WESTAF Update Notes #73 | December 2012
From Anthony Radich, Executive Director
This is the 73rd in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF
Public Art Archive™ Announces Partnership with Laumeier
WESTAF has developed a partnership with Laumeier Sculpture Park in Saint Louis to support the advancement of the public art field through technology and especially through the Public Art Archive project. Laumeier is one of the nation’s premier outdoor sculpture parks–with works by Niki de Saint Phalle, Sol LeWitt, Vito Acconci, Mary Miss, and Mark di Suvero–and is accredited by the American Association of Museums. The park is directed by Marilu Knode, who previously served as associate director of future arts research at Arizona State University and senior curator of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Knode also has an appointment as the Aronson Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Initially, WESTAF and Laumeier will work on ways to expand the breadth and depth of WESTAF’s Public Art Archive project as a means of bolstering resources of the public art field. WESTAF looks forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Laumeier.
CaFÉ™ to Launch New User Interface
In November, WESTAF’s art adjudication website, CaFÉ (CallForEntry.org), launched site upgrades that expanded functionality and improved usability in the online scoring and image review processes. Additional upgrades will roll out in December. Some of these enhancements will benefit applicants, while others will expand the usability of the administrative side of the site. Also in store are an updated CaFÉ logo and new site landing page. Users will enjoy a fresh new look and feel and a more modern interface when they visit the new site.
WESTAF to Host Professional Development Meeting for Community Arts Administrators
WESTAF will convene community arts administrators in the West December 17-18 in Denver. Attendees will reflect on the state of the community arts field and discuss innovative strategies for field advancement. Emerging technologies for community arts management and recent policy and research work will be presented. Session presenter Carl Grodach, Professor of Public Policy at the University of Texas-Arlington, will discuss his current research on urban cultural policy in the United States and internationally. Jason Schupbach, Design Director for the National Endowment for the Arts, will discuss the NEA’s Our Town program and its relevance to community arts administrators. Richard Saxton, Creative Director of M12 Arts, and Kirstin Stoltz, Program Director of M12 Arts, will discuss the 2012 Our Town grant and their work with digital storytelling and rural arts. This session was organized with the assistance of Rob Lautz, community arts manager at the California Arts Council.
Seventh Consecutive Year of State Advocacy Funding Awarded
The WESTAF trustees are making a seventh year of advocacy funding available to support the work of the state arts agencies across the WESTAF region. Each state in the region is eligible to receive up to $10,000 to support advocacy on behalf of the state’s arts agency. In addition, WESTAF provides technology assistance to state arts advocacy efforts.
