CAA News Today
Participate in the 2008 Global Candlelight Vigil
posted by Christopher Howard — March 01, 2008
Saving Antiquities for Everyone (SAFE) and Donny George, former director of the Iraq Museum and former president of the Iraq State Board of Antiquities, invite you to participate in the 2008 Global Candlelight Vigil to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2003 looting of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad.
In the five years since this terrible event, nearly half the missing works have been recovered. Yet thousands of Iraq Museum artifacts remain at large. Meanwhile, museums around the world are increasingly confronted by security challenges, and rampant looting at archaeological sites continues unabated around the world.
“Now is the time for people and museum professionals to gather together: to remember the events of 2003 and take steps to ensure that no museum in the world suffers a similar fate,” says George, who is now a visiting professor at Stony Brook University.
In a global call to action, George urges museum directors and staff, university faculty and students, and citizens around the world to use the fifth anniversary of the looting of the Iraq Museum as an opportunity to reenergize our efforts to protect the world’s cultural heritage.
Museums are encouraged to treat April 10-12, 2008, every year as a time to conduct security audits and update their internal risk management and due diligence practices. Likewise, universities are invited to use these three days every year for education and public awareness about the academic, ethical, and legal consequences of the destruction of cultural heritage with classroom projects, panel discussions, symposiums, or exhibitions.
The SAFE website offers suggestions for universities, museums, community groups, and others to plan an event of any size. SAFE Candlelight Vigil Kits offer a wealth of resources, including the DVD documentary Robbing the Cradle of Civilization: The Looting of Iraq’s Ancient Treasures (Canadian Broadcasting Company) or the documentary Thieves of Baghdad (Al Jazeera). Other relevant videos, such as a Charlie Rose interview with George from 2007, can be used, and SAFE also provides publicity tools.
Hosting a vigil in your community is easy:
• Choose a location and time on April 10, 11, or 12
• Schedule your event and post it to the Host a Vigil section of the SAFE website so that members of your community can learn of it and attend
• Use e-cards, customizable announcement flyers, buttons, posters, postcards, and the press-release template to help publicize your vigil
• Distribute the Candlelight Vigil brochure for distribution at your event. The brochure is being developed in conjunction with the exhibition Catastrophe! The Looting and Destruction of Iraq’s Past at the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago
• Gather with friends, family, colleagues, professors, and students. Pause for a moment of silence and light a candle. Discuss the destruction of cultural heritage and looting of ancient sites around the world, fueled by the global trade in illicit antiquities
• Document your vigil with digital photographs or video and send them to SAFE. We will use them in a compilation Video Memorial that includes gatherings from around the world
• You may also choose to light a virtual candle and add your name to the list of other supporters
For more information about the 2008 Global Candlelight Vigil for the Iraq Museum, contact us. Also join our e-mail list to receive periodic newsletters about SAFE activities.
SAFE is a nonprofit organization that creates educational programs and media campaigns to raise public awareness about the importance of preserving cultural heritage worldwide. Having no political affiliations, SAFE is a coalition of professionals in communications, media, and advertising working alongside experts in the academic, legal, and law enforcement communities.
President’s Budget Requests $271,246,000 for IMLS
posted by Christopher Howard — February 15, 2008
President George W. Bush’s budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2009 seeks $271,246,000 for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The request, which was released February 4 by the White House, represents an increase of $26,023,000, or 10.6 percent, over the FY 2008 enacted level for the institute’s programs and administration.
Highlights of the IMLS budget request include the following:
$214,432,000 for library grant programs, an increase of $14,469,000 from the FY 2008 appropriation for the same purposes. This includes an increase of $10.6 million for the Grants to States program, bringing it to $171,500,000. This amount will enable the full implementation of a law passed in 2003 to provide a more equitable distribution of state formula grants. The request also includes $26,500,000 for the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program.
$39,897,000 for museum grants, an increase of $8.6 million from the FY 2008 appropriation for the same purposes. The request includes $3.8 million for Conservation Project support, $22.2 million for Museums for America, $2.1 million for 21st Century Museum Professionals, and $1.35 million for Museum Grants for African American History and Culture.
