Arts Alliance : All posts

Saline to host public meetings about possible art center

A new arts and culture hub may be in the works for Saline, and the city’s Arts and Culture committee is looking for community input.

The committee is hosting a public meeting from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24 at Stone Arch Arts and Events at 117 S. Ann Arbor St. in Saline to explore the idea. A second meeting will take place at the same time and location on Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Arts Alliance now accepting grant applications

The Arts Alliance recently announced that it's now accepting grant applications from nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in Washtenaw, Monroe and Livingston counties for the FY2013 Minigrant Program.

Organizations may request up to $4,000 to support programs, and up to $1,500 for professional and organizational development.

The deadline for applications is Monday, October 1, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. Proposed projects must take place between January 1, 2013 and September 30, 2013.

Ann Arbor City Council candidates: Where they stand on city's public art program

All eight candidates seeking seats on the Ann Arbor City Council took part in a recent debate hosted by the Ann Arbor Democratic Party. They also are voicing their opinions on public art in a new survey.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

The nonprofit Arts Alliance has released the results of a survey of local candidates running for office in the Aug. 7 primary, revealing their opinions about arts and culture.

Eighteen candidates running for everything from the Ann Arbor City Council to the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners to state representative took the survey, which highlighted a diversity of opinions on the city's Percent For Art Program.

Debra Polich named permanent executive director of Arts Alliance

The Arts Alliance, the nonprofit umbrella support group for arts and cultural organizations in Washtenaw County, has named a new executive director: Debra Polich, who has been the acting director and also heads Artrain.

Following is the text of the announcement:

Debra Polich named interim head of Arts Alliance

Debra Polich, the longtime director of Artrain, has accepted the post of interim executive director at the Arts Alliance following the departure of Susan Froelich.

According to an announcement today, Polich will "lead the organization as the board appointed transition team continues to consider strategic options for the organization."

Polich, currently president/CEO of Artrain, will split her time between the two organizations beginning Monday. Artrain's board voted to permit the shift.

Susan Froelich stepping down as head of Arts Alliance

Froelich has held the job for about a year, taking over from longtime president Tamara Real.

The Arts Alliance Board of Directors has created a transition team to consider how to proceed with the search for a new president. The alliance is an umbrella coordination and support group for Washtenaw County arts organizations, as well as a direct sponsor of its own events and projects.

Arts Alliance receives $10,000 grant

The MASCO Corporation Foundation recently awarded a $10,000 grant to The Arts Alliance in support of its local efforts with arts and education, serving as a community resource and for its Creative Connections networking programs.

"We are very pleased to receive this important vote of confidence and generous funding from the MASCO Corporation Foundation. With this contribution, MASCO continues to add its voice to many other organizations and individuals who support the Arts Alliance to express the importance of arts and culture in our community," said Susan Froelich, Arts Alliance president, in a press release. "We look forward to all that can be achieved in the year ahead with this important support."

Creative community 'converging' at the Arts Alliance's annual conference

Stakeholders in Washtenaw County’s arts and culture community will convene at “Convergence 2011: What’s Art Got to Do With It?” the Arts Alliance’s annual conference, on Sept. 20 from 11:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Eastern Michigan University Student Center. The conference will include a keynote address, breakout sessions, a panel discussion, and other activities on topics as diverse as the creative community itself.

Justin Fenwick, the Arts Alliance Community Outreach Manager, notes how “art touches every sector of society and business," he says. "It’s not just the artists and arts administrators. It’s much more expansive than that. The people and institutions that will be at “Convergence” run the whole gamut from writers, musicians, and artists, to business owners and entrepreneurs, large cultural nonprofits, and educational institutions. Artistic abilities can be applied to the worlds of business, healthcare, community engagement, everything.”

Arts Alliance names Susan Froelich president

Susan Froelich has been named president of the Arts Alliance, Washtenaw County's umbrella arts-support organization.

Froelich had been filling the job on an interim basis since January while the group's board sought a permanent replacement. That appointment was announced this afternoon.

Froelich is a past director of the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair and also former Exhibit Gallery director at the Ann Arbor Art Center. The Arts Alliance needed a new leader following the resignation of Tamara Real last fall.

Arts Alliance names interim president

Susan Froelich

The Arts Alliance, Washtenaw County's umbrella arts-support group, has named Susan Froelich as its interim president.

Froelich is a past director of the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair and also former Exhibit Gallery director at the Ann Arbor Art Center.

The Arts Alliance is seeking a new leader following the resignation of Tamara Real earlier this fall. The board plans to search for a permanent president in the new year.

