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