BREAKING NEWS: Governor Recommends $6.1 Million in Cuts to MCACA

Moments ago, Governor Granholm's Budget Director, Bob Emerson, announced that the Governor is recommending nearly zeroing out arts and cultural grant funding for Fiscal Year 2010.

Under the plan, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and its staff would be transferred into the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The State is planning to sell $100 million in bonds to leverage $1 million in funding of capital improvement arts grants. There will no longer be state dollars for operational grants.

With this cut, the Governor has just asked the Legislature to cut thousands of jobs in Michigan. ArtServe is calling on the entire arts and cultural community to stand up and fight. We must tell the Governor and Legislature how important these jobs are!

The fight to keep these jobs is just beginning and will ultimately be determined in the weeks to come. I implore you to pass this information on to as many people as you know so that we can garner enough support throughout Michigan to tell the Governor that this funding not only provides jobs, a return on the states investment, but provides the unique quality of life that attracts and retains businesses and families to this state.

We will be holding a conference call at 4pm to talk about our plans in moving forward to fight these cuts. If you would like to join this call please dial in at 4pm to 218-936-1100 and enter the Passcode 226 445#

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

FREE EVENT: Creativity in a Changing Economy

AMPlifying the Arts at EMU

CREATIVITY in a CHANGING ECONOMY: ENTREPRENEURIAL SOLUTIONS

You are invited to a panel discussion with local Arts & Entrepreneurship Leaders who will be sharing strategies on how they are navigating the downturn in our economy.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 6:00pm

Eastern Michigan University

Sponberg Theatre in the Quirk Building

Panelists include:

Tamara Real, Director, Arts Alliance

David Austin, Owner, What is that - a Gallery of Fine Art and Craft

Jennifer Goulet, President, ArtServe Michigan

Richard King, Director, EMU Entrepreneurship Center

Ken Fischer, President & CEO, University Musical Society

FREE EVENT

Please register at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/54994

Parking is available in the Alexander Lot next to the music building.

Light food will be provided.

For additional information check our

Facebook event or contact Dorrie Milan at dmilan@emich.edu

Creativity in a Changing Economy is sponsored by AMPlifying the Arts at EMU, the Arts Alliance, EMU Center for Entrepreneurship, and the

EMU Department of Communication, Media & Theatre Arts

Art, is it worth it?

“If I make it

Will someone take it

And think that it’s genuine?”

This is one of a series of deep, substantive questions, raised in this music video by Andrea Dorfman and Tanya Davis about art.

“Art, art, art…My heart is trying hard here to follow you

But I can’t always tell that I ought to.”

The answer, is yes, Tanya, art is worth it.

(Youtube citation compliments of teacher Sherrie Davis, Wyoming Public Schools and forwarded by Ana Luisa Cardona, Consultant for Arts Education at Michigan Department of Education)

2009 Arts & Cultural Advocacy Conference

ArtServe Michigan

2009 Arts & Cultural Advocacy Conference
Save the Date!! March 16th – March 20th

ArtServe Michigan is proud to announce its first virtual Arts & Cultural Advocacy Conference – a one-of-a-kind virtual conference where arts and cultural leaders and luminaries will share the latest advocacy thinking, ideas, innovations and their visions for arts and culture in the future. Plus they’ll offer field-tested strategies and proven solutions that you can take away and put to use.

Go to www.artservemichigan.org/artserve to learn more about the event and to register to participate in a free on-line demonstration of the conference after the holidays.

Ypsi-bred Producer Puts His Stamp on the Music Scene

Growing up in Ypsilanti, KT was exposed to a melting pot of cultures which would also mold his musical roots. “I grew up in a neighborhood where it wasn’t predominately black or predominately white, it was mixed with everybody… that helped me out because I had different experiences with [different cultures] and it helps to shape your experiences when it comes to making music because you’re not just making music for one crowd – you’re making music for everybody [to listen to].”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

2009 West Michigan Area Show seeks entries from regional artists

The annual West Michigan Area Show will be on exhibit at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts from February 28 through April 26, and regional artists are invited to take part. This juried competition is open to artists living in the following Michigan counties: Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Eaton, Ionia, Kalamazoo, Kent, Muskegon, Ottawa, St. Joseph and Van Buren. Artists must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

U of M Museum of Art to Reopen in March

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Dec 02, 2008 -- On March 28, 2009, the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) will open a landmark 53,000-square-foot expansion and major restoration of its historic, 41,000-square-foot home, Alumni Memorial Hall. Designed by principal architect Brad Cloepfil and his team at Allied Works Architecture, the $41.9 million transformation more than doubles the space available for collections display, temporary exhibitions, programs and educational exploration.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE