommendation; Assembly leaders have proposed a $2 million raise.

In his Arts Day speech, Goodman also emphasized the importance of artistic expression. "It is much more important to have freedom of expression" rather than always worrying out who is going to be offended," NYSCA quotes him as saying to a group of approximately 300 -- including artists Rosie Perez, Celeste Holm, Horton Foote, Christine Andreas, Katie Finneran, and Bill Kennedy; Dick J. Schwartz, Chairman of the New York State Council on the Arts; and Legislative Members Senator William T. Stachowki, Assemblyman Paul A. Tokasz, Senator James J. Lack, Assemblywoman Margaret M. Markey, Assemblyman John J. McEneny, Senator Thomas Duane, Assemblywoman Elizabeth O' C. Little, Senator George Onorato, and Senator Joseph L. Bruno.

ARTISTS AFFIRM VALUE OF EARLY EXPOSURE TO ARTS

The major theme of the celebrities who spoke at ARTS DAY 2000 was their gratitude for those who helped them out when they first started and the importance of having resources available for children, NYSCA's Tamara Cannon (who provided notes of the occasion) told Arts Wire. "Many gave personal accounts of when they realized the magic of the arts."

"Many people stop and say they wish they would have continued playing the piano or doing something artistic, and I say to them its really important to follow what you love to do," said Christine Andreas who has performed in OKLAHOMA, SCARLET PIMPERNEL and THE COSBY SHOW.

Andreas related how other artists reached out to her when she first started in theatre as "a gawky, fat, shy child" who loved to sing. "Young artists need to practice and be encouraged," she said.

We need to invest in children said Rosie Perez, (WHITE MAN CAN'T JUMP, DO THE RIGHT THING) who currently helps out at the NYSCA funded Working Playground.

"I was one of those angry, pissed off kids. I had the will and determination, all I needed was the resources and opportunity," Perez told the audience. One day in school, the teacher announced that her class was going to see THE WIZ. Perez started crying because she didn't have the money. But the event turned out to be government funded, and when she watched Stephanie Mills as Dorothy, something changed inside her. After that she learned to make herself visible, and she started to be recognized.

"There is nothing more exciting for young people than to see good theatre - to see good Shakespeare," said Celeste Holm. (STILL BREATHING, ALL ABOUT EVE) She told the story of how when she was young, she went to see Anna Pavlova, and the magic of the ballet inspired her to be an artist. "I didn't know that it would change my life entirely," she said.

"What ever I am, what ever I manage to accomplish, it is because of the arts," Holm emphasized.

Sources/resources:

NYSCA Public Information Officer Tamara Cannon, who provided the notes for this article can be reached at Email: tcannon@nysca.org
NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS (NYSCA) WEBSITE -- http://www.nysca.org

Roger Armbrust
"Arts Rallies in NY & DC"
BACK STAGE -- http://www.backstage.com/news/ny/nyn20000322104805.asp

"The Ballad of Greenwich Village first started 7 years ago when I was standing on line in a cheese store on Cornelia Street, talking to an 85 year old woman who had spent her entire life in the Village," filmmaker Karen Kramer, who holds a B.F.A. in film production from NYU and teaches in the Communications department at the New School, told Arts Wire. "She began telling me stories about the place, and I began to realize that some of this marvelous history and personal stories had to be made public. I was astounded to learn that there had never been an in-depth documentary on Greenwich Village."

To date the project has filmed poet/authors Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka and Lawrence Ferlinghetti; novelist Norman Mailer; playwright Edward Albee; actor/director Tim Robbins; painter Judah Catalan, and folk singers Peter, Paul and Mary, Judy Collins, Tom Paxton, Richie Havens. Several others will be filmed next month.

Footage of Village guitar makers, jewelers, saxophone repair expert, activists, cafe owners, as well as montage sequences of cafes, bookstores, chess shops, and street life will be interwoven with the artist interviews. Approximately 10 hours of 16mm film has been shot.

Cinematographers who have worked on the project include Anthony Hardwick, Axel Baumann, Andrew Suhl. Sound recordists are John Bucher, Brad Bergbom. They will be doing a more live filming in two weeks and then will start the archival research. However, they will need finishing funds to complete the project.

Kramer, who has made films about rituals and other cultures, including five films about the people and culture of Haiti and several projects in New York City, emphasizes that the current climate in the Village for artists is not favorable.

"People like myself are probably the last generation of creative people who could move to the Village, find rent-controlled apartments and not have to work a 9-5. The only people who can afford to move to the Village now are stockbrokers, lawyers, and actors with million dollar salaries," she told Arts Wire, noting that this situation will probably be a whole chapter in the film.

"It's quite sad what's happened here, but again, that's why I think it's important that a film like this get made and its story told," she says.

Sources/resources:

Karen Kramer can be contacted at Kramerkar@aol.com
The project's call for a Producer/Fundraiser to work on commission is listed in this week's Arts Wire Current jobs at http://www.artswire.org/current/jobs.html

Although much of the C.I.A.'s covert sponsorship of the arts was exposed in the late 1960's, Stonor Saunders "has uncovered many new details and gives the most comprehensive account yet of the agency's activities between 1947 and 1967," the Times reports.

Laurence Zuckerman writes in The Times that "There are also bundles of cash that were funneled through C.I.A. fronts and several hilarious schemes that resemble a "Spy vs. Spy" cartoon more than a serious defense against Communism. Traveling first class all the way, the C.I.A. and its counterparts in other Western European nations sponsored art exhibitions, intellectual conferences, concerts and magazines to press their larger anti-Soviet agenda."

"We couldn't spend it all," the Times quotes former CIA agent Gilbert Greenway as saying. "There were no limits, and nobody had to account for it. It was amazing."

Among the examples which the book relates, according to the Times are rewriting the end of the movie version of ANIMAL FARM; putting affluent-looking African-Americans into films (as extras) in order to counter Soviet criticism of the American race problem; and indirect or direct support for the magazine ENCOUNTER and for early exhibitions of Abstract Expressionist painting outside of the United States in order to counter Moscow's Socialist Realism being advanced by Moscow.

Sources/resources:

Laurence Zuckerman "How the C.I.A. Played Dirty Tricks With Culture" THE NEW YORK TIMES -- http://www.nytimes.com
March 13, 2000 Frances Stonor Saunders THE CULTURAL COLD WAR: THE CIA AND THE WORLD OF ARTS AND LETTERS New Press, April 2000. 528 pages ISBN: 156584596X

DIVERSE AUDIENCES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY - AN ARTS DIALOGUE

"Who are todays arts audiences? Who will be Denver's arts audiences in 2020 and why? According to new research, people attend arts events for very different reasons than previously believed."

Findings that are creating a new approach to audience development are the topic of the Colorado Council on the Arts one day conference, DIVERSE AUDIENCES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY. Under the leadership of Los Angeles cultural facilitator Jerry Yoshitomi, recent cultural engagement theories and practices will be presented.

In a session on "Cultural Engagement Theories", Yoshitomi will focus on the RAND CULTURAL PARTICIPATION MODEL which explores why people participate in arts and cultural activities and what institutions can do to encourage their participation as well as on the HEINZ METAPHOR ELICITATION PROJECT utilizing the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) to find the basic ideas of people about the role of the arts in their lives.

Rory McPherson, Program Director for the Wallace-Readers Digest Funds in New York, will present new strategies that foundations are using to deepen cultural involvement among youth and adults.

Other national theatre and community arts leaders -- including Maryo Ewell, CCA and Dudley Cocke, Appalshop: "Community Building through Grassroots Theatre"; and Tony Tapia, Gill Foundation and Andreya Hernandez-Garcia and April Edwards, Arizona State University: "Community Engagement Strategies" -- will present the specific tactics they are using to identify, reach, and engage the diverse audiences of the new century.

