All Posts By

Samantha Ortega

Jun 05
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New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation: A Story of Arts, Culture, and Opportunity placed on a red and blue square with a picture of the Jazz Fest in the background.

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation: A Story of Arts, Culture, and Opportunity

By CaFE, GO, Grants, Technology, WESTAF News, ZAPP
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation is a multi-faceted organization that spearheads music education, community engagement, and cultural preservation in Louisiana. Most famously, the Foundation owns and operates the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, a renowned annual showcase of musical performances, arts and crafts marketplaces, and local culinary delights. With an impressive attendance of over 460,000 individuals spanning seven days in April and May, the festival invigorates New Orleans, transforming it into a dynamic hub of cultural expression. The festival’s proceeds also play a pivotal role in funding the Foundation's wide range of programs, which encompass music education,...
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Jun 22
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Mackenzie Scott Quote

WESTAF Receives Transformational Gift from MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett

By WESTAF News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Leah Horn 303.629.1166 leah.horn@westaf.org DENVER, CO—The Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) is the recipient of a one-time, unrestricted gift of $8 Million from MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett. The gift is part of a new round of 286 grants from the philanthropists, totaling $2.74 billion.   In her most recent post, Mackenzie Scott writes: “Arts and cultural institutions can strengthen communities by transforming spaces, fostering empathy, reflecting community identity, advancing economic mobility, improving academic outcomes, lowering crime rates, and improving mental health, so we evaluated smaller arts organizations creating these benefits with artists and audiences from culturally...
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Jun 17
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WESTAF Now Newsletter | June 2021

By Newsletter
ARP INTENT TO APPLY NOW OPEN                   American Rescue Plan Fund for Organizations Now Accepting Intents to Apply With support from the National Endowment for the Arts (Arts Endowment), WESTAF will manage the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Fund for Organizations. WESTAF ARP is a competitive grant program that provides general operating support to arts and cultural organizations in the West that are most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In alignment with Arts Endowment priorities, WESTAF ARP will focus on funding to organizations that serve and/or are led by Black, Indigenous, and People of...
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Jun 15
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NEA Big Read Grant

14 Western Organizations Receive National Endowment for the Arts Big Read Grants

By Grants, WESTAF News
Fourteen organizations in the WESTAF region are part of a group of 61 organizations nationwide selected to receive a 2021-2022 NEA Big Read grant. An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. Read the Full Release
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May 07
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WESTAF Now Newsletter | April 2021

By Newsletter
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY & INCLUSION            2021 Emerging Leaders of Color Program Virtual Convening Since 2010, WESTAF's Emerging Leaders of Color program has convened nearly 100 racially and ethnically diverse leaders working in the arts in the western United States for high-level leadership seminars that have impacted the field of arts administration. Due to the pandemic and necessary modifications, the 2021 ELC program was moved to an online format. The virtual convening took place March 18-19 and 22-24, 2021, with 17 participants representing all 13 states in the region, our largest ever cohort. The program, led by...
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May 07
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6 Can't Miss Public Art Stops of the Southwest

WESTAF’s CVSuite™ and Public Art Archive™ Announce 6 Can’t-Miss Public Art Stops of the Southwest

By Special Projects, WESTAF News
New Creative Vitality™ List showcases creative cities with full public art collections  DENVER, CO, May 7, 2021—Following up on its Top 10 Music Cities and 30 Most Creative Small Cities lists, Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), a nonprofit arts service organization and leading provider of innovative web services for the arts, is excited to announce the newest Creative Vitality List: 6 Can’t-Miss Public Art Stops of the Southwest.  The third in a series of data-driven lists that profile and celebrate the arts, culture, and creativity of America's most vital and vibrant places and spaces, 6 Can’t-Miss Public Art Stops of...
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Mar 24
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Anika Kiwinana

WESTAF Welcomes New Director of Social Responsibility and Inclusion Anika Tené

By Staff, WESTAF News
Anika Tené will join WESTAF in early April 2021 as director of social responsibility and inclusion, to inform and develop a range of equity-centered learning experiences that connect and inspire leaders and communities to build a more inclusive arts and culture sector. Anika joins WESTAF from her position as manager of national education initiatives at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where she has worked since 2018. There, Anika ensured that arts professionals were equipped with relevant professional learning and support as they sought to provide equitable access to the arts among public school students. This work...
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Mar 23
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Emerging Leaders of Color

WESTAF Welcomes the 2021 Emerging Leaders of Color Cohort

By Programs, WESTAF News
Since 2010, WESTAF's Emerging Leaders of Color program has convened nearly 100 racially and ethnically diverse leaders working in the arts in the western United States for high-level leadership seminars that have impacted the field of arts administration. Due to the ongoing pandemic and necessary program modifications, we moved our 2021 ELC program online. The virtual convening is currently underway, taking place March 18-19 and 22-24, 2021. We are pleased to announce that the following participants have been selected for WESTAF’s 2021 Emerging Leaders of Color program. 2021 Emerging Leaders of Color Cohort Delbert Anderson, Artist/Educator, DDAT Management | San...
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