Joni Maya Cherbo

On Valuing The Arts

(2007). On Valuing The Arts. The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society: Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 170-172.

Financial Support for Individual Artists

The fact that information on approximately ten years of support for individuals (1990–2000) has been maintained by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), state and local arts agencies, and foundations has enabled us to track trends, gross amounts, and other factors related to funding for artists. Data were available for only three years from regional arts agencies (1998–2000). No comprehensive data existed on financial assistance from service and trade organizations or artists’ residencies. For these sources, we used discrete samples or examples, or created small samples to arrive at a sense of how they might contribute to artists’ financial assistance. Significant funding for artists comes from sources other than direct financial aid. However, data for such funding are primarily anecdotal and not tallied

An Initiative to Facilitate International Cultural Exchanges: The RCCE Project

With the onset of the Obama administration we have witnessed a move to redefine our relations with the world predicated on developing greater mutual understanding and respect. Concomitantly, many books, articles, and conferences emanating from the federal government and private sector have emerged addressing this topic, some of which have been noted in this issue of the Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society. There are concerted beliefs that if we are to become better citizens of this increasingly interconnected planet we must learn to live together with greater understanding, respect, and cooperation; that traditional diplomacy attempts to promote U.S. democracy and way of life along with military power are increasingly becoming limited tools for creating better international relations; and that increased intercultural engagements are crucial, if underutilized, tools in the creation of a better and more stable world. If we truly believe in the efficacy of culture as a tool in the creation of a better and more stable world, perhaps the time is ripe to put muscle behind this belief by developing a Web 2.0 mechanism that would create an improved infrastructure for facilitating international exchanges worldwide. The arts and humanities bring people together. They can illuminate cultural differences in a favorable light and create safe havens for the presentation of potentially divisive issues. Bringing diverse peoples and practices together can enhance creativity, create communities of shared interest, and increase cultural employment. Arts and humanities programs can also help mitigate against the horrors of war, genocide, ethnic conflicts, and population displacement. In the U.S., the infrastructure for international cultural engagements is sorely lacking. We do not know how many entities, whether public, private, or corporate, are engaged in these exchanges; nor do we have an easily accessible means of finding out who is doing what, where, when, with what goals in mind, and with what measure of success (or failure).