An "In Our Own Backyard" session will focus on outstanding local initiatives that expand cultural participation.

For more information, registration fees and registration, call 303-753-1853 or visit http://www.creativelinks.org
The site also includes a web bibliography of relevant documents.

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT AND THE INTERNET

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT AND THE INTERNET is a one-day symposium designed to help staff, managers of associations and organizations and individual artists to use the Internet to increase ticket sales attendance of events and the sale of art on the Internet.

"We can no longer ignore this important audience development tool...It s not enough to have a website, other steps must be taken to make your website effective. Here is where you can learn how to do that."

Ian Murdock, New Media Manager, EXPRESS NEWS will open the symposium with a keynote on "The Internet, a New Billboard in Town."

A panel, moderated by Rick Hernandez, Deputy Director of the Texas Commission on the Arts will discuss the Internet as a new sales tool with panelists David Low, Web Manager for the National Endowment for the Arts; Karen Nelson, The Getty Foundation; Amy Smith, The Benton Foundation; Mark Hardin, the Artchive; and Don Drucker, National Telecommunications Information Administration.

Experts in the technical and marketing aspects of the Internet will conduct the workshop. Each participant will have a computer in front of them for the training. In the morning the TECHNICAL track will deal with what equipment is needed and general computing & maintenance issues. The session will also cover how search engines work & what is technically needed to build an effective Web site. In the afternoon the MARKETING track will address how to use the INternet to attract a potential new audience; how to register on search engines, how to market web sites and more.

The symposium is designed for the novice as well as the experienced computer user.

For detailed information, including registration and fees visit http://www.artco.org/core.html
Or call: Louis LeRoy at 210-736-9272 or email a question to artco5@concentric.net

Texas residents can apply for a subsidy for half the cost of travel and registration, at the Texas Commission on the Arts 512-463-5535 Cultural Connections: Ext. 42328

STAR WARS: THE MAGIC OF MYTH

Original artwork, costumes, models and props from George Lucas' STAR WARS saga are presented in this exhibition of treasures from the Lucasfilm archives. STAR WARS:THE MAGIC OF MYTH reveals the connections between selected objects in the Institute's permanent collection and the actual artifacts used in creating the award-winning Star Wars films. Both the films and the artworks draw on ancient myths and legends to tell their stories.

The exhibition was developed by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. For more information, tel: 612-870-3131 or 888-642-2787 TTD 612-870-3132
24-hour museum information: 612-870-3200
Email: wlee@artsMIA.org
Web site: http://www.artsMIA.org/

SUBTROPICS NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL

Begun last week with the annual Subtropics Marathon featuring leading figures of Florida's experimental avant-garde music scene -- including music by Kristine Burns, Orlando Garcia, David Manson, Gustavo Matamoros, Armando Rodriguez, David Rogers, Julio Roloff, Jan Sebon!, Alfredo Triff, and many more; and performances by Paul Green, Luis Gomez-Imbert, FIU New Music Ensemble, among others -- the Y2K edition of SUBTROPICS continues with concerts featuring such guest artists as living jazz legend Sonny Rollins, sound artist Ellen Band, saxophonist Jon Gibson, and Israeli experimental vocalist Victoria Hanna.

A highlight of this year's festival is the presentation of Furacan Caribean all-star ensemble of Miami based artists that include Adrian Castro, David Font, Marty Galagarza, Mike Kernaham, Richard LeGuerre and Alfredo Triff, led by composer Luckas Ligeti. Ligeti was commissioned by a consortium of arts organizations composed of the South Florida Composers Alliance, the Historical Museum of Southern Florida and the American Composers Forum in Minnesa, Dennis Kam, Gustavo Matamoros, Armando Rodriguez, Julio Roloff, Alfredo Triff, John Van der Slice and others.

