Bill Strickland (TED Talk)

Bill Strickland is an amazing character whose not only beat the odds with his rise to success, but did not waste any time in turning around and giving right back to the community he comes from. His center is an amazing model not only for the nonprofit communities but as you will hear him discuss in the video above, leaders from the business community are also studying his organization for lessons to take with them back over to the for-profit sector as well.

Those of you who attended the Michigan Nonprofit Association Superconference in Dearborn earlier this month may have gotten a chance to hear him speak when he was there. I think this discussion is such a wonderful treat even for those who have already heard him in the past. Bill is doing the unimaginable having come from such limited resources, he is an inspiration for us all to work better and smarter for our children and our communities!

ACCESS BILL STRICKLAND'S TED TALK DIRECTLY BY CLICKING HERE

Tamara Real of Ann Arbor Arts Alliance

A few weeks ago on Thursday May 14th, 2009 I got the chance to hear Tamara Real speak in Lansing when she testified to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on History, Arts and Libraries about the importance of retaining Michigan's grant funding for arts and cultural programs (MCACA grants) across the state. Tamara is the Executive Director of the Arts Alliance located in Ann Arbor, MI and while her blog posts I feature here today are from September 2008, I thought her words were still quite relevant today and also captured many of the same important truths she presented just a few weeks ago to the senate subcommittee regarding the very critical role the arts play in Michigan's future recovery and success.

Below please find an excerpt from and link to her "guest" blog-posts she did for ConcentrateMedia.com:

"A recent study by The Conference Board, an organization that serves the interests of Fortune 500 companies around the world, noted that students who take part in arts and cultural activities during their years in school are more likely to have the skills needed for 21^st century jobs. In fact, some employers are even looking at applicants' resumes for experience in band, orchestra, theater and the visual arts as predictors of future success. Employers, such as the folks at Marriott and Glaxo-SmithKline, find that exposure to arts and cultural activities gives young applicants one of the most desirable skills in today's ever-changing world: the ability to deal with ambiguity..."

READ TAMARA'S FOUR "GUEST" BLOG-POSTS HERE

Arts in Crisis: Budget Update & MCACA Meeting

Budget Update

Yesterday the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of History, Arts and Libraries met to release its substitute to Senate Bill 247. Included in the House Substitute was a total of $7,466,200 in grant funding for FY2010, with a little over $6.9 million coming from the state's general fund - a $571,700 cut from current year funding.

However, more noteworthy than the funding figure, is that the subcommittee did not vote on the bill. This was explained by the Chair, Representative Shanelle Jackson, as the committee's desire to continue to 'wait and see' what happens with the budget revenue estimates in the coming months. With a deep current fiscal year deficit as well as an estimated $2 billion in fiscal year 2010 that is continually growing, all budgets are being held until next year's revenue picture is clearer.

This could very well mean that, if the revenue estimates continue to look bleak, we would likely see the $7.5 million mentioned above be decreased even further - so don't put too much stock into this number just yet.

As of today, we have the Governor's recommendation at $1 million, the Senate at $3.6 million and are still waiting on the House. There is still a long way to go in this process, so don't be discouraged as ArtServe is continuing to work with supportive legislators to retain funding for arts and cultural grants.

Trust that we will continue to monitor the budget as well as provide any updates as they arise.

MCACA Meeting

Yesterday the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs met in Lansing to discuss their plans to address the $286,000 in mid-year cuts as well as the process they will take to award the NEA Stimulus Funding.

MID-YEAR CUTS

The council voted unanimously to accept a proposal that would take an across the board cut of 3.74% to address the mid-year cuts announced by the Governor earlier this month. This proposal did, however, spare mini-grants from any cuts and set a minimum cut of $100 for any grant recipient that received $4,000 or less. We were told that these cuts will be taken out of July 15th payment's from the state. I will post the list of cuts each organization took on our website as soon as I obtain a digital copy.

NEA STIMULUS

It was also announced that MCACA received 122 applications for stimulus funding through the monies received from the National Endowment for the Arts. The council formed a committee to review the applications and explained that no decisions will be made until after the NEA announces its grant recipients, which is expected to occur near the end of June.

