in the House and is Chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.  While Rep. Obey’s retirement is of specific interest to the people of the 7th Congressional District, we’d like to thank him for his strong and steadfast advocacy for the arts and arts education over his long tenure as an elected official.

THE STORY IS ALL ABOUT THE ARTS AND COMMUNITY

One of the themes of the blog posts this week has been about “telling our stories” in ways that resonate with corporate partners for the 21^st century.   I want to tell the story of a small town Wisconsin arts organization that to me, defines the story that we should be telling about the arts to our corporate partners and everyone else.  The Northern Lakes Center for the Arts in Amery, population 2,777, located in beautiful northwestern Wisconsin about 65 miles from St. Paul, MN, is one of the most vibrant arts centers in Wisconsin, or anywhere.  The Center is a nationally recognized hub for the arts that truly involves its community in arts experiences on so many levels.

The Northern Lakes Center receives funding from plenty of public and private sources, but it earns income in ways that should serve as a model and inspiration for the future.   The Northern Lakes Center is the publisher for the weekly community paper in Clayton, WI (a smaller town about ten miles from Amery), a service which satisfies Clayton’s need for a community-based newspaper and, which brings in a good chunk of change for the Center each month from advertising and subscriptions.

Who ever heard of a nonprofit arts organization producing a community newspaper?  But why not?    The community needs a newspaper, and the Northern Lakes Center has the expertise, energy and interest to make it happen.  And, it turns a profit in the bargain.   And, it turns out that producing a community newspaper fits right into the Center’s mission as “a comprehensive cultural center organized and designed to provide local residents with the opportunity to develop and share their creative talents and abilities with one another and with the general public.”

The paper features the usual community news – graduations, births, deaths, weddings, festivals, public meetings, business dealings – and a healthy dose of news and information about the arts.  You can imagine that the Northern Lakes Center is pre-disposed to emphasize the arts, of course, but what jumps out at me every time I read the paper is how natural it seems for a community-based newspaper to feature arts involvement by the residents of the community.    What’s even more interesting and fabulous is that the arts news is not just information or listings related to performances, exhibits and programs. The paper often features stories that show how very fundamental the arts are in the lives of community members.

This week, for example, the paper’s front page spotlights Arts Wisconsin’s annual Arts Day on March 3, which took place in Madison, 250 miles south.  The attendees from the Amery/Clayton area are pictured smiling with public officials and arts colleagues, and the accompanying story is all about grassroots advocacy, connections, relationships, and the public value of the arts locally and statewide.  The small town newspaper puts the arts front and center as it highlights its residents’ connections with issues, colleagues and decision-makers from around the state.

You may be wondering how this is relevant to our week’s discussion about private sector giving.  The Center is making the case for the intrinsic connections between the arts and community-a case that must be made for private sector investment, and, for that matter, for investment on all levels.   And, at the same time, the people in this corner of Wisconsin are living what the arts are all about – true creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.  That’s a story we can all learn from.

Americans for the Arts is planning a blog salon for the week of March 8, 2010, focusing on building awareness about why and how the private sector supports the arts. I’m one of the bloggers, joining a distinguished group of arts, business and education leaders from this country and beyod.  Check in during the week at http://blog.artsusa.org/ and read, learn and respond.

Read Barry’s resolutions here.

There’s no denying that it’s been a difficult year for all of us in the arts sector and beyond. Undoubtedly, most, if not all, of us have fewer resources personally and professionally, and if you are like me, you feel plenty of anxiety about keeping all of those balls juggling in the air. Our world has been been fragile, under-resourced, and stressed-out this year.

Even so, Wisconsin’s arts sector has faced its challenges head on and for the most part, seems to have made it through the year with sheer determination, smarts, hard work and of course, creativity. You are surviving to do great work to make the arts happen in your communities. I see hard-working, committed managers, volunteers and supporters, everywhere in the state, persevering to do what they are so very passionate about. Kudos to all of you. Arts Wisconsin does its work on your behalf, and we are in constant admiration of what you do every day.

I don’t have to tell you that in 2009, local and global financial woes affected public and private support for and involvement in the arts – you have lived it. The dismal state of the economy was evident as state elected officials deliberated a 2009-2011 state budget with a $6.7 billion deficit. The Wisconsin Arts Board did not see much change in its funding, a positive achievement in a year which saw cuts of up to 46% to state arts agency budgets in states such as Ohio, Illinois and New York. However, a budget cut for Wisconsin’s emerging film incentives program, despite heroic statewide advocacy efforts and support from many legislators, meant that the state’s blossoming film industry was pretty much halted in its tracks before it had a real chance to show its stuff. There will be opportunities to revisit the film industry infrastructure in the future and hopefully, grow that important 21st century industry.

Throughout this difficult year, Arts Wisconsin’s work ensured that:

• Arts and cultural organizations around the state had access to critical training and technical assistance, information resources, peer mentoring, and capacity building opportuniti
• Government officials and political leaders heard a strong, clear voice speaking up for the arts and creativity in an important budget year;
• Business and community leaders began to see the arts differently: as essential economic, educational and civic assets for Wisconsin;
• Wisconsin residents continued to enjoy the artistic, cultural and creative endeavors at the heart of their communities.