For detailed calendar of events, tickets, artist information, call 305 981 0600, or visit http://www.subtropics.org

The objective of the Aaron Copland Fund for Music Performing Ensembles Program is to support organizations whose performances encourage and improve public knowledge and appreciation of serious contemporary American music.

Applications may be submitted by non-profit professional performing ensembles with a history of substantial commitment to contemporary American music and with plans to continue that commitment. Ensembles must have been in existence for at least two years at the time of application. Festivals are eligible to apply only for their professional core ensembles. Individuals, student ensembles and presenters without a core ensemble are not eligible. Grants will not be made for the purpose of commissions to composers.

In general, grants range from $1,000 to $20,000. Grant amounts for larger performing organizations with a demonstrated extraordinary commitment to recent American music may exceed these amounts at the discretion of the panel. Applicants may request either general operating support or support for special projects.

The postmark deadline for applications for each calendar year is June 30.

Detailed information about the program and the application process is available on the American Music Center web site at http://www.amc.net/resources/grants/performing.html
or address Applications and Inquiries to: The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Performing Ensembles Program, c/o The American Music Center, 30 West 26th Street, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10010-2011 Attn: Grants Manager tel: 212-366-5260 ext. 29

Opportunities for Artists

The Grants for Public Art Projects intend to challenge the current market-dominated system of art production and to move art out of the market and into the "public realm."

"Given the lack of funding for art and artists in our country, art production is often geared towards what sells and not what provokes thought," the project states. "For the most part, people who go to galleries or museums or even alternative spaces are people who are 'in the know' in the art and academic worlds. The Gunk Foundation is interested in supporting projects that make it out of the museum, gallery, and alternative spaces and into the spaces of daily life. For example, work that is shown in the spaces of public transportation, city streets, or work places and is seen by people 'outside' of the art and academic worlds."

The project is also interested in work that catches one by surprise -- the audience may not plan to be an audience (like planning to go see a movie) but is one inadvertently -- ie the movie is projected on a building that they pass by.

"It is our belief that work that is site specific and that cuts into the space of everyday life will have the most profound effect on politicizing the public realm," they state.

The project does not currently fund Internet projects. The committee is also hesitant to fund production of video or film unless it has been specifically earmarked for a public space. (such as public access television or outdoor screenings)

Postmark Deadlines: April 30 and October 31. The amount and quantity of grants will depend on the quality and quantity of applicants. They will most likely range between $1,000 and $5,000.

An application form and submission requirements are available on the site at http://www.gunk.org/info/
Fax/Phone: 914-255-8252
Email: info@gunk.org

ARTISTS, ORGANIZATIONS OR SPONSORS, Middle East Arts Festival, Los Angeles, CA

Deadline: May 8, 2000: LEAD ARTIST/TEAM, PIONEER SQUARE ARTS AND LEGENDS PLAN; Deadline: May 22, 2000: FILMMAKER, DOCUMENTARY ABOUT WASHINGTON'S BOUNDARY DAM -- Seattle Arts Commission

Details about these and other opportunities are available on Arts Wire's Web Site at http://www.artswire.org/current/calls.html

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Springfield Art Association, (Springfield, IL)

MUSEUM PROGRAM DIRECTOR, The New York State Council on the Arts, (Albany, NY)

DANCE CENTER DIRECTOR, LINES Contemporary Ballet, (San Francisco, CA)

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, Department of Theatre Arts, Western Washington University, (Bellingham, WA)

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR - COSTUME DESIGN, Department of Theatre Arts, Western Washington University, (Bellingham, WA)

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, Anchor Graphics, (Chicago, IL)

MUSIC ARCHIVE LIBRARIAN, Milken Archive of American Jewish Music, (New YOrk City, NY)

GENERAL MANAGER, The Repertory Project, (Cleveland, OH)

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, VISUAL ARTS GALLERY, School of Visual Arts (New York City, NY)

ASSISTANT TO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/OFFICE MANAGER, Cunningham Dance Foundation, (New York City, NY)