Tamara Real resigning as head of Arts Alliance

Tamara Real

Tamara Real, Arts Alliance

The Arts Alliance, an umbrella group supporting Washtenaw County arts and culture, announced today that Tamara Real is stepping down as president of the group for family reasons.

Real has been with the group for eight years. The resignation takes effect Dec. 31, and the Arts Alliance board expects to name an interim president while it conducts a search for a permanent candidate.

Under Real's leadership, the Arts Alliance raised its profile substantially. The organization has worked to establish itself as a true support group for the arts throughout the county. In recent years it has organized major initiatives such as a countywide web portal for the arts; development of cultural master plans for the county and its individual communities; and sponsorship of an annual "Convergence" conference to discuss arts and culture issues.

The group also distributes local "minigrants" from the state Council for Arts and and Cultural Affairs, and this year it took over organization of the county's Art Walk.

The Arts Alliance's Convergence 2010 conference draws area artists and asks, 'Can art be a catalyst for change?'

A breakout session called "The Price is Right! Pricing and Selling Art"? A short talk titled "Don't Be Afraid to Make a Fool of Yourself"? A request to respond to local artists' displayed works by jotting down reactions and impressions, for the purposes of contributing to a community project poem?

These were sure signs that The Arts Alliance's second annual conference, Convergence, was under way at Eastern Michigan University's Student Center on Tuesday morning.

Arts Alliance releases details for Convergence 2010 conference

Derrick Ashong will be the keynote speaker at The Arts Alliance's Convergence 2010 conference.

Ashong has dedicated his life to building bridges between the fields of business, media, technology, youth culture, pop culture, and politics. The 35-year-old, Harvard-educated Ghana native is a highly respected musician, performer, and activist.

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Ann Arbor's annual 'Art Walk' goes countywide this weekend

Originally an Ann Arbor-based event, the 11th annual Art Walk has gone truly countywide. More than 60 artists, galleries, and venues in Washtenaw County are participating in this year’s weekend-long event, happening October 22 from 5 to 8 p.m. and from noon to 5 p.m. on October 23 and 24.

Over the course of the weekend, arts and crafts lovers can follow an Art Walk Map to exhibitions and special events at galleries and venues all over the county, and dozens of artists will open up their private studios to the public for rare glimpses of where all of the magic happens. In addition, the annually published Art Guide serves as a guide to art in Washtenaw County year-round.

Column

Help wanted: Creative thinkers to solve business problems

It's 2012 and a medical devices firm wants to expand into serving the needs of wounded veterans returning from the wars. It's 2015 and the board of a major Fortune 500 company is looking for a new CEO. It's 2020 and a conservative think tank needs a new director of security policy. What do these employers all have in common?

They're probably all looking for creative thinkers who can come up with novel solutions to their business' challenges. And they're probably all having a hard time finding those creative problem solvers.

More leaders recognizing economic benefits of arts and culture

Increasingly, community leaders across the country are recognizing arts and culture as a significant contributor to an area's economic vitality.

A recent study in Colorado, for example, discovered that jobs that support the arts make up Colorado's fifth largest employment sector.

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Arts Alliance will hold public forum on space needs Thursday

NOTE: Story has been updated to reflect a date change.

The Arts Alliance will hold a public forum on Thursday, June 3 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Kerrytown Concert House, 415 North Fourth Ave., in order to gather input about the space needs of local artists and cultural organizations.

The event is open to anyone interested in arts and culture in Washtenaw County.

Ann Arbor area entrepreneurs using creativity to rebuild economy

Amid the stories of lost jobs and declining industries, there are encouraging signs of economic vitality. Area entrepreneurs are using their innate creativity to grow small businesses that could lead the way to a new economic flowering for the greater Ann Arbor area. Let's a take a quick tour of the county and some of its creative entrepreneurs.

Arts Alliance awards minigrants

The Arts Alliance, Washtenaw County's arts-support organization, today announced 10 minigrants totaling $19,600 of Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs money.

MCACA is the state organization that presents grants to arts and culture organizations; the Arts Alliance is the locally designated re-granter for smaller awards. MCACA announced its own local grants last week.

Culture & Commerce

Ann Arbor needs to consider the arts and the educated workforce

In an increasingly competitive world, the importance of preparing our young people for the jobs and challenges of tomorrow has never been more important.

And yet, the United States is falling behind the rest of the world in a number of educational categories, perhaps most alarmingly in the area of high school graduation rates.

Recently, a pair of reports and initiatives have appeared that suggest how arts and culture can help counter these troubling trends.