We look forward to expanded advocacy, service and development action in 2010, and a year of great opportunities. If there ever was a time that we needed the arts, it’s now. This is our moment, because creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship – all qualities inherent to the arts – are what we need to move our economy, educational systems, and civic infrastructure forward. These are some of the issues to watch and be involved with in 2010:

• 2010 will be a major political year in Wisconsin. We face our first gubernatorial election without an incumbent since 1982; all of the State Assembly and half of the State Senate seats, all 8 Congressional seats, and one of our U.S. Senate seats, are up for election as well. It is essential that the candidates know that the arts are “part of the solution” as they campaign. Arts Wisconsin will provide statewide support, information and resources throughout the political season for local advocates to fully demonstrate the critical importance of a strong arts and arts education sector for Wisconsin’s future. Campaign season begins in earnest after the New Year. The State Legislature is back in session as of January 19, 2010. Arts Day 2010 is March 3, 2010, in Madison – mark your calendar to attend this important day for the arts!

• Community cultural development is an idea whose time has come for Wisconsin. The creative economy is becoming a real force for change in our state. Communities of all sizes throughout Wisconsin are finding ways to strengthen the economy and support civic engagement from the ground up. Creative economy and cultural planning efforts in Madison and the Milwaukee region, regional economic development based on quality of life around the state, collaborations between the arts and business, education, political and governmental worlds…show me a map of Wisconsin and I’ll show you the many places where these efforts are really taking root. Political, business, education, and civic leaders, and the general public, are showing enthusiastic interest and involvement in sustainability, capacity-building and investment in the authentic and unique assets that Wisconsin possesses in abundance.

• Educating our children for the 21st century workforce and world will be a major issue in 2010, and the arts are an important part of that conversation. 2008’s Wisconsin Task Force on Arts and Creativity in Education, co-chaired by Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton and former State Superintendent for Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster, called for increased investment in the arts and creativity as part of a quality education for all Wisconsin students. Task Force efforts and more research on the state of the arts in education in Wisconsin will continue and grow in 2010.

• Nationally, President and Mrs. Obama have demonstrated in this first year in office that they are actively engaged in and recognize the importance of the arts, arts education, and community engagement for all Americans. The new Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, Rocco Landesman, is a pro-active advocate who brings great energy and enthusiasm to the job and is already starting to shake things up in Washington and across the country. A few weeks ago, the Endowment released a report on the agency’s 2008 survey of public participation in the arts showing that the ways in which people participate in the arts are changing dramatically, and confirming the need for creative thinking and action about local and national arts and cultural infrastructure, programming and partnerships. There will be a lot of discussion around the report and how Americans have participated and will participate in the arts, in the year ahead. Arts Wisconsin will keep you up to date on and involved with that important conversation.

In closing: 2010 has got to be better than 2009, and indeed, most analysts are (cautiously) predicting a better financial picture for the year ahead. Let’s all do our part to make it a better year in the arts. Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and get to work with a renewed sense of purpose and enthusiasm. Decision-makers and the people in your community are ready to become involved with our strong message, unified efforts, and collaborative spirit. In 2010, it’s in your best interest to be informed and involved because the success of these efforts means more resources (i.e., more money and visibility) for you, your work and your community. Please keep Arts Wisconsin up to date on what’s happening in your world, and we will keep you engaged in statewide and global news, issues, trends and actions. Please make sure that your colleagues and friends are signed on to our Legislative Action Center, to keep up to date and in touch!

Have a wonderful and happy new year. Thanks for all you do. We look forward to working with you and for you in 2010.

The Business Journal says, “Monday night was the deadline for Journal Sentinel newsroom staff to apply for the buyout; newsroom managers will make the final decision on which applications to accept. However, Greg Pearson, who is the president of the newsroom employees union, said about 30 people have applied.”

Wow!  What does the loss of all of those seasoned, thoughtful arts reporters and critics mean for Milwaukee’s arts sector and the community overall?   I sure don’t know right at the moment…but I’m pondering this and so should we all.

Click here for the full story.  And, listen to Tom Strini’s 7/28 WUWM “Lake Effect” interview with Bonnie North – he talks about this issue at length and his words are worth hearing.

Rocco Landesman

A recent New York Times article on Rocco Landesman, nominated to be Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, noted the tumultuous years for the National Endowment for the Arts when the “national conversation” about the arts in our society focused more on defining art than on ensuring access to the arts for all Americans.  Landesman seems to have the right “bones” for the job – he’s known as a dynamo who gets what he wants, and that attitude will surely help bring more visibility to the agency.  We in the community arts world want to make sure that he understands and supports the arts at the grassroots as well as at the “grasstops.”    We’ll do our best to educate him about all that’s happening in Wisconsin.  Confirmation hearings start in August.

Click here for the article: For New Leader of the Arts Endowment, Lessons From a Shaky Past .

First Lady:  Exposure to the arts is essential

San Francisco Chronicle

By JOCELYN NOVECK,
AP National Writer
Friday, July 24, 2009