This request includes $2.5 million for collecting public-library and state-library statistics, $500,000 to launch a pilot program on museum data collection, and $1 million to study and report on the state of libraries and museums in the United States.
You can download two PDF documents detailing the institute’s appropriations history and budget information: IMLS Appropriations History 1998-2009 and IMLS Requested and Enacted Budgets 2006-9.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development.
Participants Sought for March Hearings on Museum Funding
posted by Christopher Howard — January 15, 2008
Avid museum goers, community leaders, museum professionals, and individuals who have encountered barriers to museum-going are encouraged to make their views known at one of three public hearings on the use of public funds for museums, announced Anne-Imelda Radice, director of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The institute is the primary source of federal funding for the nation’s museums and libraries.
“In order to fully understand the impact of public funds for museums, we must hear from interested members of the public on the use of taxpayers’ dollars for these cultural institutions,” Radice said.
IMLS is particularly interested in testimony from school coordinators, older people, special-needs groups, and directors of cultural tours. IMLS would also like to hear from leaders who can speak about the use of public funds for cultural purposes based on their understanding of county, state, and federal budgets and their experiences with any and all kinds of museums, including art, history, natural history, and children’s museums, as well as planetariums, science centers, gardens, and zoos.
Hearings will be held at three locations in March:
March 10, 2008: Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio
March 12, 2008: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri
March 14, 2008: Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, California
Radice and members of the National Museum and Library Services Board will listen to both formal and informal testimony. With the testifiers’ permission, testimony will be recorded and used as part of a report on the public funding of museums that will be released in summer 2008.
The public hearings are the last in a series of IMLS’s information-gathering efforts designed to determine the sources and uses of public funds for museums. Also part of the effort is a rigorous examination by the Urban Institute, which, through a cooperative agreement with IMLS, has gathered information about public funding for museums through a national survey as well as through individual interviews with museum professionals and museum funders in selected states, in order to compare the impact of different funding mechanisms. All the information gathered, including the perspectives from the public, will be part of the IMLS report.
To participate in the public hearings, please contact Mamie Bittner or Celeste Colgan. For more information on the IMLS Museum Study, see www.imls.gov/news/2008/012208_bkg.shtm.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development.
Arts Advocacy Day and Humanities Advocacy Day
posted by Christopher Howard — January 15, 2008
As a national cosponsor of Arts Advocacy Day and Humanities Advocacy Day, CAA encourages its members to participate in one or both of these important advocacy events, held annually in Washington, DC.
Arts Advocacy Day, taking place Monday and Tuesday, March 31-April 1, 2008, brings together a broad cross-section of America’s national cultural organizations to underscore the importance of developing strong public policies and appropriating increased public funding for the arts, the humanities, and arts education, as well as for other programs within the federal government that have an impact on the visual and performing arts.
Humanities Advocacy Day, administered by the National Humanities Alliance (NHA), takes place Monday and Tuesday, March 3-4, 2008. This event provides a unique opportunity for concerned citizens to communicate to Congress the vital importance of federal support for research and education in the humanities. The NHA’s annual conference also takes place during this time.
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Copyright Case
posted by Christopher Howard — January 15, 2008
The United States Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of Kahle v. Ashcroft, brought by Internet Archive and Open Content Alliance founders Brewster Kahle and Rick Prelinger in 2003, which challenged the constitutionality of the current copyright regime. Although not unexpected, the Supreme Court’s refusal comes after a recent ruling by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals raised hopes of a review and lets stand the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ rejection, effectively ending the case.
Read the full article in the Library Journal.
2007 Arts Advocacy Day and Humanities Advocacy Day
posted by Christopher Howard — December 01, 2007
As a national cosponsor of Arts Advocacy Day and Humanities Advocacy Day, CAA encourages its members to participate in both of these important advocacy events, held annually in Washington, DC.
Arts Advocacy Day, occurring Monday and Tuesday, March 12-13, 2007, brings together a broad cross-section of America’s national cultural organizations to underscore the importance of developing strong public policies and appropriating increased public funding for the arts, the humanities, and arts education, as well as for other programs within the federal government that have an impact on the visual and performing arts.
