General

Written in a conversational tone that resonates with energy and wisdom, Living the Artist’s Life is a unique book. Relying on a lifetime of experience, and a host of enlightening anecdotes, Dorrell keeps you engaged through each chapter. Whether instructing on how to photograph your work and get it into a gallery, or discussing subjects such as inspiration, depression and self-doubt, Dorrell knows his ground. He also relates the stories of his own failures, his successes, and his dealings with New York agents and publishers, Dorrell being a novelist as well as a gallery owner. Regardless of your discipline, you will benefit from the real-life guidance of this work.

Learn about the changes in Washington by following Americans for the Arts Action Fund’s complete coverage of the federal elections and its impact on the arts in both legislative chambers, including the incoming administration’s comprehensive plans for arts and arts education.

New York City’s MOMA design curator Paola Antonelli describes the Spring 2008 groundbreaking show “Design and the Elastic Mind” — full of products and designs that reflect the way we think now. The exhibit examines the work of designers and scientists and the connections between the two. Presented by TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), an organization that began as an annual conference on the California coast concerned with new and innovative ideas.

The Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI) released newly developed Smart and Ethical Principles and Practices for Public Interest Lobbying. The four principles and 17 practices serve as benchmarking tools that nonprofits can use to assess their current lobbying activities and set goals for their future lobbying efforts. A group of nonprofit leaders worked for 18 months to develop the principles and practices in response to the need for nonprofits to claim public interest lobbying as an honorable and effective strategy for advancing their missions.

Sally Steenland, Senior Policy Adviser for Faith and Progressive Policy at Center for American Progress, moderated a CAP panel on Tuesday about the role of arts and culture in the United States. The event featured Robert Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, and Bill Ivey, former head of the National Endowment for the Arts and author of Arts, Inc.: How Greed and Neglect Have Destroyed Our Cultural Rights. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) gave opening remarks and also participated in the panel.

Ivey’s book was the focus of the panel discussion. The panelists contributed to a definition of culture, which they saw as broader than “Culture”–often considered as limited to the opera, symphony, and ballet. Instead, the panelists defined culture with a small “c” as encompassing a rich national heritage and the capacity for each individual to have an expressive life.  The panelists agreed that federal policy concerning the arts was not the major solution to preserving a shared cultural heritage and strengthening cultural expression. Grassroots participation and activism was crucial as well. 

They differed regarding one of the major recommendations in Ivey’s book: the creation of a federal cabinet-level Department of Cultural Affairs that would provide an integrated approach to cultural legislation, regulation, and funding. While Lynch agreed that it might be a good idea to appoint an official to deal with cultural matters in a coherent way, Rep. Cooper stressed that they had to “get real about the politics” and delineate the problems before urging such a big change Finally, the panel looked to the environmental movement as a guide for what can happen when big ideas and detailed policy are used to achieve common goals.

Video and full transcript available.