First Steps for Artists in Creating Artist-Driven Archives
The hows and whys of getting started in planning and building your own artist-driven archive.
Choreographing Archives: An Artist-Driven Approach
Traditionally artists have donated their archival
materials to institutional repositories once they reach the final stages
of their careers. But with the advent of technology, the change in archival institutions and funding, this model is beginning to shift as more artists
see the value of holding onto their collections. Read on to learn why this generation of artists is seeking new ways to preserve their materials and how a few have initiated the process.
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Michael Kaiser: Exit Interview, part 2
Michael Kaiser, the outgoing president of the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., talks
candidly about the state of the dance field, funding, American dance
abroad,
challenges and perceptions, and his love of baseball and baking. In
September 2014, he leaves the Kennedy Center to bring the DeVos
Institute of Arts Management to University of Maryland
joining the College of Arts and Humanities’ Clarice Smith Performing
Arts Center, a leading national arts incubator. This is the second part of his conversation with Dance/USA.
Michael Kaiser: Exit Interview, part 1
Michael Kaiser, the outgoing president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., talks
candidly about the state of the dance field, funding, American dance abroad,
challenges and perceptions, and his love of baseball and baking. In September 2014, he leaves the Kennedy Center to bring the DeVos Institute of Arts Management to University of Maryland
joining the College of Arts and Humanities’ Clarice Smith Performing
Arts Center, a leading national arts incubator.Â
Working Internationally: More Than Just Touring With a Passport
Working abroad holds an enormous catalogue of
benefits for American artists and our nation: increased visibility;
expanded marketplaces; enrichment of the art form through global
exposure; decreased insularity; plus the more elusive contribution that
dance enhances public diplomacy between our country and the world. While many
dance organizations are eager to work abroad, lack of knowledge and resources can make it difficult to happen. Read on for more on bridging the passport divide.
Writer, Educator, and Speaker Liz Lerman Receives Dance/USA Honor
Liz Lerman is a performer, choreographer, writer, educator, and
speaker. She has been described as “the source of an epochal revolution
in the scope and purposes of dance art” by The Washington Post.
Her aesthetic approach spans the range from abstract to personal to
political. This month Lerman receives the 2014 Dance/USA Honor Award
during the organization’s annual conference in Minneapolis.
David Brown: Danseur Noble, Administrator Extraordinaire
D. David Brown has had an illustrious career, first on stage and as a second act he spent two decades at Boston Ballet as production manager, general manager, and executive, before moving over to Pacific Northwest Ballet. At Dance/USA’s 2014 annual conference, Brown will receive Dance/USA’s Ernie
Award (named for Ian “Ernie” Horvath). The award is given to an
individual working “behind the scenes” in the dance field to empower
artists.
Toward a New Definition of Arts Administrator
You might have heard the saying: “Those who can, do; those who can’t,
teach.” In fact, if you’ve worked in the arts, not only have you most
likely heard this, but you might also consider what I feel is the
implied third part of this phrase, “Those who can’t do either,
administrate.” This article is ultimately about arts administrators; read on for more.
Balancing Acts: Dancers and Their Experiences With Motherhood
George Balanchine didn’t hide his disapproval of dancers having
children. Doubtless, such
overt pressure from a director would not fly anymore, but many issues
that more indirectly discourage parenthood have not changed. Dancers
still deal with issues like taking parental leave, juggling child care,
physical recovery from childbirth, and health care.
Sugary Deals, Dissolving Dance Troupes and the Riddle of Accessibility
While the River to River Festival in Lower Manhattan and on Governor’s Island offers artists who participate welcome
exposure to the public, these performances, sponsored by the Lower
Manhattan Cultural Council and its dance-loving president, Sam Miller,
were also implicated in a real-estate scheme meant to lure
culturally sophisticated (i.e., wealthy) audiences into parts of the
city earmarked for development, but still blighted in the aftermath of
Hurricane Sandy.