As always, if you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact Mike Latvis at mike@artservemichigan.org or 248-379-5897.

Michigan Arts & Culture Budget

Arts in Crisis: Your Help Needed

On May 15th, 2009 ArtServe and over 50 arts advocates attended a standing room only hearing in front of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of History, Arts and Libraries in support of arts and culture in Michigan.

Among others testifying before the committee, Jennifer Goulet (ArtServe's President) and Mike Latvis spoke to the importance of arts and culture in Michigan and requested that the committee insert $12 million in funding for the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs for fiscal year 2010.

In addition to the impact arts and cultural funding has on the state's economy, Mike opined the following:

Since the Governor introduced her recommendations, we have consistently heard her say that "we can't be everything to everyone". It has been the response to every concern and opposition to her budget.

Well we'd respectfully remind the Governor that government IS everyone and it should represent the needs of every one of its citizens as well as provide its communities and businesses with every tool available to help them succeed and thrive.

Given the estimated $1.3 billion deficit in this current fiscal year as well as a possible $2 billion shortfall expected for fiscal year 2010 it is clear that there is a structural deficit in this state. One that will require this administration and legislature to make tough choices on reforms - not cuts. It is not 'tough' to make cuts year after year...what is really tough is taking the time to understand what's working and what isn't and make the reforms necessary to move this state forward.

For the Governor to believe that $8 million will do anything to make a dent in this state's structural deficit is unreasonable and further proves a continued lack of support for arts and culture during the 7 years of this administration.

Click here to read the full testimony given by Jennifer and Mike

The committee will release its budget figures Thursday, May 21st at 10:30am in room 307 of the House Office Building. Trust that ArtServe will continue to keep you updated on any breaking news as well as what occurs at next week's hearing.

MCACA Meeting

As announced last week, The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs will meet Thursday, May 21st at 3pm in the Forum at the Michigan Historical Center - 702 West Kalamazoo Street, Lansing, MI 48909-8240. This meeting will consist of the council's plans to address the $286,000 in mid-year cuts to the grant budget.

Have You Received A Response From Your Letter(s) to the Governor? Neither Have We!!

Take a minute to call the Governor's Constituent Relations Office to demand a response...and one that doesn't contain phrases including "tough choices" or "we can't be everything to everyone".

The Governor's Constituent Relations Office can be reached by dialing 517-335-7858

As always, if you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact Mike Latvis at mike@artservemichigan.org or 248-379-5897.

ADVOCACY ALERT: MCACA Budget hearing this Thursday!

THURSDAY May 14th @ 10:30am!

The House Subcommittee on the Department of History, Arts and Libraries Agenda is set to hear testimony on the budget for the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs on May 14th at 10:30am in room 307 of the House Office Building in Lansing.

We are calling on anyone available to attend the meeting to come and show your support for arts and culture in Michigan!!!

Shouting at Robots for Art's Sake

Untitled from Christian Cerrito on Vimeo.

"Shouting and waving your arms at buggy technology doesn’t normally do anything useful. With these robots, it makes art.

The Cobot (for “collaborative robot”) is the brain child of Christian Cerrito, who created it for his master’s thesis at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program. The pocket-sized Pollock comes in two flavors: the SoundBot, which draws in response to loud noise, and the ShadowBot, which sketches along the boundary between light and dark.

They can even transform anger into art. While Cerrito was writing his final paper, swearing loudly at his computer, the SoundBot doodled on the floor, recording his frustration.

“At some point I looked at the floor, and there was this beautiful drawing,” he said.

Other people enjoyed interacting with the SoundBot and ShadowBot, as shown in the videos" (above)

CLICK HERE to read the full article on Wired.com

5/11 Traverse City Advocacy Event!

Meet the Legislators: Legislative Breakfast

Take advantage of the opportunity to receive a legislative briefing from the Michigan Nonprofit Association and NorthSky Nonprofit Network and to meet, ask questions, and obtain updates directly from our legislators.

Monday, May 11, 2009 8 - 9:30 a.m.

Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, Conference Room
1209 S. Garfield, Traverse City
Free. Registration is required.

For more information on this event or to register please CLICK HERE