Humanities Advocacy Day, administered by the National Humanities Alliance, takes place Monday and Tuesday, March 26-27, 2007. This event provides a unique opportunity for concerned citizens to communicate to Congress the vital importance of federal support for research and education in the humanities.
If you are interested in joining other CAA members at either of these events, please e-mail Laurel Peterson.
Join Americans for the Arts’ Cultural Policy Listserv
posted by Christopher Howard — October 15, 2007
Interested in receiving the latest policy-relevant arts and culture news, sent directly to your e-mail inbox? The Cultural Policy listserv, operated by Americans for the Arts, is the ideal way to spot emerging trends, track ongoing issues, and connect to a world of news and ideas. In each weekly update you’ll also get information on upcoming conferences, events, and news from colleague organizations.
Just click on the listserv link above, provide your name and e-mail address, then click the “Join now” button. You can unsubscribe at any time, and Americans for the Arts promises not to give your name or contact information to other organizations.
Based in Washington, DC, and New York, Americans for the Arts is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for promoting and advancing the arts in America. With forty-five years of service, it is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts.
Capwiz E-Advocacy
posted by Christopher Howard — August 25, 2007
Americans for the Arts, a national organization that supports the arts through private and public resource development, maintains Capwiz, an online tool that makes it easy for you to play an active role in arts-advocacy efforts at the state, local, and federal levels. E-advocacy is an easy, timely, and efficient way to communicate your views to legislators at all levels of government, and Capwiz provides the information you need to take action. Use it, and use it often–elected officials respect and respond to the input of their constituents.
Capwiz offers you extensive opportunities to:
• Explore current issues and legislation that affect the arts on both federal and state levels of government
• Send timely messages to your elected officials at the state, local, and federal levels
• Browse your legislators’ biographies, committee assignments, staff directories, and the list of contributions made to them by political action committees
• View the arts voting records of your federal representatives
• Browse a complete media guide to newspaper, television, and radio outlets in your area or state
• Find complete, up-to-the-minute election and candidate information on state, congressional, and presidential races, including candidate biographies and position statements
• Download voter registration forms and stay abreast of key dates for primary and general elections
Capwiz E-Advocacy
posted by Christopher Howard — August 15, 2007
Americans for the Arts, a national organization that supports the arts through private and public resource development, maintains Capwiz,
an online tool that makes it easy for you to play an active role in
arts-advocacy efforts at the state, local, and federal levels.
E-advocacy is an easy, timely, and efficient way to communicate your
views to legislators at all levels of government, and Capwiz provides
the information you need to take action. Use it, and use it
often–elected officials respect and respond to the input of their
constituents.
Capwiz offers you extensive opportunities to:
• Explore current issues and legislation that affect the arts on both federal and state levels of government
• Send timely messages to your elected officials at the state, local, and federal levels
• Browse your legislators’ biographies, committee assignments, staff
directories, and the list of contributions made to them by political
action committees
• View the arts voting records of your federal representatives
• Browse a complete media guide to newspaper, television, and radio outlets in your area or state
• Find complete, up-to-the-minute election and candidate information on
state, congressional, and presidential races, including candidate
biographies and position statements
• Download voter registration forms and stay abreast of key dates for primary and general elections
Art Law Blogs
posted by Christopher Howard — July 15, 2007
Two websites, the Law Portal and the Art Law Blog, publish on issues of importance to the intersections of art and the law.
The Law Portal provides access to primers–relatively brief summaries of the law for nonlawyers–on legal matters that affect the arts, artists, and arts institutions. The materials have been created by a wide variety of nonprofit organizations, government entities, and for-profit businesses. The Law Portal was created by Sandra Braman at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation.
The Art Law Blog is written by Donn Zaretsky and published by John Silberman Associates, a New York-based law firm. It follows the art and legal worlds by linking to published articles and commenting on issues of copyright, artists and art institutions, and more.
CAA provides descriptions of the two websites for general-information purposes only; the websites do not constitute legal advice or reflect CAA policy, guidelines, or recommendations. If you have specific legal questions, please contact an intellectual-property attorney.