WESTAF Update Notes #83 | May 2015 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director This is the 83rd in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF Visit Our Exhibitor Table at the AFTA Convention in Chicago Several WESTAF staff will be attending the Americans for the Arts Convention June 12-14, in Chicago. We invite you to stop by our table and say hello! Program, technical, management, and sales staff will be available to answer questions about current WESTAF projects and to provide updates on some of our latest projects as well. This year’s table will feature the recently launched...
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WESTAF Update Notes #82 | March 2015 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director This is the 82nd in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF WESTAF-Region Arts Advocates Convene in Washington, DC For the fourth consecutive year, WESTAF brought 50 arts advocates to Washington for an advocacy and leadership seminar. The purpose of the seminar was for participants to learn more about federal arts funding and also for them to communicate the value of federal support for the arts to their members of Congress. The meeting opened with a presentation by political strategist and former Obama campaign official...
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WESTAF Update Notes #81 | December 2014 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director This is the 81st in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF WESTAF Convenes Emerging Arts Leaders of Color In early October, WESTAF hosted its fourth annual Emerging Leaders of Color Professional Development Seminar. The program brings together diverse cultural leaders recognized for their professional achievements and also their strong commitment to advancing the arts in the region. Coursework and activities are designed to strengthen competencies and prepare participants for leadership positions in the field. The coursework is also designed to deepen participants’ understanding of...
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WESTAF Update Notes #80 | July 2014 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director This is the 80th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF Resolutions Project Prepares for Public Launch To help state leaders understand how to make more and better use of their state arts agencies, WESTAF has launched the Resolutions Project. The project is designed to inform elected officials and other leaders of ways they can partner with state arts agencies around education reform, economic development, tourism development, and other key state agenda items. Currently, the project is being introduced to the governing boards of the...
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WESTAF Update Notes #79 | April 2014 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director This is the 79th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF Introducing the Creative Vitality™ Suite Building on the success of its Creative Vitality™ Index, a decade-long research project on the arts and creative economy, WESTAF is launching a new online data tool for measuring the creative economy. The new Creative Vitality™ Suite provides easy and instant access to creative jobs and industry data, cultural nonprofit financial data, workforce demographic information, and state arts agency granting data. Interactive maps and professional reporting tools in the...
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WESTAF Update Notes #78 | January 2014 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director This is the 78th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF Initial Participants in WESTAF’s 15th Cultural Policy Symposium Announced In collaboration with the California Arts Council, WESTAF will sponsor its 2014 symposium, Creativity and Innovation in Public Education. This 15th gathering of arts and policy experts will convene March 3-5 at architect Frank Gehry’s studio in Santa Monica. Gehry will also present the opening symposium address. Confirmed symposium participants include: James S. Catterall, Director, Centers for Research on Creativity, Professor Emeritus, University of...
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WESTAF Update Notes #77 | October 2013 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director This is the 77th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF WESTAF and Barry’s Blog Host Dinner-Vention On September 6, 2013, WESTAF’s Dinner-Vention project brought 12 young, influential, and diverse arts leaders together for dinner and a discussion of critical issues facing the arts sector. The dinner took place at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program facilities in Woodside, California. Margot Knight, a former WESTAF Trustee and current director of the Djerassi organization, made the Djerassi location and co-sponsorship possible. The Dinner-Vention was created and organized...
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WESTAF Update Notes #76 | June 2013 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director This is the 76th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF CaFÉ™ Launches More User-Requested Enhancements WESTAF’s CaFÉ system recently released a new “Letters of Reference” feature, which allows organizations to accept formal letters of reference and letters of recommendation as part of their application requirements. With this new capability, CaFÉ can now be used for graduate school portfolio admissions, grant, fellowship, and scholarship awards–as well as any other application process in which formal letters of reference may be required. For more information about...
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WESTAF Update Notes #75 | April 2013 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director This is the 75th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF ZAPP Announces New Enhancements and 2013 Arts Festival Conference Location In March, the ZAPP® system launched a series of significant enhancements for both artists and festival administrator users. The improved artist interface employs a sleeker, modern look and convenient ways to interact with the art festival community. Artists also enjoy smarter ways to locate and easily apply to shows, including a searchable calendar, improved keyword search, and the ability to mark shows as...
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WESTAF Update Notes #74 | February 2013 From Anthony Radich, Executive Director This is the 74th in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF WESTAF Introduces YouJudgeIt.org™ The WESTAF technology team and project administrators have been working to rebuild and expand some key WESTAF technology offerings. Major improvements are underway to the heavily used arts sites ZAPPlication.org®, CallForEntry.org™, and GO:GrantsOnline.org™. While working on improvements to these projects, the technology staff has also been developing a new site called YouJudgeIt.org™. YouJudgeIt is designed especially for the smallest arts organization, the thriftiest church group, and the most under-resourced community fair....
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