“The latest round of NEA grants for Access to Artistic Excellence, American Masterpieces, Arts on Radio and Television, Learning in the Arts for Children & Youth and Partnerships is out, and Texas visual arts orgs have got their share.”

..among the recipients are the following Houston Area organizations:

The Galveston Historical Foundation got $12,000 to support a symposium on the preservation of cast-iron storefronts.
The Houston Arts Alliance got $50,000 to identify, document, and present the varied folklife found in Houston.
Rice University, Houston, got $15,000 to support Explosion: East Asia Architecture Today.
Houston’s Spacetaker got $10,000 for its Artist Resource Center

Congratulations to everyone!
full article here

Rocco Landesman, the new chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, is setting off on a tour of arts organizations around the nation. In this article he also discusses the important role art has to play in an economic recovery, “they have a real economic impact in America…creating jobs and bringing in money…I can go to Congress and the administration and say, ‘The arts should be part of domestic policy, should be part of coming out of this recession, should be a part of the revitalization of our communities and neighborhoods…We need to move [arts] into the West Wing…in the place where they’re making decisions about economic initiatives…We need to be at the table with the grown-ups, and that means the West Wing.”

via NPR

“Michelle Obama has presented a Coming Up Taller award (which recognizes and supports outstanding after-school arts and humanities programs) from the President’s Committee on Arts and the Humanities to a Texas A&M student and an education curator for the University of Houston’s Blaffer Gallery in a White House ceremony.”

via The Houston Chronicle

“KickStarter is a new site to “fund ideas and endeavors.” The site seems particularly geared to artistic communities that only need a few hundred to a few thousand dollars for a project. I was skeptical at first, but you can browse all the other projects, their funding and see how everything works. A really impressive setup.

You can set up a page to describe your project and funding goals. People from the community can pledge to contribute. If your funding goals are met in the alotted time, you get that money! If not, you get nothing and nobody hands over money.

The benefits are obvious for artists. A little less clear are the benfits to those donating. The site addresses this saying how you can get inventive with creating personal incentives … hmm. But it seems to be working for many people. Seems like a great way to get a little money, which is often all thats needed. Good Luck!”

It kinda sounds like the BBC’s ‘Dragons’ Den’ for the arts world. Good Luck!
-Agent Smith

thanks to Glasstire for the original post Glasstire: Texas visual art online - KickStarter.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR
POSITION SUMMARY
This position reports to the Director of ECE and works collaboratively with ECE Managers, other Alley staff, interns and affiliated teaching artists. This position provides administrative assistance to the department to ensure the success of ECE programs and events. The ECE Coordinator will facilitate theatre workshops in various settings as appropriate.

This position is available July 17, 2009.

Interested applicants may submit a cover letter, résumé and references via e-mail to joeb@alleytheatre.org, Director of Education and Community Engagement, or mail to:

Alley Theatre

Joe Angel Babb, Director of Education and Community Engagement
615 Texas Avenue
Houston, TX 77002

E-mail and written inquiries only. No phone calls.

full details at Forum - Announcements - POSITION OPENING : TheatrePort.

“Free Education Opportunity: Master of Art in Management program. Wake Forest University has an opportunity for minority students to attend their MBA program for FREE. This is a great school and a tremendous opportunity to attend a top graduate school. Contact: Derrick S. Boone, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC. derrick.boone@mba.wfu.edu or (866) 925-3622. mba.wfu.edu .”

…from Dance Source Houston mailing list.

Here is a quick and dirty, short list of grants available through the Texas Commission on the Arts. There are a variety of grants available and most are due on the same quarterly deadline (see our calendar page for details).

Which grant you qualify for will depend on how you/your organization is catergorized. But, fret not, they make it easy for you to figure out using their TCA Type Wizard, “The Wizard is a series of questions that profiles your organization and then presents a customized list of TCA programs for which your organization is eligible.”

Now for the good stuff, here’s the list:
Arts Respond Project
Cultural Connections- Performance Support
Arts Create-5
Arts Create Subgranting

January 31, 2010 marks the next deadline for organizations to be included on the approved Touring Roster of Texas-based touring companies and artists. More info here and here.

For a complete list, the TCA Guide to Programs & Services is listed here.

Happy Grant Writing,
Agent Smith

“Arts in Crisis: A Kennedy Center Initiative is a program designed to provide planning assistance and consulting to struggling arts organizations throughout the United States. Open to non-profit 501(c)(3) performing arts organizations, the program will provide counsel from Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser and the Kennedy Center executive staff in the areas of fundraising, building more effective Boards of Trustees, budgeting, marketing, technology, and other areas pertinent to maintaining a vital performing arts organization during a troubled economy.

Click here to read more about this program.

Click here to request Arts in Crisis services.”

from the HAA special opportunities page

Interesting interview on “how the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston uses loans to supplement and build its collection,” essentially borrowing more than it has room to display.

via Arts in Houston: Why collectors park their art at the MFAH.

Houston Art Alliance is looking for arts professionals to help select upcoming civic art commissions. Architects, designers and art historians are encouraged to apply. Artists can apply, too. Feel free to nominate yourself by contacting Piper Huddleston , HAA’s Civic Art + Design Coordinator.

via Glasstire: Texas visual art online - Do the NIMBY!.