MUSEUM ASSESSMENT PROGRAM COORDINATOR, American Association of Museums, (Washington, DC)

PROJECT COORDINATOR, Vermont Arts Council, (Montpelier, VT)

FINANCE ASSOCIATE, SPONSORSHIP; DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, INSTITUTIONAL GIVING; ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT; DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT, The New York Foundation for the Arts, (New York City, NY)

CHORUS ADMINISTRATOR, Peninsula Women's Chorus, (Palo Alto, CA)

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE, (musicians/relisted) Shar Products Company, (Ann Arbor, MI)

PRODUCER/FUNDRAISER, feature-length documentary, (New York City, NY)

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE, The Academy of American Poets, (New York, NY)

PROJECT MANAGER, Philadelphia Orchestra Association, (Philadelphia, PA)

PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSISTANT, The Philadelphia Orchestra Association, (Philadelphia, PA)

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, The Alliance for the Arts, (New York City, NY)

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, Eldridge Street Project, (New York City, NY)

DIRECTOR, HUMAN RESOURCES & ADMINISTRATION, The American Symphony Orchestra League, (NEW YORK, NY)

DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT, Theater for the New City, (New York City., NY)

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT; ACCOUNTANT, The New Museum, (New York City, NY)

INTERNSHIPS, The Educational Alliance Art School, (New York City, NY)

Details about these and other jobs are available on Arts Wire's Web Site at http://www.artswire.org/current/jobs.html

To submit jobs to ARTS WIRE CURRENT JOBS, send email to artswire@artswire.org

Details about these and other jobs are available on Arts Wire's Web Site at http://www.artswire.org/current/jobs.html To submit jobs to ARTS WIRE CURRENT JOBS, send email to artswire@artswire.org

A growing list of links to job resources for artists and arts administrators is available on Arts Wire's Web Site at http://www.artswire.org/current/jobres.html

"Artists of a professional nature are the very life blood of VSA arts of Idaho," VSA arts of Idaho states on their web site at http://netnow.micron.net/~vsaidaho/

"We provide opportunities for professional artists, and we hire artists to work in our programs." The site currently features information about four Idaho artists with disabilities: Barrie Ernst, Surel Mitchell, Tom Bray, and Shannon Fausey.

Challenged by rheumatoid arthritis at an early age, BARRIE ERNST began working with wood and metal, creating sculptures with materials from the Idaho wilderness. As her physical limitations increased, Barrie began making pen and ink drawings of her beloved Idaho. "When she became wheelchair-bound, her focus shifted to themes of hearth and home, reflecting her love of antiques and traditional architecture," VSA arts of Idaho states. "Barrie now lives in Boise, Idaho and cherishes her independence."

Painter SUREL MITCHELL's latest work is small format mixed media on hand made paper utilizing copper sheeting as a metaphor for the human body and spirit. "Puncture, tear, fold or crumple it and it still remains metal. It transcends transformation. It looks different but is the same. Do the same to a human brain; the body might look the same but the person is invisibly different," the site states. "There is transformation." In 1994 Surel Mitchell was appointed to the Boise City Arts Commission, and she received the Idaho Commission on the Arts Fellowship in 1999.

"My ideas for sculpture are, generally, reactions to political and social events. I try to create a new form with each sculpture; forms that are more than a few degrees different from preceding ones," writes sculptor TOM BRAY. "....My goal is to create art that will stimulate a dialogue that will bring us to a greater understanding of one another and that will, at some future date, enhance historical perspective. Some issues are not easy to discuss but they must be talked about..."

Painter SHANNON FAUSEY, whose work is exhibited nationally, has had a rare disease called Weber-Osler-Rendu since she was 10 years old. "When I was young and hospitalized, drawing helped me through the trauma and pass the endless hours," she says. In, her thirties, she enrolled at Boise State University as an art major. "It was quite frightening to begin college at the age of thirty three," she recalls" "but I soon discovered that my age worked to my advantage. My professors enjoyed non-traditional students with some life experience...."

