This is the 106th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF. WESTAF Board of Trustees Meet in Denver Members of WESTAF’s board of trustees met October 23-24 in Denver. The meeting opened with a dinner at the historic Brown Palace Hotel that all WESTAF staff were invited to attend in order to build and deepen authentic relationships between trustees and staff. The meeting also included a gallery session, a “science fair”-style gathering designed to strengthen trustee and staff connections as we move ahead with our 10-year strategic plan. During the hour-long session, trustees visited six…
This is the 105th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF. 2019 Emerging Leaders of Color Program WESTAF’s ninth Emerging Leaders of Color (ELC) program will take place October 7-9 in Denver. WESTAF will host 15 ELC alumni for this year’s convening. Alumni participants include: Christy NaMee Eriksen (Alaska), Yvonne Montoya (Arizona), Abraham Flores (California), Laili Gohartaj (California), Mariana Moscoso (California), Alexandria Jimenez (Colorado), Julz Bolinayen Ignacio (Washington/Hawai‘i), Anastacio Del Real (Nevada), Michelle Patrick (Nevada), Sandra Margarita Ward (Nevada), Gabrielle Uballez (New Mexico), Candace Kita (Oregon), Humberto Marquez Mendez (Oregon), Renato Olmedo-González (Utah), and Moana…
This is the 104th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF. Update on Alaska State Council on the Arts Many of you are aware of the situation in Alaska. For those who have not been tracking the issue, on Friday, June 28, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy cut $444 million from Alaska’s state operating budget, slashing services in addition to the cuts already made by the Alaska Legislature—an action that effectively eliminated the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Absent of state sales or income tax, funding for public services in Alaska is derived from oil…
This is the 103rd in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF. Multicultural Advisory Committee Meeting in Seattle WESTAF’s Multicultural Advisory Committee (MAC) had a productive meeting in Seattle April 16-17. The Committee was joined by Washington-based WESTAF trustees as well as cultural leaders from various Seattle-based organizations, including LANGSTON, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, and the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. The conversation focused on the importance and impact of a sustained investment in racial and social justice work and the need for cultural organizations rooted in community to inform…
WESTAF Update Notes #102 | March 2019 From Leah Horn, Director of Communications, WESTAF This is the 102nd in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF. More Improvements to CaFE In February, the CaFE website got a refreshed look and feel. The visual improvements are the culmination of a year-long effort by the CaFE team to deliver what artists have been asking for most: improved application workflow, cleaner and brighter buttons, accessibility-friendly colors and font sizes, and site-wide responsive pages. Now artists can explore, filter, and favorite calls while on the go and can also prepare…
WESTAF Update Notes #101 | January 2019 From Leah Horn, Director of Communications, WESTAF This is the 101st in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF. Update on Emerging Leaders of Color Program 2018 In the fall of 2018, WESTAF hosted 13 arts administrators for its seventh annual professional development program for emerging leaders of color. The program was facilitated by faculty Margie Johnson Reese, a longtime national arts leader; Salvador Acevedo, Vice President of Culture Strategy for the San Francisco-based innovation strategy consulting firm Scansion; and Tamara Alvarado, Executive Director at the Leo M….
WESTAF Update Notes #99 | September 2018 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director This is the 99th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF. WESTAF Announces Inclusion and Equity Advancement Services In 2043, the country’s population will tip toward a white minority. As nonprofit and public-sector arts organizations take on the challenge of exploring how to serve a broad constituency and effectively address community needs and concerns, WESTAF is introducing inclusion and equity advancement services to provide assistance and guidance in this area. A long-time advocate for equity across the field and a thought leader with a…