VSA arts of Idaho creates opportunities by providing professional training workshops, developing and implementing state initiated and nationally successful programs, and securing funding for Idaho arts and human service organizations. The web site also features information about the New Visions Dance Program, the Big Bang Music Program, the Cultural Access Initiative, and Creative Access.

Arts Wire's website at http://www.artswire.org is a central place to visit the cyberhomes of the diverse artists and art organizations who are Arts Wire members. This week CURRENT invites readers to visit the home page of the IDAHO COMMISSION ON THE ARTS.

"Bestowing on the arts their importance is, of necessity, a community effort, and in 1966 the elected representatives of our statewide community established the Idaho Commission on the Arts to stimulate and encourage throughout the state the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts, and public interest and participation therein...and to encourage and assist freedom of artistic expression essential to the well-being of the arts," The commission writes on their website at http://www.state.id.us/arts/

The Commission -- which is housed in Boise in the historic Alexander House (Moses Alexander wasthe eleventh state governor of Idaho, elected in 1914, and the first Jewish governor elected in the United States.) -- is the official state agency for the support and development of the arts in Idaho. It promotes artistic excellence, education in the arts, access to the arts for all and community investment in the arts. Its professional staff administers and develops the programs and services of the agency, assists grant applicants, and provides technical assistance.

"After thirty-some years, despite the skein of rules and forms and panels -- inconvenient perhaps to artists and arts organizations, but essential to stewardship of public monies -- the arts in Idaho are well along the path to being part of every child's education and central to the lives of most adult Idahoans," the Idaho Commission on the Arts states. "They serve as blazes on the trail to a more harmonious, exuberant, and abundant life."

The web site includes a calendar of grant deadlines; meetings; and exhibitions; information about LATITUDES, a newsletter published by the Commission four times a year; opportunity listings; information about The Commission's Writer-in-residence, William Johnson from Lewiston, who travels throughout the state providing communities with readings and workshops; and much more.

ELSEWHERE ON THE NET

In response to question from Fred Salas, Co-director of the San Diego Latino Film Festival -- "Are you nervous about the film - or excited that it's coming out? -- Carlos Avila, Director of PRICE OF GLORY which opens nationally on March 31, responded:

"Excited and nervous. It's a tremendous commitment that the studio, New Line Cinema has made to a Latino film, to get behind it as much as they have. I certainly want them to reap the rewards of that commitment. That's something that I hope actually happens so that they will be encouraged to make more. So that other studios and production companies will have the faith that this type of a story can be told. At the end of the day you don't want your film to be a well-intentioned experiment. You want it to be a film that finds an enthusiastic supportive audience.

Avila, who was born in Lima, Peru, lives in Los Angeles and studied filmmaking at Loyola Marymount and UCLA, continued that "In particular, you want a Latino audience to find it because you think that they will respond to it - I think that is very, very important. You want them to come out and see themselves on the screen, reflected in a way that is unique and unusual, and that they will take some heart from. Simultaneously, you want to convey a Latino experience to a wider audience. Whatever work you've done to dispel stereotypes or preconceptions, you want to see that actually happen by people embracing these characters and going on this ride with them. Connecting with them emotionally. That's why I do this work. "

Price of Glory starring Jimmy Smits, is notable for its positive portrayals of Latinos, according to Premiere Weekend Club, a non-profit national organization that promotes films with Latino themes and non-stereotypical Latino characters. The movie, which interweaves boxing and family, has a score by Joseph Julian Gonzalez, performed by the Seattle Symphony orchestra.

Sources/resources:

"Director Carlos Avila ('Price of Glory') Interview by Fred Salas (Co-director of the San Diego Latino Film Festival)"
PREMIERE WEEKEND CLUB -- http://www.premiereweekend.org/int-avila.html
The Interview first appeared IN MOTION Magazine